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Hypnos is one of the many children of Nyx (Night) and the twin brother of Thanatos (Death). Hypnos enters the sleep of mortals and, at the bidding of the Olympians, gives them dreams of foolishness or inspiration, depending on the individual and their divine protectors or enemies.
Hypnos played an important role in the Quest for the Golden Fleece. A ram with a Golden Fleece was created by Hermes and Nephele ... Hermes was the messenger of the Immortals and Nephele was a 'cloud woman' created by Zeus.
Nephele was the wife of King Athamas of Orkhomenos ... they had two children—Phrixus and Helle. Athamas abandoned Nephele and took a new wife named Ino ... Phrixus and Helle fled Orkhomenos when Ino began plotting against them. To help Phrixus and Helle escape their dangerous situation, Hermes and Nephele crated a flying ram with a Golden Fleece to carry them away. As they flew from Europe to Asia, Helle fell from the back of the ram and drowned in the sea ... the narrow straits where she drowned was named Hellespont (Helle's Sea). Phrixus flew on to Kolkhis at the eastern edge of the Black Sea.
Phrixus arrived safely at Kolkhis and was welcomed by King Aietes ... the king did not miss the significance of the flying ram and the good fortune it might bring to his kingdom. He welcomed Phrixus into his household ... he arranged for Phrixus to marry his daughter Khalkiope without payment of the customary dowry.
The divinely created ram had only one purpose and once Phrixus had been delivered to Kolkhis, its mission had been accomplished. The ram asked to be sacrificially killed ... Phrixus complied ... he sacrificed the ram to Zeus, god of fugitives, and then placed the ram's Golden Fleece in the Grove of Ares where it was thereafter guarded by an ever-vigilant dragon.
Ieson (Jason) and the Argonauts sailed to Kolkhis, the kingdom of Aietes, with the intention of procuring the Golden Fleece by any means necessary. King Aietes was a son of Helios (Sun) and therefore a man of considerable influence ... he had no compelling reason to relinquish the Golden Fleece.
Failing to get Aietes cooperation, Ieson enlisted the help of King Aietes's daughter, Princess Medeia. The Golden Fleece was kept in the Garden of Ares and guarded by an ever-vigilant dragon. Medeia, a priestess of Hekate and sorceress of considerable power, called upon Hypnos to cast a spell of slumber on the dragon ... Hypnos came to her aid without hesitation. The dragon succumbed to the sleep-spell allowing Ieson to steal the Golden Fleece.
Hypnos was allowed to marry Pasithea, one of the Kharites (Graces), because he did a very dangerous favor for Hera. During the Trojan War, Hera wanted to distract Zeus from the battlefield so she could assist the Achaians, who seemed to be losing the war. She wanted Hypnos to cast a sleep-spell on Zeus, but he refused.
At first Hera offered Hypnos a golden throne crafted by her son Hephaistos, but she was forced to raise the ante when Hypnos reminded her of the only time he had dared cast a spell on Zeus. Long before the Trojan War, Hera was angry with Herakles and persuaded Hypnos to make Zeus sleep while she tormented the hero. When Zeus awoke, he was in a rage. He searched for Hypnos and finally found him hiding in the arms of his mother, Nyx (Night). Zeus overcame his anger and simply warned Hypnos not to try such a trick again ... for that indiscretion, Hypnos went unpunished.
In preparation for this new deception, Hypnos made Hera swear an oath on the waters of the river Styx that he would be allowed to marry Pasithea, one of the Kharites. An oath sworn of the waters of Styx was the most sacred and binding oath a god or goddess could make.
Satisfied that Hera was sincere, Hypnos agreed to help her deceive Zeus. Hypnos turned himself into a bird called a Khalkis and, before Zeus could see him, hid in the treetops on Mount Ida.
Hera's plan was simple but doomed to failure. She was going to seduce Zeus and when he was dulled by pleasure, Hypnos was to cast a sleep-spell thus allowing Poseidon, Hera's brother, to actively assist the Achaians on the battlefield. Zeus succumbed to Hera's charms and was basking in the afterglow of love when Hypnos cast his spell and fled the mountaintop undetected.
Poseidon bellowed and shook the earth until Zeus was roused from his slumber. He was furious and blamed Hera for the debacle and never found out Hypnos was involved.
When Zeus's son Sarpedon was killed at Troy, Zeus commanded Hypnos and Thanatos to retrieve him from the dirt and grime of the battlefield and return the cleansed body of his fallen son to his home in Lykia.
Hypnos (right) and Thanatos carry the dead body of Sarpedon from the battlefield at Troy.
The Iliad
Theogony
The Argonautika by Apollonius of Rhodes
Description of Greece by Pausanias