Throughout history, attempts have been made to find out the origin and meaning of dreams. There are many theories and speculations about it. Sigmund Freud believed that they are manifestations of our subconscious, while the German W. Robert said that they help to get rid of those thoughts that are drowned in our minds. There are many more scientists, psychologists and doctors who have their theories about it, but one of the most curious and interesting was developed by the ancient Greeks. They created a whole mythology related to this phenomenon, so we will dedicate this article to their god of dreams. If you want to know more about the psychology of dreams, you can consult the article on the sleep doctor.
Focusing on legends and Greco-Roman myths, We will explain who is the god of dreams, or gods, since, according to the ancient Greeks, there are several deities that influence them. I hope this topic is as interesting to you as it is to me!
What is the god of dreams?
In Ancient Greece, the god of sleep was called Hypnos. The main purpose of this deity was to help people sleep soundly. She lived with his brother Thanatos, who was the god of deep death, in the underworld, in a cave that was full of opiates. That place has never seen the light of the sun or the moon. There they helped mortal beings to die peacefully without suffering pain while they slept.
Hypnos was not only the god of sleep, but also the husband of Pasithea. This female deity is the goddess of hallucinations. Both had a thousand children, known as the Oniros. Three of them stood out especially: Ikelos, Morpheus and Phantasus. These deities influenced the dreams of mortal people and also of the gods. Later we will talk about them in more detail.
Regarding the representation of Hypnos, he was usually portrayed as a naked young man with wings on his temples or shoulders. On some occasions they represent him with a beard, very similar to his brother Thanatos. On other occasions, Hypnos appears as a man who is asleep on a feather bed, surrounded by black curtains. Among the most common attributes of the god of sleep are his opium horn that impinges on sleep, an inverted torch, the stem of a poppy, and a branch from which drips dew belonging to the Lethe River. Many times his son Morpheus appears as his main assistant. The objective of it is to prevent his father from waking up due to the noises. It should be said that in Sparta, Hypnos always used to be close to death.
The Oniros
Let's talk now about the children of the god of dreams, the Oniros, which we have already mentioned above. They are also known as dark "daimones" (angels and demons) of dreams. According to Homer, an ancient Greek poet and poet, these beings lived in a cave that had two doors. One of them was made of horn and what would be true dreams passed through it. On the other hand, the other was made of ivory, and all those dreams considered deceptive passed through it. Both were supposedly on the dark shores belonging to the western ocean.
The three most important Oniros, which were Ikelos, Morpheus and Phantasus, they decided which dreams to send people when Hypnos, their father, put them to sleep. This task was carried out through the two doors of their cave. If you are interested in the connection between dreams and the concept of reincarnationFeel free to explore that link. Let's talk a little more in detail about these three descendants of the god of sleep.
ikelos
Also known as Phobetor, Ikelos aimed to devour the dreams of both gods and mortals. For this he left the cave every night in search of food. According to legend, this Oniro appears in people's dreams. In them he takes the form of terrifying animals or monsters. The children of Ikelos became the nightmares. Thus they helped him capture the dreams of many more people and gave him time so that he could adopt new forms and interact with his prey, the mortals.
Morpheus
Let us now continue with Morpheus, a name that surely sounds familiar to you from the “Matrix” saga or from the most recent Netflix series called “Sandman”. In Greek mythology, andThis son of Hypnos was also the god of dreams and the leader of his brothers, the Oniros. The task of this winged figure deity was to travel the world looking for important people and kings to transport them to the dream world. According to legend, Morpheus appears in the dreams of mortals. adapting the shape of their loved ones. Thanks to this ability, the leader of the Oniros is mentioned in many very important stories and stories. In them he was in charge of transmitting messages from the gods themselves.
phantasus
Finally, it remains to highlight Phantasus, another of the three most important Oniros. This one was in charge of the most fantastic and surreal dreams. He had the ability to transform into any everyday object that had some special meaning to mortals. Despite this incredible power to adapt the shape of any inanimate object, this Oniro is one of the least mentioned and most discreet characters in Greek mythology. The only one to name it at some specific moments was the Roman poet Ovid in «The Metamorphoses«, a poem of fifteen books. There, Phantasus almost always acted hand in hand with his other two notable brothers: Ikelos and Morfeo.
Without a doubt, the Greek civilization played a fundamental role in history due to its knowledge in various scientific, architectural, artistic and mathematical fields. However, the cultural contribution through its mythology is extremely important, since it lays the foundation of current civilizations as we know them in Europe, even centuries later. Although the legends and theories about dreams seem very fanciful, show that already at that time people were concerned about this issue and tried to give an explanation to this phenomenon, which we are still trying to this day.