He also says that Hypnos was a lover of Pasithea, and in the speech of Hypnos there is this verse :-‘Verily that he would give me one of the younger. (Copyright © the American Society of Anesthesiologists, Inc. Hypnos was the Greek god of sleep, and he also featured in ancient Roman mythology in the same capacity. Jones) (Greek travelogue C2nd A.D.) : 'Homer-he too referes to the Kharites (Charites)-makes one the wife of Hephaistos (Hephaestus), giving her the name Kharis (Charis). Hypnos: A Greek Mythology Romance (The Underworld Saga) Pohler, Eva on. From Hypnos we derive the word “hypnotic,” and from the River Lethe ether pioneer William Morton coined “Letheon,” the name he used for disguising his anesthetic’s identity from curious onlookers. Although initially thought of as the fatherless son of Nyx, Hypnos was later believed to be fathered by Erebus. He was the son of the powerful goddess of the night, who goes by the name of Nyx. He is known as the god of sleep in Greek mythology. His twin brother is Thanatos, the god of death, and both siblings live in Hades. Hypnos is perceived as a calm and gentle god.

At the center of the palace, the slumbering Hypnos lay sprawled out upon gray sheets on an ebony bed, surrounded by countless dreams…. Hypnos is the son of Nyx and Erebus, the primordial deities of Night and Darkness respectively. The palace of the God of Sleep had no doors or gates and thus no hinges to disrupt his quiet with creaking noise. That river’s gentle babbling induced drowsiness and forgetfulness.

The cave’s silence was unbroken, save for the River Lethe’s rushing over loose pebbles. According to the poet Ovid, Hypnos’ dark palace was a massive cave around whose mouth flourished opium poppies and other hypnotic herbs. Known as Somnus by Imperial Romans, Hypnos was the God of Sleep to ancient Greeks and would eventually be regarded as the God of Anesthesia.

Sculpted by an unknown artist, this bust of Hypnos (above) was curatorially acquired from The Netherlands.

Hypnos greek mythology