For example, there are notable similarities between Hypnos and the Sandman of Northern and Western European folklore. Many cultures have or had a god or mythological figure associated with sleep or the night, a testament to how vital and yet mysterious the sleeping state has always been to humankind. Hypno is also the name of a Pokemon with hypnotic powers. In 1922, horror story master HP Lovecraft wrote a short story entitled “Hypnos” about a man who unknowingly befriends the god and subsequently develops a fear of sleeping. He and his brother Thanatos are the subjects of Sleep and His Half-Brother Death, an 1874 painting by pre-Raphaelite artist John William Waterhouse. Hypnos has also made several cultural appearances within the last century and a half. A bronze statue of his head, found in Perugia, Italy, depicts wings sprouting from his temples. One of the earliest known examples is a lekythos, or olive oil jug, dating to about 440 BCE. Hypnos, like other Greek gods, was widely depicted in various art forms. Hypnos’ Roman counterpart was Somnus, whose name gives us the root of words like insomnia and somnambulant. Hypnos lends his name to words we use in English today, such as hypnosis, a sleep-like state. Hypnos’s best-known adventures are from Homer’s The Iliad, in which he tricks Zeus, putting him to sleep at Hera’s behest in order to help the Danaans win the Trojan war. His symbol was the poppy, a flower associated with the sedative properties of the opiate it produces. Hypnos was generally reputed to be a mild and gentle god, visiting people and helping them fall asleep. He was also attended by Aergia, goddess of slothfulness. Hypnos’s wife or consort was Pasathea, the Grace (a minor goddess) that presided over relaxation and meditation. Among them were Morpheus, god of dreams Phobetor, ruler of nightmares and Phantasos, bringer of fantasy or illusion. According to the Roman poet Ovid, Hypnos fathered children, called the Oneiroi, gods and demigods, who were in charge of dreams and nightmares. Hypnos was reputed to live in a cave which was the source of the river Lethe, the symbol of forgetfulness. Hypnos and Thanatos resided together in Hades, the underworld. Hiypnos’ twin brother was Thanatos, who was the personification of death, reflecting the belief that sleep was a state similar to death. Hypnos was the son of Nyx, who was the goddess of the night, and his father was Erebus, personification of the darkness.

The Greeks of the Hellenistic period believed that a deity, Hypnos, presided over sleep.

Though they were primarily worshipped from about 900 BCE to 300 CE, their exploits permeate literature, art, and music to this day. Probably the best-known classical, polytheistic pantheon in the Western world is that of the Greek gods, denizens of Mount Olympus ruled by Zeus. FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS, various cultures have subscribed to polytheistic beliefs, which is the idea that there are numerous gods and goddesses, each responsible for a different element or aspect of life (or death).

Hypnos god symbol