Gods and Goddesses of sleep exist in all mythologies of the world. With their grace, they gave our ancestors a quiet rest, 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 goddess of dreams Sonya. Indians, ancient Greeks, Celts, Japanese and other peoples had similar divine essences. 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 equivalent of Drema, the goddess of sleepy dreams. There is a story in folklore about the Ramayana, in which she is met by the warrior Lakshman. He took an oath to serve and protect his free brother and sister during 14 years of exile, while his own wife Urmila remained in the palace to await his return. While he was guarding the camp at night, the Goddess of Sleep, that is, Nidra Devi, appeared before him. She tells him what has come to himtime to fall asleep. Lakshman tells her that he 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 instead of him. Lakshman then says, “My wife, who I have left in the palace, will suffer from insomnia while waiting for me. Do me a favor and give her my share of the dream.”
So, Lakshman stood for 14 years of his service without a wink of an eye, while his wife slept all these years in anticipation of her betrothed. The grace of the goddess of sleep was a real salvation for this legendary family.
Hypnos
In Greek mythology there was a god Hypnos - the son of Nyx (Night) and Erebus (Darkness). His brother is Thanatos (Death). Both brothers live in the underworld (Aida) with their sisters, or else in Erebus, another valley of the Greek underworld. According to rumors, the god Hypnos lives in a large cave from where the river Lethe flows and where day and night meet. His bed is made of ebony, and there are many poppies and other hypnotic plants growing at the entrance to the cave. There is no light or sound in his cave. According to Homer, he lives on the island of Lemnos, which was later described as his own "Isle of Dreams". His children Morpheus, Phoebetor and Phantazos are the gods of dreams, both good and bad. It is believed that he has many more children who are also associated with the element of sleep. He is said to be a calm and gentle god by nature, as he helps people in need. That's just because of sleep takes awayhalf of their lives.
The English, and subsequently Russian, 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 unexplored and fertile topic for research. For example, the Slavic god of sleep Son is, apparently, a copy of the ancient Roman god Somna. Somnus, in turn, is none other than the Hypnos described above, but under a Latin name. His Latin name is Somnus, hence derivative words such as "insomnia" (insomnia) and "hypersomnia".
So, Hypnos migrated first to the Romans, becoming Somnos, and then, much later, to our ancestors, becoming known to them as the god of sleep - Sleep.
Drema
Sleep had a wife known as Drema. Sandman patronized afternoon nap, laziness, relaxation, bliss and rest. In addition, Drema 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 darkness of the night fell to the ground, this charming goddess of sleep made her way into the house through the slightest cracks, gaps and holes, and with her pleasantwith a hypnotic voice, she put all the tenants to sleep, giving them a feeling of relaxation and security. Sandman approached the sleeping children, closed their eyes, stroked their hair and carefully straightened the blanket. She can rightly be considered one of the most mysterious characters in ancient Slavic mythology.
Sonia and Mara
The goddess of dreams Sonya was the daughter of Mara and Veles. She patronized bad and good dreams. Her favorite pastime was the invocation of dreams associated with love and erotic experiences. From the name of her mother, Mary, comes the Russian word "nightmare". It intersects in an interesting way with the English word "mare", which in the mythology of the British Isles was called black mares (Mares), causing sleep paralysis and nightmares. It is from them that the English word "nightmare" (bad dream, nightmare) comes. The connection of British demons with the Slavic goddess has not yet been properly investigated, but, apparently, there is a mythological parallel here, which can be found not so rarely.
Morpheus
The Roman poet Ovid mentioned in his Metamorphoses that Morpheus is the son of the god Hypnos. According to Ovid, he had a thousand brothers and sisters, with Morpheus himself, Phoebetor and Phantazos being just the most notable among them. Robert Burton, in his "Anatomy of Melancholy" in 1621, refers to the classic depictions of Morpheus: "Philostaratus depicts him in a white and black cloak with an ivory crown full of black and white dreams - pleasant dreams andnightmares." Starting from the Middle Ages, the name of Morpheus began to be strictly identified with sleep as such, gradually replacing 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, he can rightfully be considered the most famous among all the gods and goddesses of sleep, to whom this article is dedicated.
