“Divine Hypnos, god who knows no pain,
Hypnos, stranger to anguish,
come in favor to us, come happy,
and giving happiness, great King!
Keep before his eyes such light as is spread before them now.
Come to him, I pray you, come with power to heal!”
Sophocles, Philoctetes (409 B.C.)
Hypnos and Thanatos are Two that I honour every night, along with Pasithea, and Morpheus.
“O, Hypnos,
divine repose of all things!
Gentlest of the deities!
Peace to the troubled mind,
from which you drive the cares of life.
Restorer of men’s strength
when wearied with the toils of day.”
Ovid, Metamorphoses, Book XI (1 A.D.)
After years of working shift work, relaxing into rejuvenating sleep with peaceful or inspiring dreams is a gift beyond measure.
“To Hypnos (Sleep), Fumigation from Poppies. Hypnos, king of Gods, and men of mortal birth, sovereign of all, sustained by mother earth; for thy dominion is supreme alone, over all extended, and by all things known. ‘Tis thine all bodies with benignant mind in other bands than those of brass to bind. Tamer of cares, to weary toil repose, and from whom sacred solace in affliction flows. Thy pleasing gentle chains preserve the soul, and even the dreadful cares of death control; for Thanatos (Death), and Lethe (Forgetfulness) with oblivious stream, mankind thy genuine brothers justly deem. With favouring aspect to my prayer incline, and save thy mystics in their works divine.”
Orphic Hymn 85 to Hypnos
Source for above prayers:
The poppy is strongly linked to both Hypnos and Thanatos; and as someone who has needed the relief of opioid based pain relief and more anaesthetics than I care to consider (surgery is a stupid hobby, I don’t recommend it), I am incredibly grateful to Hypnos.
After over a decade in the Emergency Services sector, and my own lived experience with cancer, so I also honour Thanatos for a peaceful and painless death.
Prayers for an Insomniac
From the deep emptiness of a sleepless night,
My pleas are sent to the gods of sleep.
To the givers of dreams I call,
To Those who come in the night,
Not as dangers,
But as bringers of peace.
Come to me,
As I lie alone in the dark.
Slip quietly through the night and place your hands on my brow,
Soothing me gently until I slide into sleep.
A Book of Pagan Prayer
Ceisiwr Serith
Prayer to Hypnos
By G. Krasskova
(Written for S.)
Sweet Hypnos,
most benevolent and gracious God,
please hear my prayer.
Grant me the sweetness of sleep
when I seek my rest.
Help me to still my mind,
my racing thoughts,
to put the tensions
and stress of my body aside.
May Your children:
especially Morpheus,
the Oneiroi, and
Phantasmos
bless my slumber.
May my dreams be fruitful.
May I wake refreshed,
even on those occasions
when Your Son Phobetor visits.
Oh God of poppies,
of pleasure and relaxation,
please grant me Your healing touch.
Smile upon me,
place Your gentle hand upon my brow,
and grant me release from my cares
through the grace of sleep,
which only You may bring.
Hail to You, Hypnos,
Husband of Pasiphae,
Daughter of Dionysos,
Who Himself relieves care,
Hail to You, Beautiful God.
Hymn to Hypnos & Prayer for Sleep
Hypnos, god of sweet slumber, I call to you! Visit with me here for a moment and listen to my praise!I have prepared a hymn for you.
Mysterious, energy-giving Hypnos, you dwell among fields of kthonian poppy and carry your sleep to the mortals of Earth. Peaceful twin of Thanatos, non-violent death, and the dutiful son of Nyx and Erebos, your power is immense. You who sway every earth-dweller into a luscious stupor and calm their minds with release.
You fathered Morpheus, Phantasos, the night-winged Oneiroi. Every nightly vision hails from you, through one of the gates of horn or ivory. Opium-bearing Hypnos, praise be to your delicate gift! With wings upon your anointed brow, you fly throughout every domain, kissing each and every soul. Full of grace and inspiration are your nightly visits! Without you, many mortals would never have been gifted with life-changing dreams to ponder!
Young, flitting, handsome as all of he Theoi on Olympos! Hypnos, you are worthy of every praise I can utter, each heart-filled song I can sing! I praise your forever-loved name and unfading appearance!
Hypnos, I pray for your blessing of sleep over my eyes tonight, and for sweet dreams. Protect my weary head from any spirit which may attempt to instill fear unto me. Praise be to you, mightly Hypnos!
Prayers by Written by Lilli Behom
https://vocal.media/futurism/ways-of-worship-hypnos
Restful Sleep
Hypnos, bright-winged bringer of blessed sleep,son of misty-eyed Nyx of the sooty night, I call to you to grant me your favor.
In sunless Erebos you make your home,
O Hypnos; each eventide you follow in Night’s wake, fleet of foot, garlandedin blood-red poppies, their sweet scent a balmto those who seek your gift.
Hypnos, granter of the peace of a night’s oblivion, soft-spoken god in whose gentle arms we lie in repose, I pray to you,deliver me into soothing slumber.
Prayer of Hypnos
Gentle Hypnos, child of night-dwelling Nyx,master of far-flung Erebos, far beyond the path of the sun, I honor you, I thank you for your blessings.
Dark is your hall, O Hypnos, dark and deep; red are the poppies that grow at your gate.
Young and fair you are, O Hypnos, so beautiful in repose.
Kind and good you are,O brother of death, O granter of rest to the weary, of respite to those whose need for your comfort is desperate and dire.
Hypnos, fair-browed one whose gift of sleep restores us to ourselves each day anew, I praise you.
I will have to try this prayer for the insomniac!
Good luck! Sleep is both a blessing and a cure – I’m pretty terrible at it, I have to maintain pretty strict discipline to get consistent good sleep.