The first time he helped Hera, her goal had been to punish Heracles for sacking the city of Troy. Homer tells the story of how Hera twice convinced Hypnos to work for her against Zeus. His most well-known appearance is in the Iliad. Because he induced sleep, he was more active in many stories than some of the more rarely-encountered daimones. Hypnos appeared in several well-known stories, however, because he was essential to their plots. There were uncountable Oneiroi, the daimones who brought both peaceful dreams and nightmares. He lived in a cave in the realm of his father, the primordial darkness of Erebos.Įach night, Hypnos traveled around the world with his sons, the gods of dreams. The word hypnos meant “sleep,” and like other daimones he had little characterization beyond his function.įittingly, Hynos was the son of Nyx, the primordial goddess of the night. He was a type of minor deity called a daimon that personified his domain. The most famous story of the Greek god of sleep showed that even the king of the gods was subject to the workings of Hypnos. All people, and even the gods, were influenced by him for a large portion of their lives.īecause of this, Hypnos played a role in several well-known stories. These spirits were defined by their role and typically had no true mythology beyond it.Īs the Greek god of sleep, however, Hypnos played a more prominent role in life than many other minor gods and goddesses. He was one of hundreds of minor gods that influenced the world and the people in it. In the ancient world, this role was filled by a god instead of a fairy-tale being. Children in the modern world hear stories about the Sandman, a magical being that puts the people of the world to sleep each night.
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