Morpheus (mythology)
Morpheus (/ˈmɔːrfiəs/ or /ˈmɔːrfjuːs/) is a Greek god of dreams who appears in Ovid's Metamorphoses.
Mythology
Morpheus has the ability to mimic any human form and appear in dreams. His true semblance is that of a winged daemon, an imagery shared with many of his siblings. Robert Burton, in his 1621 Anatomy of Melancholy, refers to Classical depictions of Morpheus, saying "Philostaratus paints [Morpheus] in a white and black coat, with a horn and ivory box full of dreams, of the same colours, to signify good and bad".[1] In myth, Morpheus was also said to send dreams through one of two gates, one of ivory, and the other of horn. Starting in the medieval period, the name Morpheus began to stand generally for the god of dreams or of sleep.[2] In Carl Michael Bellman's Fredman's Epistle No. 72, "Glimmande nymf", Morpheus is invoked as the god of sleep.[3]
The Roman poet Ovid states in his Metamorphoses that Morpheus is a son of Hypnos and reports that he had a thousand siblings, with Morpheus, Phobetor and Phantasos being merely the most prominent among them.[4]
Gallery
Aurora weckt Morpheus by Bartolomeo Altomonte (1769)
Morpheus and Iris, by Pierre-Narcisse Guérin, 1811 Hermitage Museum
Morpheus awakening as Iris draws near by René-Antoine Houasse (1690)
Fresken in der Galerie des Palazzo Medici-Riccardi in Florenz, Szene: Die Barke des Charon, der Schlaf der Nacht und Morpheus (Luca Giordano, 1684-1686)
Le Soir ou Morphée de Charles Le Brun
Ceyx/Morpheus appears to Alcyone. Engraving by Virgil Solis for Ovid's Metamorphoses Book XI, 650-749.
Ceyx/Morpheus appears to Alcyone. Engraving (or etching more likely)by Bauer for Ovid's Metamorphoses Book XI, 633-676.
Derivation
- The name of the opiate drug morphine is derived from the name of Morpheus.
See also
References
- ↑ Burton (2001)(Pr. 2, Sec. 2)
- ↑ Kearns (1996)
- ↑ Britten Austin, Paul. The Life and Songs of Carl Michael Bellman: Genius of the Swedish Rococo. Allhem, Malmö American-Scandinavian Foundation, New York, 1967, pages 87–88. ISBN 978-3-932759-00-0
- ↑ Ovid (1836) p.54
Bibliography
- Burton, Robert. (2001), William H. Gass., eds., The Anatomy of Melancholy., New York, ISBN 9780940322660.
- Griffin, A. H. F. (1997), A Commentary on Ovid, Metamorphoses XI, Hermathena, 162/163, Dublin, JSTOR 23041237.
- Kearns, E. (1996), "Morpheus", in S. Hornblower & A. Spawforth (eds.), Oxford Classical Dictionary (3rd rev. ed.), Oxford, ISBN 9780198661726.
- Ovid (1836). "Book XI". Metamorphoses.
External links
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