Phobetor
A god of nightmares who took the form of animals in dreams, son of Nyx and brother of Morpheus, one of the Oneiroi — the thousand dream spirits.
The Myth of Phobetor
The Oneiroi were the children of Nyx and numbered in the thousands, each associated with a different kind of dream. The most prominent were Morpheus, who took human forms; Icelos (also called Phobetor), who took the forms of animals; and Phantasos, who took the forms of inanimate objects. Phobetor's name derives from phobos, fear — the name itself means "one who causes fear." He was the source of animalistic nightmare, the terror that came in the shape of a beast. Ovid describes the brothers at length in the Metamorphoses, depicting them sleeping in a cave at the entrance to the land of the dead, surrounded by a poppy field, their forms resting until called into service. Phobetor's animal forms made him the source of the most primal kind of dream-fear.
Parents
Nyx
Symbols
Fun Fact
The English word "phobia" descends from Phobos — fear personified — which shares its root with Phobetor. Every named phobia in psychology carries a trace of this ancient dream-monster.
Words We Inherited
English words and phrases that trace back to this myth. See our full guide to English words from Greek mythology.
Explore Further
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🐉 creaturemonsters
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An extended poetic form of the name Hades, used in epic poetry and sometimes treated as a distinct aspect of the lord of the dead
Oneiroi
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The collective personifications of dreams, children of Hypnos, who passed through gates of horn or ivory.
Eurynomos
🐉 creatureunderworld
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Roman personification of sleep, equivalent to the Greek Hypnos
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Cerberus
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