He rules the realm of nightmares, and the boundaries between the waking and dreaming worlds. Lord of Sleep: Hypnos is depicted as a smiling, youth crowned with poppies.
This painting shows a wing sprouting from his temple, and his hair elaborately arranged into a series of luxurious locks, some falling freely, others tied in a knot at the back of the head. He was shown running forwards, holding poppies in his right hand and a drinking-horn in his left, from which presumably he poured a sleeping potion. Statue types represented Hypnos either as an adolescent or, in some variants, as an even younger child.
The bronze head that inspired this painting belongs with a series of similar heads and figures found mostly in the western Mediterranean, particularly in France, Italy and Spain. His brother was Morpheus, the personification of dreams.Īlthough frequently shown in vase painting, sculptural representations of him were rare. Hypnos’ wings allowed him to move swiftly over land and sea, and to fan the foreheads of the weary until they fell asleep. He has the hindquarters, legs, and horns of a goat, in the same manner as a faun or satyr. The god was frequently mentioned in literary sources, and associated with poppies and sleep-inducing herbs. In ancient Greek religion and mythology, Pan (/ p æ n / Ancient Greek:, romanized: Pán) is the god of the wild, shepherds and flocks, rustic music and impromptus, and companion of the nymphs. Hypnos was, however, generally viewed as benevolent to mankind. Hypnos first appears in mythology in the works of one of the earliest Greek poets, Hesiod (lived around 700 BC), where Hypnos (Sleep) and Thanatos (Death) were the terrible sons of Nyx (Night). Inspired by a bronze statue from the British Museum London which I first encountered in the late 1960’s early 70’s.
Hypnos, oil on canvas, 16 inches by 20 inches, 2015, SOLD