Morpheus (mythology)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Morpheus | |
 Painting of Morpheus and Iris by baron Guérin |
|
| God of dreams | |
| Consort | Iris (suspected) |
|---|---|
| Parents | Nyx and Hypnos |
| Siblings | Phobetor (uncle in some portrayals) and Phantasos |
Morpheus (Greek: Μορφέας, Μορφεύς, "he who forms, shapes, moulds", from the Greek morphe) is the Greek god of dreams.
Morpheus has the ability to take any human's form and appear in dreams. He is the son of Hypnos, the god of sleep. His mother is Pasithea; Nyx (the goddess of night) is his Grandmother. Morpheus, along with his brothers Phobetor (also known as Icelus), and Phantasos have wings on their backs, which they were either born with, or which were given to them from their uncle Thánatos (Hypnos's halfbrother) as a gift.
As his mother Pasithea and father Hypnos do not have wings of any kind, Morpheus used his wings to go to others to help them in their dreams. He also used his wings to carry his father Hypnos to Morpheus' dream world to keep him safe in a cave next to the river of forgetfulness. Phobetor and Phantasos live in Morpheus' dream world.
It is unknown if Morpheus had a wife, though a suspected wife was often portrayed as Iris (the personification of the rainbow).
It is said that Morpheus is always watching in one's dreams as a shadow.
Morpheus' dream world is protected by the Gates of Morpheus which had two monsters capable of becoming your fears - a method to drive one away. Only other Olympians could enter Morpheus' Dream World. It's notable that his dream world is where his family lived - other gods that were exiled out of Mount Olympus. Notable features of Morpheus' dream world are the Rivers of Forgetfulness and the River of Oblivion.
Morpheus sends images of humans in dreams or visions, and is responsible for shaping dreams, or giving shape to the beings that inhabit dreams. Phobetor made fearsome dreams (etymologically related to "phobia" from the Greek φόβος "fear"). Phantasos produced tricky and unreal dreams (hence "fantasy", "phantasmagoria", etc.). Together these attendants of Hypnos rule the realm of dreams. Morpheus also had special responsibility for the dreams of kings and heroes. For these reasons Morpheus is often referred to as "Morpheus, the Greek god of dreams" in superiority to his brothers.
Morpheus is spoken of in the Metamorphoses of Ovid. It is also believed that in the Iliad he is spoken of as "Dream." He is also referred to in Edmund Spenser's The Faerie Queene (1590). He sleeps on an ebony bed in a dimly lit cave, surrounded by poppy flowers. According to Ovid, Morpheus concentrated on the human elements of dreams, his brothers Phobetor and Phantasos being responsible for animals and inanimate objects, respectively.
The drug morphine (once "morphium") derives its name from Morpheus based on its dream-inducing power.
[edit] Popular culture
 |
Lists of miscellaneous information should be avoided. Please relocate any relevant information into appropriate sections or articles. (June 2009) |
- Morpheus is one of Hypnos's subordinate gods in Saint Seiya: The Lost Canvas.
- Morpheus is the pseudonym of one of the main characters in the Wachowski Brothers' The Matrix film, played by Laurence Fishburne as the one who awakens Neo from his "sleep".
- The personification of dreaming is the main character in Neil Gaiman's popular graphic novel The Sandman. He is often referred to as Morpheus, Oneiros or Lord Shaper.
- Morpheus is the king of the dream world known as Slumberland in Winsor McCay's classic sunday comics Little Nemo in Slumberland.
- The Greek god Morpheus is mentioned as an antagonist in the video game God of War: Chains of Olympus.
- The chorus of Lullaby by The Tea Party (rock band) reminds the listener that they "sleep tonight, safe in the arms of Morpheus."
- In the popular MMORPG World of Warcraft, a boss protecting 'The Dreamer' in the instance Sunken Temple is a dragon named Morpheus.
- Apoptygma Berzerk's song "Black Vs. White" from the album Rocket Science uses Morpheus as a poetic device. Singer/songwriter Stephan Groth's sings that society, as a whole, is willfully ignorant of their own ills and misdeeds, as shown in the line, "We're so close to the edge now, but nobody cares; Far away, in the arms of Morpheus"
- Morpheus appears in the final Percy Jackson & The Olympians book The Last Olympian, and serves Kronos by putting everyone in Manhattan to sleep.
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Morpheus |
