Hypnos | God of Sleep, Dreaming & Death (2024)

FAQs

What does the Hypnos symbolize? ›

Born of Nyx and Erebus, Hypnos personifies tranquility and guides both gods and mortals into peaceful sleep. His influence extends to the underworld, entwined with symbols like wings and the opium poppy.

For this new deception, Hypnos made Hera swear oaths of sincerity. He agreed to help her deceive Zeus for the hand of Pasithea, one of the Graces. He turned himself into a bird and, before Zeus could see him, hid in the top of the trees on Mount Ida. He stayed hidden until Hera had seduced Zeus.

Hypnos is generally considered to be a benevolent god who helped mortals sleep.

His attributes included either a horn of sleep-inducing opium, a poppy-stem, a branch dripping water from the river Lethe (Forgetfulness), or an inverted torch. His Roman equivalent was Somnus or Sopor.

Hypnos was generally reputed to be a mild and gentle god, visiting people and helping them fall asleep. His symbol was the poppy, a flower associated with the sedative properties of the opiate it produces.

Through levitation or his wings Hypnos has the ability to fly. Hypnokinesis: As the god of sleep, he has divine authority over sleep. His signature power that allows to him induce sleep, visions and even manipulate dreams in a very similar way that of his son Morpheus, but to a much more powerful degree .

Hypnos was the Greek god of sleep and the personification of sleep itself. In most myths, he was the son of Nyx and Erebus, the brother of Thanatos, the husband of Pasithea, and the father of the Oneiroi. He lived with his brother in the Underworld.

His wife, Pasithea, was one of the youngest of the Charites and was promised to him by Hera, who is the goddess of marriage and birth.

Hypnos stated that he hated violence and death, so he would resort to the Eternal Drowsiness to disable his opponents. Shun entered a state of deep slumber and would remain asleep eternally.

Is Hypnos the god of death? ›

Hypnos, Greco-Roman god of sleep. Hypnos was the son of Nyx (Night) and the twin brother of Thanatos (Death).

Hypnos is depicted as a highly empathetic and perceptive character, often sensing and responding to the emotions of those around him even before they are openly expressed. He is highly intuitive and able to tap into his own inner resources to navigate difficult situations with grace and wisdom.

Despite being a minor god and very lazy, Hypnos seems to be much more powerful than his status and antics lead others to believe he really is, likely because he's a child of Nyx, a protogenos.

Slumber of the Gods

You'd be wise not to underestimate Hypnos, though. He is one of the only gods we can think of who has defeated Zeus in battle—and not just once, but twice! Okay, maybe “defeated in battle” is a little too generous. In reality, Hypnos simply put Zeus to sleep twice.

Hades (/ˈheɪdiːz/; Greek: ᾍδης, translit. Hā́idēs, Attic Greek: [háːi̯dεːs], later [háːdεːs]), in the ancient Greek religion and mythology, is the god of the dead and the king of the underworld, with which his name became synonymous.

Hypnos, Greco-Roman god of sleep. Hypnos was the son of Nyx (Night) and the twin brother of Thanatos (Death).

Thanatos has also been portrayed as a slumbering infant in the arms of his mother Nyx, or as a youth carrying a butterfly (the ancient Greek word "ψυχή" can mean soul or butterfly, or life, amongst other things) or a wreath of poppies (poppies were associated with Hypnos and Thanatos because of their hypnogogic traits ...

Hypnos is depicted as a highly empathetic and perceptive character, often sensing and responding to the emotions of those around him even before they are openly expressed.