Editing Somnus (section)

{{Short description|Roman deity, god of sleep}}
{{About|the Roman god of sleep|other uses|Somnus (disambiguation)}}
{{Infobox deity
| type             = Roman
| name             = Somnus
| image            = Waterhouse-sleep and his half-brother death-1874.jpg
| alt              = 
| caption          = Somnus and Mors, ''Sleep and His Half-Brother Death'' by [[John William Waterhouse]]
| god_of           = God of sleep
| abode            = [[Underworld]]
| children         = The [[Oneiros|Somnia]], which included [[Morpheus]], [[Phobetor]], and [[Phantasos]]
}}

In [[Roman mythology]], '''Somnus''' ("sleep") is the personification of sleep.<ref>Jordan, [https://books.google.com/books?id=aqDC5bwx4_wC&pg=PA291 s.v. Somnus p. 291]; Tripp, s.v. Somnus, p. 534.</ref> His Greek counterpart is [[Hypnos]].<ref>Tripp, s.vv. Somnus, Hypnos.</ref> Somnus resided in the underworld. According to [[Virgil]], Somnus was the brother of Death ([[Mors (mythology)|Mors]]),<ref>[[Virgil]], ''[[Aeneid]]'' [http://data.perseus.org/citations/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0690.phi003.perseus-eng2:6.268-6.281 6.278]</ref> and according to [[Ovid]], Somnus had a 'thousand' sons,<ref>[[Ovid]], ''[[Metamorphoses]]'' [https://www.loebclassics.com/view/ovid-metamorphoses/1916/pb_LCL043.165.xml 11.633].</ref> the '''Somnia''' ('dream shapes'), who appear in dreams 'mimicking many forms'.<ref>[[Ovid]], ''[[Metamorphoses]]'' [https://www.loebclassics.com/view/ovid-metamorphoses/1916/pb_LCL043.163.xml 11.613].</ref> Ovid named three of the sons of Somnus: [[Morpheus]], who appears in human guise, [[Phobetor|Icelos / Phobetor]], who appears as beasts, and [[Phantasos]], who appears as inanimate objects.<ref>[[Ovid]], ''[[Metamorphoses]]'' [https://www.loebclassics.com/view/ovid-metamorphoses/1916/pb_LCL043.165.xml 11.633&ndash;643].</ref>