Hypnos

The Greek personification of sleep, the son of Nyx and Erebus and the twin brother of Thanatos.

= Mythology = In Greek mythology, Hypnos was not mentioned much (mostly because he was asleep), he was only mentioned in the Illiad by putting Zeus to sleep.

Hypnos managed to put Zeus to sleep twice, when he was asked by Hera. The first time, Hera devised a plan to avenge the ransacking of Troy by Heracles, so, Hypnos put Zeus to sleep and Hera unleashed angry winds on the oceans while Heracles was sailing home from Troy. When Zeus awoke, he was infuriated and tried to find Hypnos, who managed to hide with his mother, Nyx.

The second time, Hypnos was reluctant to trick Zeus again, afraid of his wrath. Hera, however, told him that she would give him Pasithea, one of the youngest Charites (Graces), for his wife. After Hypnos made Hera swear an oath by the River Styx that she would fulfill her part of the bargain, he agreed to help her. Hera, dressed beautifully and having a charm that Aphrodite had given to her, went to Zeus, and lied to him, saying that her parents were quarreling, and that she wanted his approval to go and stop them. Zeus agreed, but he was so enchanted by her beauty that he took her in his embrace; at that moment, Hypnos made Zeus fall asleep.

His Roman version is Sommus.

= Trivia =


 * His Roman form is Sommus but they have both different personalities. Hypnos will usually just sleep in the Cave of Sleep in the Underworld decorated with poppies but Sommus would kill people who did not take their job seriously and will fall asleep at the wrong time and they will never wake up. We will learn more about this in Roman and Greek Personalities.