Editing Morpheus (section)

==Ovid==
The only ancient mention of Morpheus occurs in Ovid's ''[[Metamorphoses]]'', where Ovid tells of the story of [[Ceyx]] and his wife [[Alcyone]] who were transformed into birds. In [[Ovid]]'s account, [[Juno (mythology)|Juno]] (via the messenger goddess [[Iris (mythology)|Iris]]) sends Morpheus to appear to Alcyone in a dream, as her husband Ceyx, to tell her of his death.<ref>[[Ovid]], ''[[Metamorphoses]]'' [https://www.loebclassics.com/view/ovid-metamorphoses/1916/pb_LCL043.163.xml 11.585&ndash;677].</ref> 

Ovid makes Morpheus one of the thousand sons of [[Somnus]] (Sleep).<ref>Grimal, s.v. Morpheus, p. 296; Tripp, s.v. Somnus, p. 534; [[Ovid]], ''[[Metamorphoses]]'' [https://www.loebclassics.com/view/ovid-metamorphoses/1916/pb_LCL043.165.xml 11.633&ndash;677].</ref> His name derives from the Greek word for form (μορφή), and his function was apparently to appear in dreams in human guise.  According to Ovid "no other is more skilled than he in representing the gait, the features, and the speech of men; the clothing also and the accustomed words of each he represents."<ref>[[Ovid]], ''[[Metamorphoses]]'' [https://www.loebclassics.com/view/ovid-metamorphoses/1916/pb_LCL043.165.xml 11.633&ndash;638].</ref> As with other gods associated with sleep, Ovid presents Morpheus as winged.<ref>Grimal, s.v. Morpheus, p. 296; Griffin, p. 243; [[Ovid]], ''[[Metamorphoses]]'' [https://www.loebclassics.com/view/ovid-metamorphoses/1916/pb_LCL043.167.xml 11.652&ndash;653].</ref>

Ovid called Morpheus and his brothers, the other sons of Somnus, the ''Somnia'' ("dream shapes"), saying that they 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 gives names to two more of these sons of Sleep. One called Icelos ('Like'), by the gods, but [[Phobetor]] ('Frightener') by men, "takes the form of beast or bird or the long serpent", and [[Phantasos]] ('Fantasy'), who "puts on deceptive shapes of earth, rocks, water, trees, all lifeless things".<ref>Griffin, p. 249; [[Ovid]], ''[[Metamorphoses]]'' [https://www.loebclassics.com/view/ovid-metamorphoses/1916/pb_LCL043.165.xml 11.638&ndash;643].</ref>

The three brothers' names are found nowhere earlier than Ovid and are perhaps Ovidian inventions.<ref>Griffin, p. 249.</ref> Tripp calls these three figures "literary, not mythical concepts".<ref>Tripp, s.v. Somnus, p. 534.</ref> However, Griffin suggests that this division of dream forms between Morpheus and his brothers, possibly including their names, may have been of Hellenistic origin.<ref>Griffin, pp. 179, 249.</ref>