Gods and Goddesses of sleep exist in all the mythologies of the world. By their grace, they gave our ancestors a relaxing holiday, pleasant dreams, prophetic dreams and sleepy dreams. Their anger could provoke nightmares, sleep disturbances, or insomnia. Distinguished in mythological ingenuity, not only the ancient Slavs, who had the dream goddess Sonia. Similar divine beings were among the Indians, ancient Greeks, Celts, Japanese and other peoples. What do they have in common and how do they differ? Let's find out what they are, the most famous deities.
Nidra Devi
Nidra Devi is an Indian goddess who is the local counterpart of Sandman, the goddess of sleepy dreams. In folklore there is a story about Ramayana, in which the warrior Lakshman meets her. He took the oath to serve and protect his free brother and sister for 14 years of exile, while his own wife, Urmila, remained waiting for his return to the palace. When he guarded the camp at night, the Goddess of sleep, that is, Nidra Devi, appeared before him. She tells him that it is time for him to fall asleep. Lakshman answers her that she will not sleep for the next 14 years, because he needs constant vigor in order to protect his brother and sister. Nidra Devi explains to him that it is simply impossible to stay awake for so long, and that someone should sleep in his place. Lakshman then says: “My wife, whom I left in the palace, will suffer from insomnia, waiting for me. Do me a favor, give her my part of the dream. "
So, Lakshman stood for 14 years of his service without closing his eyes, while his wife slept through all these years in anticipation of a betrothed. The grace of the goddess of sleep was a real salvation for this legendary family.
Hypnosis
In Greek mythology, the god Hypnos was the son of Nyx (Nights) and Erebus (Darkness). His brother is Thanatos (Death). Both brothers live in the underworld (Aida) with their sisters, or in Erebus, another valley of the Greek underworld. According to rumors, the god Hypnos lives in a large cave, from which the Leta River flows and where day and night meet. His bed is made of ebony, at the entrance to the cave there are many poppies and other hypnotic plants. In his cave there is neither light nor sound. According to Homer, he lives on the island of Lemnos, which was later described as his own "Island of Dreams." His children Morpheus, Phobetor and Fantazos are dream gods, both good and bad. It is believed that he has many more children who are also associated with the elements of sleep. They say that by nature he is a calm and gentle god, as he helps people in need. That's just because of sleep takes half of their lives.
English, and subsequently Russian, the word "hypnosis" comes from the name of this mysterious god. This name arose from an old misconception that a hypnotized person falls into a state of sleep. In fact, a hypnotic trance is an altered state of consciousness that has nothing to do with sleep.
A whole class of sleep-inducing drugs known as “hypnotics” is also named after Hypnos.
Somn and Sleep
Mythological parallels are still an undisclosed and fertile topic for research. For example, the Slavic god of sleep, Dream, is apparently a tracing-paper from the ancient Roman god Somn. Doubt, in turn, is none other than the Hypnos described above, but under the Latin name. His Latin name sounds like Somnus - hence the derivative words such as "insomnia" (insomnia) and "hypersomnia".
So, Hypnos first migrated to the Romans, becoming Somnom, and then, much later, to our ancestors, becoming known to them as the god of sleep - the Dream.
Sandman
Sleep had a wife, known as Sandman. Sandman patronized afternoon sleep, laziness, relaxation, bliss and relaxation. In addition, Sandman is the goddess of sleepy dreams. Our ancestors saw her in the guise of a small man, imposingly strolling under the windows and waiting for the night to come. After the night darkness fell to the ground, this charming sleep goddess made her way through the smallest gaps, gaps and holes, and with her pleasant hypnotic voice she lulled all the residents, giving them a sense of relaxation and security. Sandman approached the falling asleep children, closed their eyes, stroked their hair and carefully adjusted the blanket. She can rightly be considered one of the most mysterious characters in ancient Slavic mythology.
Sonya and Mara
The goddess of dreams Sonya was the daughter of Mary and Veles. She patronized bad and good dreams. Her favorite pastime was the challenge of dreams related to love and erotic experiences. On behalf of her mother, Mary, the Russian word "nightmare" occurs. It intersects in an interesting way with the English word "mare", which in the mythology of the British Isles called black mares (Mary), causing sleepy paralysis and nightmares. It is from them that the English word "nightmare" comes (bad sleep, nightmare). The connection between the British demons and the Slavic goddess has not yet been fully explored, but, apparently, there is a mythological parallel that can be found not so rarely.
Morpheus
The Roman poet Ovid mentioned in his Metamorphoses that Morpheus was the son of the god Hypnos. According to Ovid, he had a thousand brothers and sisters, with Morpheus, Phobetor and Fantazos himself being just the most noticeable among them. Robert Burton in his “Anatomy of Melancholy” in 1621 refers to Morpheus’s classic portrayals: “Philostaratus draws him in a white and black cloak with an ivory crown full of black and white dreams - pleasant dreams and nightmares.” Starting from the Middle Ages, the name of Morpheus began to be strictly identified with sleep as such, gradually supplanting the memory of his father Hypnos - the true god of sleep.
It was Morpheus who became the hero of all the beliefs and sayings associated with sleep. Therefore, it can rightfully be considered the most famous among all the gods and goddesses of sleep, to which this article is devoted.