The Oneiroi: Morpheus and His Brothers, Ancient Greek Dream Gods

Greek mythology depicts its deities as belonging to one big family, and people today can still recognize its most prominent members. Most people are familiar with the Olympians, the major deities of the Greek pantheon. Many would have also heard about the Titans, the predecessors of the Olympian gods. Yet, the family tree of the Greek gods consists of more than just the Olympian gods and the Titans. There are gods whose existence predates even the Titans. One of these groups is the Oneiroi of Morpheus and his siblings.

Comparing Three Oneiroi – Morpheus, Phobetor, and Phantasos

In Greek mythology, Morpheus is a god of dreams. According to the Greeks, Morpheus was born of Nyx, the personification of Night. The Romans believe, however, that Morpheus was the son of Somnus, the personification of Sleep, who was in turn a child of Nyx.

Regardless of his parentage, Morpheus is said to have numerous siblings, collectively known as the Oneiroi (the Greek word for dream, incidentally, being oneiros). Apart from Morpheus, two other Oneiroi can be identified by their names – Phobetor and Phantasos.

Waterhouse ‘Sleep and His Half-Brother Death’ (1874). (Public Domain)