Greetings! I've been lurking for a while now. Why not introduce myself?
Seems like you've stumbled upon my devotional blog, dedicated to my journey with my spiritualism and relationship with the ever radiant gods of this world beyond.
Bio:
Name: Colly "Dellas" Renfield
Agender , It/They/He
Self Proclaimed Magnificent Bastard
Currently, I actively worship our Ever Gentle Lord of Peaceful Death Lord Thanatos and our Ever Quiet Embrace of Sleep Lord Hypnos. Passively, Lady Athene is important to my life as an artist/academic and Lord Apollon and Lady Artemis has always been in my life in one way or another.
I am very new in my worship and learn a new thing every day, but who doesn't?
Blessed be the deathless Theoi, Praise be the Titans!
Hello! I'm so sorry for not updating another lately, to put it simply, I've been busy with life and just hadn't have the motivation to do much posting (social skills aren't exactly my thing), hopefully I can upload more regularly now :)
Praise be the lords for giving me strength and guidance
GOD DAMN I didn't know my anxiety was that bad holy shit. I'm okay, though, strangely enough I had Dionysus in my mind while I was calming down instead of Lord Thanatos and Hypnos
They helped but Cult Of Dionysus was the one playing in my ears then and now.
Kind lords Thanatos and Hypnos, Twins of night and gracious healers, forgive me for reaching out when I have nothing to give, but please accompany me and calm by heart and tremors, guide me and help me power through today's hours. Please, hold my heart and help me through this anxiety, for to me, you are the soothing thoughts bringing me down from my wild thoughts.
With this prayer I wrote in a hurry, please give me and all other peace of mind and a calm from the chaos. Guide us through dark days. For you, kind lords, are final peace.
Litsen to me, O' deathless ones. I praise thee O' ageless Theoi, ruled by the everjust Zeus who seized control from the Titans. And I praise thee, O' transcendent Titans, ruled by the capable Kronus who seized control from the Primordial ones. And I praise thee, O' Unthinkable Primordial ones, I cower in admiration at your incomprehensible being.
Though my words are naught but dust compared to your divinities, I hope my words are enough to express my respect and admiration. No matter how much I speak, there is no word that has gone unuttered by mortals to express our gratitude.
Hear me, great Divine, please look after my day, guide me to greater heights, and be with me in my hour of need.
There's a power outage going on as I write this, and I lit some candles on my altar for Lord Hypnos and Thanatos and my mini altar to the heroes to light my room. And for once in this whole month, I feel a sense of calm. Which is strange.
I'm terrified of the dark; always have been. And when I walked into my room, it was a void, almost pitch black. I thought the candles would only light up a small portion of my room it instead lit it up entirely! I could walk around comfortably and see from one corner to another. It felt, in a very literal way, like my gods were looking out for me, and a nice reminder that they will always light up the dark and guide me through my fears and doubts.
So to the kind Thanatos, and gentle Hypnos, son of broad winged Nyx. I thank you.
For your boundless confirt and care, for the rest you give, whether eternal or temporary. I praise your feather light touches and embrace when I Kay on my bed, awaiting my eyes to shut.
O blessed twins of the night, gear this humble prayer, written with heavy hands in the darkness of their room, as I bask beneath the light of your candles; thank you for all you do, all you will do, and all you've done for the restless and resting. Let your names be carried in murmers and your winged back and brow carry you from your home in the darkness of hades to the hearts of the many who reveres you.
O' twin healers, Vanquishing Hypnos and Woeful Thanatos, thank you for fending of the harsh darkness.
A devotional appreciation post for Lord Thanatos and Hypnos
There's a power outage going on as I write this, and I lit some candles on my altar for Lord Hypnos and Thanatos and my mini altar to the heroes to light my room. And for once in this whole month, I feel a sense of calm. Which is strange.
I'm terrified of the dark; always have been. And when I walked into my room, it was a void, almost pitch black. I thought the candles would only light up a small portion of my room it instead lit it up entirely! I could walk around comfortably and see from one corner to another. It felt, in a very literal way, like my gods were looking out for me, and a nice reminder that they will always light up the dark and guide me through my fears and doubts.
So to the kind Thanatos, and gentle Hypnos, sons of broad winged Nyx. I thank you.
For your boundless comfort and care, for the rest you give, whether eternal or temporary. I praise your feather light touches and embrace when I lay on my bed, awaiting my eyes to shut.
O blessed twins of the night, hear this humble prayer, written with heavy hands in the darkness of their room, as I bask beneath the light of your candles; thank you for all you do, all you will do, and all you've done for the restless and resting. Let your names be carried in murmers and your winged back and brow carry you from your home in the darkness of hades to the hearts of the many who reveres you.
O' twin healers, Vanquishing Hypnos and Woeful Thanatos, thank you for fending off the harsh darkness.
Hello, everyone! This is an informational post about the Greek god, Hypnos, who is the god of sleep. This post will include as much historical information as I can find as well as information on worshipping Hypnos (the worship information includes UPG). I don't see much love for Hypnos on Tumblr, so I wanted to do something for him that would hopefully get his name out there more. In my experience, he is a very kind god, and I'd love for others to have the opportunity to find that out themselves! 🧡
***Disclaimer: I am not an educator or historian; this is mostly being made for religious purposes.***
Without further adieu, let's get into the post!
Who is Hypnos?
Hypnos is the Greek god, and personification, of sleep. He is the twin brother of Thanatos, the god and personification of peaceful death, and one of the many children of the goddess Nyx, the goddess of the night. Hypnos is said to not have a father, although one source claims his father to be Erebus, the god of darkness. Hypnos' sons are said to be the Oneiroi, bringers of dreams, and depending on the source, he either has a few sons or several thousand. Imagine raising several thousand babies at once...
He was depicted with Thanatos and Hermes in ancient art, often carrying Sarpedon with Thanatos' help while Hermes oversaw the pair. He was typically seen as a young man with wings on his shoulders or the sides of his head as well as on his ankles. He was sometimes shown holding one of his sacred symbols - usually an inverted torch, a wet branch, a horn with opium, or a poppy flower stem.
According to mythology, Hypnos lives in the Underworld in a cave that neither the sun nor the moon can reach and where no light nor sound can ever enter. Some accounts claim that his many sons live there with him as well. Outside of the cave is said to be a massive field of poppy flowers (and other sleep-inducing plants), and the river Lethe (the river of forgetfulness and oblivion) runs through/from the cave as well. In Homer's account, however, it is said that Hypnos lives on the dream-like island Lemnos in the Aegean Sea.
In ancient Greece, Hypnos was viewed as a calm and gentle god. Many ancient Greeks believed they owed half of their lives to him since mortals spend a good amount of their lives sleeping. One ancient author even claims Hypnos to be a "dearest friend" to the Muses. Although he wasn't very prevalent in Greek mythology, he was well-respected and considered an extremely benevolent god.
What are some of his most well-known myths?
Hypnos isn't featured in many surviving myths, so our information about him is sparse. Two of his most well-known myths, however, involve his powers of inducing sleep on the King of the gods himself, Zeus.
In the first myth, Hera planned on avenging the ransacking of Troy by Heracles, but she knew Zeus would never allow her to do this, so she asked for the help of Hypnos to put Zeus to sleep. Once Zeus was asleep, Hera sent harsh winds on Heracles' boat as the demi-god was returning home, causing a lot of strife for Heracles. When Zeus finally awoke, he was furious and sought after Hypnos, but Hypnos hid behind his mother Nyx, whose power even Zeus feared, and was able to get out of the situation unscathed.
In the second myth, Hera enlisted the help of Hypnos again, but having learned from the first time, Hypnos was reluctant to aid her in tricking Zeus, afraid of the King's mighty wrath. As an incentive, Hera promised Pasithea's - one of the Graces - hand in marriage; she knew Hypnos had feelings for her in the past. Hypnos made Hera swear by the Styx - a sacred oath that the gods couldn't break - that she'd follow through with the marriage, and afterward, Hera sent their plan into action. She dressed beautifully, wearing a charm that Aphrodite had given her, and approached Zeus, seducing him. While Zeus was distracted, Hypnos came and put him to sleep, and as he slept, Hypnos left to tell Poseidon that it was safe for him to help the Danaans in the Trojan War. This greatly altered the course of the war in the favor of the Greeks. Zeus never realized he had been tricked a second time, and Hypnos got married to Pasithea as a reward for his efforts.
What are some of Hypnos' sacred symbols?
Although we don't have much information about Hypnos, we do know a few of his sacred symbols thanks to ancient art and descriptions of him. Here's a list of the ones we know:
Poppy flowers
Cottonwood trees
An inverted torch (a torch that was upside down)
Wings (specifically wings on the side of his head)
A horn filled with sleep-inducing opium
Water from the river Lethe
Nighthawks
Songbirds
Unfortunately, those are the only historical symbols we seem to know about regarding Hypnos. As I said, we don't have much information about him or even how he was worshipped.
What are Hypnos' epithets?
It was very difficult to research this (at least it was me lol), and I didn't find many sources. Here's the small list that I did find:
Tamer of Cares (couldn't find the Greek word for it, sorry; it came from a translation of Orphic Hymn 84)
Paean - Healer
Epidotes - Bountiful
Makar - Blessed One
Pannikitis - All-vanquishing
Melamkhrotos - Black-skinned
Dios Apate - Deception of Zeus
I mostly used @screeching-0wl 's cheat sheet to find these. You can find their worship cheat sheet here.
How can you worship Hypnos in the modern day? (UPG incoming)
Just as you would any other deity! Everyone has a different style of worship, and there is no right way to worship. However you feel most comfortable is what I would recommend!
A common way of worshipping deities in the modern day is to create an altar for them. Regarding Hypnos specifically, I'd recommend keeping an altar to him close to, or even under, your bed due to his relation to sleep. Although many altars I've seen have candles on them, I wouldn't suggest lighting a candle on his altar if it's under your bed since that could be a fire hazard.
If you like celebrating festivals in honor of your deities, Hypnos doesn't have any known historical festivals that were celebrated. You can, however, create a modern festival for him if you'd like to.
Oftentimes, Hypnos was honored before going to sleep. He was invoked for sleep-related issues and dreams. In the modern day, many people consult Hypnos for insomnia as well as for having more detailed or control over dreams. You're more than allowed to consult Hypnos for any sleep-related and dream-related issues, though; his domain within the realm of sleep is limitless.
What are some modern offerings for Hypnos? (UPG incoming)
When it comes to offerings, you can give a deity just about anything as long as you are well-meaning and thoughtful. They often appreciate even just the thought. There are certain things that deities tend to enjoy more than others, though. Since historical resources are limited when it comes to offerings for Hypnos, most of this is based on UPG and educated guessing. These are offerings other modern worshippers I've met use as well. Here's a list of things you can offer to Hypnos:
Poppy flowers or imagery of poppy flowers (drawings, paintings, pictures, etc.)
Frankincense, myrrh, cypress, or opium incense
Red wine (red wine is often for Chthonic deities, while white wine is often for Ouranic deities)
Anything related to sleep (soft blankets, comforting stuffed animals, sleeping masks, pillows, etc.)
Devotional jewelry
Imagery of his symbols (drawings, knick-knacks, pictures, etc.)
Imagery of him (statues, drawings, paintings, etc.)
Sharing your dreams with him (verbally or written)
Calming-scented candles
A meal or food you find comforting/soothing
A mug you often use to drink tea or other soothing drinks
Items you made specifically for him (drawings, writings, carvings, pottery, knitting, etc.)
What are some modern devotional acts to Hypnos? (UPG incoming)
Like offerings, devotional acts are meant to be done in honor or worship of a deity. They are acts of devotion - actions you take or activities you engage in to honor a deity. With very little to go off of historically, many devotional acts to Hypnos are of modern invention. Similarly to the offerings, most of this will be UPG-based. Here's a list of devotional acts for Hypnos:
Getting a good amount of sleep at night/sticking to a healthy sleep schedule (if you're able to)
Taking naps
Listening to music that reminds you of him (especially before or during sleep)
Learning more about sleep and dreams
Writing prayers, hymns, and poems for him
Donating bedsheets, pillows, blankets, etc. to those who need it
Washing your bedsheets, pillows, blankets, stuffed animals, and anything else you sleep with regularly
Growing poppies or other sleep-inducing/calming herbs and plants
Maintaining a healthy bedtime routine
Engaging in activities that calm and ground you
Baking with and consuming poppy seeds (please remember that poppy seeds can trigger false positives on drug tests)
Keeping a dream journal
Drinking soothing tea before bed
Engaging in any form of self-care
Spending an hour before bed without any technology
Designating alone time to rest and recharge
Taking time to relax after a hard or long day
Lighting a soothing candle
Conclusion
Hypnos, like many members of his immediate family, is somewhat mysterious, historically speaking, because there simply isn't much information about him. Much of what we know is based on passages from The Iliad, his Orphic Hymn, and art depicting him. It's a bit of a guessing game when it comes to his worship.
Regardless, I hope that you found this post informational and helpful. Hypnos is a pleasant god, bringing with him the comfort and relaxation of rest wherever he goes, and he's definitely a wonderful energy to have in your space. If you're considering worshipping Hypnos, my advice is to just jump into it and do your best! He is likely to appreciate your efforts.
Thank you for reading my post! Take care of yourselves, and I hope you have a fantastic day/night. Rest well, and until next time!
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|| Sources ||
A guide to worship of Hypnos - /screeching-0wl on Tumblr
Greek Gods: Hypnos - GreekMythology.com
Hypnos - Theoi.com
Hypnos, The Greek God of Sleep - GreekGodsAndGoddesses.net
I apologize for the lackluster sources. As I said, it was incredibly difficult to find information and reliable sources about Hypnos. So little is known about him, sadly, that there just isn't much out there.
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|| Image Credits ||
First image: Bronze statue of Hypnos in Almedinilla's Museum in Cordoba, Spain.
Second image: Field of poppy flowers in Dunfermline, Scotland.
Third image: Common Nighthawk in flight.
Fourth image: Unmade bed underneath a window.
Fifth image: Statue of Hypnos; more info needed.
The images were a bit difficult to source, and unfortunately, I couldn't find all of their original sources. My apologies.
