Hypnos, also known as Somnus, is the personification of sleep in Greek mythology.
Description[]
He is said to be a calm and gentle deity, as he helps humans in need and, due to their sleep, owns half of their lives. Often at times, Hypnos can be quite mischievous and sarcastic in his own way, while also lazing about and hardly being committed to the tasks assigned to him. Hypnos is also revealed to be an aspect of Dream, a member of the Endless, and is also a subordinate of him.
Overview[]
He is the son of Nyx and Erebus the primordial deities of Night and Darkness respectively. His twin brother is Thanatos, the god of death, and both siblings live in the underworld or in Erebus, another valley of the Greek underworld. His children Morpheus ("Shape"), Phobetor ("Fear") and Phantasos ("Imagination, Phantasy") are the gods of the dream. It is claimed that he has many more children, which are also Oneiroi.
According to rumors, Hypnos resides in a large cave on the island Lemnos, which later on has been claimed to be his very own dream-island. The cave of which he resides is also where the river Lethe ("Forgetfulness") comes from and where night and day meet. His bed is made of ebony, on the entrance of the cave grow a number of poppies and other hypnotic plants. No light and no sound would ever enter his grotto.