

He represented objects seen in dreams by the Greeks as a message from the gods, appearing as symbols such as rocks, wood, earth or even water. The last of the brothers, Phantasos, was the god of unreal dreams. The word “phobia”, which means extreme fear, was directly inspired by this ancient spirit. A word you’ve probably heard before comes from his name. His real name amongst the gods was Icelus, meaning “semblance” or appearance. He often played on people’s greatest fears. Phobetor, the god of nightmares, also had the ability to appear in dreams however, he chose to show up in the form of an animal or even a monster. In these dreams, he was able to take on the image of humans and give messages from the gods. Morpheus was considered the leader of the group of the Oneiroi, and appeared to be the strongest of the three.

They passed through two gates of horn and ivory, symbolizing dreams sent from the gods, and dreams that were meaningless.Įach brother had a distinct ability that set them apart from one another. The brothers lived in the caves in a part of the underworld where they emerged each night like bats. The three most well-known daimons were Morpheus, Phobetor, and Phantasos, who were all brothers. Depending on the myth, these spirits were the sons of the god of sleep, Hypnos, or sometimes even the goddess of night, Nyx. The Oneiroi were black-winged daimons that personified dreams.ĭaimons, later called daemons by the Romans, are not to be confused with the evil demons mentioned in the Bible these were simply gods or spirits that were less powerful than the gods of the Greek pantheon, such as Zeus.
