The Dream Catcher
Morpheus: The Greek God of Dreams
The Sleeping Beauty by deccaclassics
Morpheus' Family
Father: Hypnos, god of sleep. Decendent of Erebus and Nyx.
Mother: Pasithea, goddess of relaxation. Decendent of Hera and Dionyssus.
Uncle: Thanatos, god of death.
Brothers: Phobetor (also known as icelus), specialized in bringing nightmares or scary dreams.
Phantasus, was known for creating dreams full of illusion, or fake dreams.
Background
Morpheus and his brothers were called the Oneiroi, which in Greek means dreams. They were in charge of controlling dreams. Morpheus, who was the leader of the Oneiroi, was in charge of shaping dreams, or giving shape to the people and creatures who inhabited dreams.
The Gates of Horn and Ivory
The Gates of Horn and Ivory, are two gates leading out of the Dream World, where Morpheus and his family lived. It is said that false dreams are passed through the gate of ivory while true dreams are passed through the gate of horn. Both of these gates are protected by monsters to keep intruders from going into the Dream World.
The Story of Alcyone and Ceyx
In Ovid's Metamorphosis, Alcyone and Ceyx are a happily married couple. One day, Ceyx decides to take a journey across the ocean. Alcyone, knowing how dangerous this might be, attempts to persuade Ceyx not to go. Ceyx ignores this request, and leaves. On his first night out, a horrible storm destroys his ship, and he dies out at sea. Alcyone, who still awaits her husband, prays to the God June for Ceyx to get home safely. Juno, feeling pity for Alcyone, sends Morpheus in a dream to tell her the news. Morpheus shows up in her dream as a drowning Ceyx. When Alcyone wakes, she knows that her husband is dead. Alcyone then tries to drown herself in the ocean so she could be with her husband. Instead of drowning, she is turned into a bird, as does Ceyx's body, and they now fly together for eternity.
Ceyx and Alcyone
The Iliad
In Homer's The Iliad book two, Zeus decides to send a dream with Morpheus to Agamemnon. When Agamemnon awakes the next day, he totally agrees with the dream, and proceeds to tell his men they are going home. He does this to test the soldiers loyalty before telling them they are going to attack Troy the next day. Odysseus eventually gets them in line and thinking of war, so they could attack Troy.
Morpheus and Iris
Morpheus and Iris, the goddess of rainbows. Painted by Pierre Narcisse Guerin.
The Barque of Charon, Sleep, Night and Morpheus
Nyx hovering over Charon with Morpheus. Painted by Luca Giordano.
Morpheus
Marble statue of Morpheus. Sculpted by Jean-Antoine Houdon.