In Greek mythology, Hypnos is the god associated with sleep. His mother was Nyx (night) and his father was Erebus (darkness). Even Zeus, the most powerful of the Greek gods, was afraid to enter Nyx's kingdom because she was a terrible and powerful goddess. Hypnos and his twin brother, Thanatos (Death), lived in the underworld (Hades), in caves located next to each other. The caves received no sunlight or moonlight and were completely silent. The caves were also surrounded by poppies and other sleep-producing plants. It is said that his bed is made of ebony. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Hypnos is considered a calm and gentle god who helps mortal humans in times of need. Because he is the god of sleep, he possesses half of every human life. The river Lethe (forgetfulness) flows from the cave of Hypnos. Its cave is also the meeting place of day and night. Hypnos was twice asked by Hera (the goddess of love and marriage married to her brother Zeus) to put Zeus to sleep. The first time Hypnos put Zeus to sleep was to avenge the sacking of the city of Troy by Zeus' son Heracles. When Zeus woke up and discovered what had happened, he tried to find Hypnos, but was unable to because Hypnos was hiding with his mother, Nyx. The second time Hypnos put Zeus to sleep, it was because Hera had promised him that he could have Pasithea as his own. marry. Hypnos made Hera swear an oath on the banks of the River Styx before helping her. Hera then dressed beautifully and went to Zeus to ask his permission to go to her parents and stop them from arguing. Hera also had a charm given to her by Aphrodite (the goddess of love). Zeus agreed and when he hugged Hera, Hypnos put her to sleep. Hypnos then went to Poseidon (god of the sea) and told him that he could help the Greeks win the Trojan War. Zeus never realized that Hypnos had put him to sleep a second time. Hypnos and Pasitheus had three sons, Morpheus, Phobetor and Phantasos, called Oneiroi (the dreams). The Oneiroi live in a cave near the Western Ocean. Their cave had two doors that sent people their dreams. One of the doors was made of ivory and the other of buckthorn. Before dreams could be sent, Hypnos had to put the person to sleep. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized paper now from our expert writers. Get a Custom Essay In artwork, Hypnos is depicted as a young man who has wings on his shoulders or forehead. He is often seen holding an opium horn that produces sleep, a branch from which water flows from Lethe, or an inverted torch. Hypnos is sometimes called Somnus or Hypnus..