Zeus, disguised as a swan seduces Leda, the Queen of Sparta. A sixteenth century copy of the lost original by Michelangelo.
The ancient Greeks envisioned sleep as the minor god Hypnos, born of night, who lived on the island of Lemnos in a dark cave. Lethe, the river of forgetfulness, flowed through this underworld where Hypnos lay on pillows surrounded by his many sons, including Morpheus, the dream bringer.
Unlike his twin brother Thanatos, the god of death, Hypnos was considered a friend of mortals, a healer of body and mind. He took different forms as he wandered the earth—a bird or a child, but most often a benevolent warrior carrying a horn, from which he would drip a sleep elixir. The Greeks apparently took his gifts for granted. No cults arose to worship sleep, which seems odd, for surely there were ancient insomniacs.
adapted from Utne, January/February 1999 by Bill Hayes, from Speak
Dream Kanji Zen Alarm Clock with Chime in Dark Oak Finish, an alarm clock for insomniacs
Now & Zen
1638 Pearl Street
Boulder, CO 80302
Posted in Natural Awakening, Now & Zen Alarm Clocks, Sleep Habits
