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Hypnos is most often depicted as a young gentleman with wings attached to his temples. He is the god of sleep and twin brother of Thanatos, god of death. Hypnos is the son of Nyx, goddess of night, and Erebus, god of darkness. While he is lesser known than many of his other fellow Greek deities, even Zeus was wary of the underestimated powers of Hypnos. Hypnos and his brother Thanatos each lived in a cave located next to each other. These caves, which were in the Underworld, received no light from either the sun or the moon and remained completely
silent. The cave of Hypnos is said to have been surrounded
by poppies and other plants that had soporific effects. Most
sources claim that Hypnos was calm and gentle and provided care for humans who were in desperate need. Because all humans
must sleep, Hypnos was said to "own half of every human
life." This proved his immense power.
The more well-known myths regarding Hypnos
involve his interactions with Zeus. Hypnos is said to have put
Zeus to sleep on two occasions. Hera had been the one to request
Hypnos of his service both times. The first time was when Hera
wished to punish Heracles, Zeus's son. After Hypnos induces Zeus to
sleep, Hera unleashes harsh winds to Heracles's boat. However,
Zeus soon wakes him and realizes what Hypnos had done. Although
he searches for Hypnos to punish him for allowing Hera to gain the
upper hand, he is never able to find him as Hypnos remains in hiding with his mother, Nyx, the goddess of night. The second time Hypnos puts Zeus to sleep was also at the request of Hera. However, Zeus never realizes Hypnos's deeds this time. While Hypnos is initially hesitant to follow Hera's request due to the previous he was in when Zeus sought to confront him, he reluctantly agrees when Hera promises him the hand of Pasithea, the youngest of the Graces, in marriage. He puts Zeus to sleep for a short while during the Trojan War, so that Poseidon and Hera interfere with the battles as much as they wanted to.
HYPNOS
Once Hypnos puts mortals to sleep, he enters their dreams and opens two gates through which the Oneiroi can enter. The two gates are the Gate of Horn, which provides prophetic dreams, and the Gate of Ivory, which provides misleading dreams.