Morpheus ("he who forms, shapes, molds") is the principal Greek god of dreams and sleep.
Morpheus had the ability to take any human's form and appeared in dreams as the dreamer's loved ones. His father is Hypnos, the god of sleep. The sons of Hypnos, the Oneiroi, are personifications of dreams, and they include Icelus, Phobetor, and Phantasos. Morpheus was mentioned in the Metamorphoses of Ovid and lived on a bed made of ebony in a dark cave decorated with poppy flowers.
The drug morphine derives its name from Morpheus based on its similar dream-inducing power.
