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Euripides, Hippolytus 145-50

Euripides, Hippolytus 145-50 LIBRI AD MNEMOSYNEN MISSI G. W ÖHRLE , Hypnos der Allbezwinger. Eine Studie zum literarischen Bild des Schlafes in der griechischen Antike (Palingenesia 53). Stuttgart, Franz Steiner, 1995. 123 pp. Pr. DM 64,–. This charming and well-written booklet (with only some 100 pages of text) offers more than the subtitle indicates. It deals not only with what the Greeks but also with what the Romans thought and said about sleep. The first chapter (11–23) is an excellent survey of the material in which sleep is defined as the god Hypnos (Somnus) from Homer to Nonnus. W. concludes that Hypnos is mainly a figure of poetic fiction without a cult of his own, even though there are some traces of veneration of a sleep-god in connection with incubation in Asclepieia. Ch. 2 (24–41) investigates the basis of his being the twin of Thanatos and also the close relationship between Hypnos and Eros (another pandam‹tvr ). In the third chapter (42–51) various myths and legends about famous sleepers (e.g. Epimenides) are analysed. Ch. 4 (52–62) deals with the sleep of nature, especially in poetry, and the lonely insomniac. In ch. 5 (63–77) the various theories about sleeping and being awake that were developed in philosophical and medical circles are discussed, special attention being paid to the contributions by Aristotle and Galen and to the debate on the relation between sleep and health. Ch. 6 (78–84) treats the way Ovid, Statius, Lucian and Nonnos embellish the myth of Hypnos/Somnus from a literary point of view. Ch. 7 (85–90) deals with sleeping Ariadnes in literature and figurative art. In the final chapter (91–107) W. deals with various themes such as sleep as a blessing, sleeping late, night-revelling, sleeplessness in the noisy cities, soporific drugs, siesta, beds and sleeping rooms. A good bibliography and exhaustive indices conclude this informative book. Modest though it presents itself, this concise but well-documented study, with its abundance of interesting quotes from the sources, is certainly one of the best works to date on what the ancients wrote about sleep. W.’s discussions are well balanced and judicious and his style is pleasant. I recommend this work unreservedly. P.W. VAN DER H ORST © Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, 1998 Mnemosyne , Vol. LI, Fasc. 6 libri51,6 06-11-1998 11:40 Page 760 http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Mnemosyne Brill

Euripides, Hippolytus 145-50

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Mnemosyne , Volume 51 (6): 715 – Jan 1, 1998
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Publisher
Brill
Copyright
© 1998 Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands
ISSN
0026-7074
eISSN
1568-525X
DOI
10.1163/1568525981569721
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Abstract

LIBRI AD MNEMOSYNEN MISSI G. W ÖHRLE , Hypnos der Allbezwinger. Eine Studie zum literarischen Bild des Schlafes in der griechischen Antike (Palingenesia 53). Stuttgart, Franz Steiner, 1995. 123 pp. Pr. DM 64,–. This charming and well-written booklet (with only some 100 pages of text) offers more than the subtitle indicates. It deals not only with what the Greeks but also with what the Romans thought and said about sleep. The first chapter (11–23) is an excellent survey of the material in which sleep is defined as the god Hypnos (Somnus) from Homer to Nonnus. W. concludes that Hypnos is mainly a figure of poetic fiction without a cult of his own, even though there are some traces of veneration of a sleep-god in connection with incubation in Asclepieia. Ch. 2 (24–41) investigates the basis of his being the twin of Thanatos and also the close relationship between Hypnos and Eros (another pandam‹tvr ). In the third chapter (42–51) various myths and legends about famous sleepers (e.g. Epimenides) are analysed. Ch. 4 (52–62) deals with the sleep of nature, especially in poetry, and the lonely insomniac. In ch. 5 (63–77) the various theories about sleeping and being awake that were developed in philosophical and medical circles are discussed, special attention being paid to the contributions by Aristotle and Galen and to the debate on the relation between sleep and health. Ch. 6 (78–84) treats the way Ovid, Statius, Lucian and Nonnos embellish the myth of Hypnos/Somnus from a literary point of view. Ch. 7 (85–90) deals with sleeping Ariadnes in literature and figurative art. In the final chapter (91–107) W. deals with various themes such as sleep as a blessing, sleeping late, night-revelling, sleeplessness in the noisy cities, soporific drugs, siesta, beds and sleeping rooms. A good bibliography and exhaustive indices conclude this informative book. Modest though it presents itself, this concise but well-documented study, with its abundance of interesting quotes from the sources, is certainly one of the best works to date on what the ancients wrote about sleep. W.’s discussions are well balanced and judicious and his style is pleasant. I recommend this work unreservedly. P.W. VAN DER H ORST © Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, 1998 Mnemosyne , Vol. LI, Fasc. 6 libri51,6 06-11-1998 11:40 Page 760

Journal

Mnemosyne – Brill

Published: Jan 1, 1998

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