In Greek mythology, Hypnos is the god associated with sleep. His mother was Nyx (night) and his father was Erebus (darkness). Even Zeus, the most powerful of the Greek gods, was afraid to enter Nyx's realm because she was such a terrible and powerful goddess. Hypnos and his twin brother, Thanatos (death), lived in the underworld (Hades) in caves located next to each other. The caves received neither sunlight nor moonlight and were completely silent. The caves were also surrounded by poppies and other sleep-producing plants. His bed is said to be made of ebony. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Hypnos is said to be a calm and gentle god who helps mortal humans in times of need. Since he is the god of sleep, he possesses half of every human life. The river Lethe (oblivion) flows from the cave of Hypnos. His cave is also the place where day and night meet. Hera (the goddess of love and marriage married to her brother Zeus) twice asked Hypnos to put Zeus to sleep. The first time Hypnos put Zeus to sleep was to avenge the sacking of the city of Troy by Zeus' son Heracles. When Zeus awoke and found out what had happened, he tried to find Hypnos, but was unable to because Hypnos was hiding with his mother, Nyx. The second time Hypnos put Zeus to sleep was because Hera had promised him that he could have Pasithea as his daughter. wife. Hypnos made Hera swear by the River Styx before helping her. Hera then dressed beautifully and went to Zeus to ask his permission to go to her parents and prevent them from quarreling. Hera also had a charm given to her by Aphrodite (the goddess of love). Zeus agreed and when he hugged Hera Hypnos put him to sleep. Hypnos then went to Poseidon (god of the sea) and told him that he could help the Greeks win the Trojan War. Zeus never realized that Hypnos had put him to sleep a second time. Hypnos and Pasithea had three sons, Morpheus, Phobetor and Phantasos who were named Oneiroi (the dreams). The Oneiroi live in a cave near the Western Ocean. Their cave had two doors that would convey their dreams to people. One of the doors was made of ivory and the other of sea buckthorn. Before dreams could be sent, Hypnos had to put the person to sleep. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay In artwork, Hypnos is depicted as a young man who has wings on his shoulders or forehead. He is often seen holding an opium horn, which produces sleep, a branch from which water drips from Lethe, or an inverted torch. Hypnos is sometimes called Somnus or Hypnus..
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