And Our Dreams Begin Trivia Quiz

Answer: Appearing as a human acquaintance

The name Morpheus actually comes from the ancient Greek, "morphē", which means form or shape. When Morpheus appeared in a person's dreams, he appeared as a human, typically someone who was well-trusted by the individual. In fact, the ancient Roman writer, Ovid, who lived during the time of Augustus, claimed that "no other is more skilled", meaning that Morpheus was able to not only appear as the person, but also sound the same way and mimic the person's actions.

Answer: Hypnos

Hypnos, known as Somnus in Roman mythology, was the god of sleep. According to Homer, Hypnos lived on the island of Lemnos. Other sources, however, said he lived in a cave in Hades with his brother, Thanatos (Mors or Letum in Roman myth), the god of death.

He was described as a gentle god, however, people remained wary of what he might do. He was known to use his power to trick other gods; Hypnos especially earned the wrath of Zeus when he agreed to help Hera with her devious plots, causing Zeus to sleep while Hera carried out her plans.

Answer: 1,000

Well, if you think about it, many people talk about the dreams they have, and it would take a lot of deities to make that happen every night! The one thousand sons were called Somnia in Roman mythology, which means dream shapes. Although they were said to bring a variety of different dreams to humans, only three of the sons were named and had specific duties.

The Greeks called Morpheus and two of his brothers the Oneiroi, which means dreams. Morphenus was considered to be the leader of the group, as he was the only one who could influence the dreams of kings and gods.

Answer: Wings

Some sources state that these wings were a gift from the the Greek god of death, Thanatos, their uncle, while others say the dream gods were actually born with them. They required wings so that they could swiftly find and help dreaming people whenever it was needed, and so they could help their father quickly escape Zeus' wrath and punishment whenever necessary.

Answer: False

The Greeks believed in two kinds of dreams, and Morpheus and his brothers brought both types. There were the unimportant dreams about daily occurrences and problems, and then there were the important dreams that foretold the future in some way. Some dreams presented a vision, while others brought a visit by a ghost or friend. Sometimes gods or goddesses appeared in dreams, or symbols that needed interpretation were seen.

For example, why did Hecuba, the Queen of Troy, dream that she gave birth to a burning torch before she gave birth to Paris? She was told that her son would bring about the destruction of the city.

Answer: Gates of horn and ivory

It is believed that this phrase originated as the Greek word for horn was similar to the word for fulfill and the word for ivory was similar to the word for deceive; true dreams, therefore, came by way of gates of horn, and false dreams came through gates of ivory. Some sources explain that each night, as the Oneiroi left to tend to the dreamers, they would pass through one of the gates, which would then determine the content of the dream.

Answer: True

Morpheus, his father, and brothers were believed to live in Erebus, which was a dark region located in the Underworld. The entrance to his home was heavily guarded by monsters; in case someone tried to enter uninvited the monsters were prepared to cause terrible nightmares. Morpheus was said to sleep in a cave - and he did seem to sleep quite a bit - that was filled with poppy seeds.

The Greeks used poppy seeds as a painkiller, but they also caused immense drowsiness.

Answer: Phobetor and Phantasos

First mentioned by the Roman poet Ovid, the Oneiroi consisted of Morpheus and just two of his brothers. Phobetor, whose name means "to be feared", was the bringer of nightmares. He could take the shape of different animals, "In the form of beast or bird or the long serpent", according to Ovid. Phantasos, whose name means "fantasy", appeared in dreams as some sort of inanimate object, "deceptive shapes of earth, rocks, water, trees, all lifeless things".

Answer: Morpheus

According to Homer, Zeus had promised that he would help the Trojans win the war against the Greeks. In order to do so, he sent Morpheus on a mission, where he appeared to Agamemnon as his friend and advisor, Nestor. Nestor told Agamemnon to get ready to battle the Trojans immediately, and the dream was so real that Agamemnon truly believed it.

The Greeks suffered a great loss that day, and it appeared that Zeus had kept his word.

Answer: Her suitors

Penelope revealed the the dream to an old beggar, who, of course, was Odysseus! He had returned home in disguise. In her dream, an eagle killed twenty of her pet geese, and then told her he was her husband. She believed the dream came through the gate of ivory, and decided that she would marry the suitor that could shoot an arrow through the holes of a line of twelve axes.

As it turned out, Odysseus, still disguised as the beggar, was the one who completed that task.