Estar en brazos de Morfeo

LYING IN THE ARMS OF MORPHEUS

Object type:Painting

Medium:Oil on canvas

Author:Pierre Narcisse Guerin

Location:Yusupov Palace Museum

Object type:Sculpture

Medium:White Marble

Author:Jean-Antoine Houdon

Location:Musée du Louvre,Paris

MYTHOLOGY

In Greek mythology, Morpheus is the son of Sleep and the God of dreams. He was responsible for the dreams of mortal beings. Morpheus had the incredible ability of touring the world with his wings, he used them to reach the mortals who needed his power to make them fall into the dream world. He was able to create fantasies for humans while they were sleeping by taking any form he wanted.

He was the leader of the Oneroi with his brothers, Icelus, who was responsible for the real part of dreams, and Phantasos, in charge of the unreal dreams.

ORIGIN

According to certain ancient theologies, he is the leader of the Oneroi, the thousand children of Hypnos (the god of sleep) and Nyx (the goddess of the night, his mother). Other authors establish the family tree from Hypnos and Pasithea. He was the nephew of Thanatos, that means death in Greek language.

IMPORTANCE OF MORPHEUS

Object type:Painting

Medium:Oil on canvas

Author:Bartolomeo Altomonte

Morpheus plays an important role in the history of Ceyx and Alcyone. Specifically he appears in the works of Homer and Ovid. In the Metamorphoses, Morpheus is portrayed sleeping in an ebony bed, surrounded by flowers. He was punished by Zeus for revealing secrets to mortals through dreams.

IN THE ARMS OF MORPHEUS

This expression is used to refer to one person who is sleeping. People use this expression when they go to sleep saying ‘Into the arms of Morpheus’. It also refers to the sound sleep someone is into. 

OTHER IMAGES

Object type:Painting

Author:René-Antoine Houasse

Location:Palace of Versailles

Object type:Sculpture

Author:F.P Tolstoy

Location:Tretyakov Gallery

Object type:Painting

Author:Luca Giordano

Location:Palazzo Medici Riccardi, Florence

EXAMPLES