Residence: The Underworld Symbols: Poppy Parents:Nyx and Erebus Consort: Pasithea Siblings:Thanatus, Nemesis, Eris, Keres, Apate, the Moirae, Oizys Children: Oneiroi Roman equivalent: Somnus
Front side of the Euphronios krater depicting Sarpedon’s body carried by Hypnus and Thanatus, while Hermes watches
He dwelt in Erebus, the land of eternal darkness beyond the gates of the rising sun, and rose into the sky each night in the train of his mother Nyx. Hypnus was often paired with his twin brother Thanatus.
Hypnus and Thanatus, Sleep and His Half-Brother Death, painting by John William Waterhouse, 1874.
Detail of an Attic white-ground lekythos, c. 435-425 BC, depciting Hypnus carrying the body of Sarpedon. British Museum. (c) theoi.com
Apulian red-figure stamnos, c. 400-390 BC, depicting Hypnus dripping the waters of Lethe onto Ariadne’s brow. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. (c) theoi.com
Digital Maps of the Ancient World 