Hypnos & Thanatos

 

 

Background:  According to Greek Mythology, Thanatos and Hypnos were born of Chaos, the churning mass that begat the universe.  They and their siblings came to represent, and have power over, the physical world and the hidden world—such things as Day, Night, Sky, and Earth.  Thanatos ruled over Death while his twin brother, Hypnos, ruled over the land of Sleep.  Although many people associate Thanatos with the skeletal Grim Reaper, to the Greeks he and his brother were handsome winged gods, bringers of peace and relief.  While Hypnos gave the short sleep of night, Thanatos brought the sleep of eternity.

 

For the purposes of my stories I have kept their origins basically the same.  They are still children of Chaos, but I call them primordial gods because they were made from the primordial matter and magic of the universe.  I’ve also made them look more like their brothers and sisters (Hecate, Moros, Age, and Apate) and given them swords for weapons (now Thanatos looks more like the Angel of Death).  Hypnos controls the land of dreams, sometimes allowing people’s minds to create whatever they need, and other times inducing images to show the dreamer something important.  Thanatos guides the dead to the afterlife. 

 

For reasons they do not speak of, the primordial gods agreed that when the age of man came upon the earth, they would no longer interfere in the lives of mortals.  Hypnos and Thanatos try to honor their vows not to interfere, but when other gods toy with mankind, they find themselves unable to stand by and do nothing.  They especially find themselves moved to action when other gods tread on their territory or tilt the balance of power in their evil plots against humanity.  While they have not fought alongside the Sentinels and Ronins, the brothers have provided them with valuable information and assistance against their enemies.  In Children of Nyx, they helped Mia figure out why everyone was acting strangely.  They also set Astarte on the road to Egypt for the power of the Armor of Chaos.  They then offered Oshay the mantle of Nemesis in Land of H’ris.  I also have plans for them to help Mia and Ryo in Darkchild.