Thanatos tha na TOOS

Death
Brother of Hypnos (Sleep)
Thanatos in The Iliad (reference)
Thanatos in The Odyssey (reference)
How to Cite this Page

Death

Without consort, Nyx (Night) the destructive, brought forth a horde of villainous Immortals. Thanatos was one of that wretched lot.

Nyx’s offspring are described as: horrible, painful, cruel, brooding, mocking and malignant (Theogony, line 212). (The one exception is ‘loving Affection’ who is placed between Deception and Old Age.)

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Brother of Hypnos (Sleep)

Thanatos might be poetically called the brother of Hypnos (Sleep) and the son of Nyx but no matter how you describe him, he is a creature of bone chilling darkness. From on high, Helios (the Sun) never casts his light on Death. (Theogony, line 760)

Hypnos goes kindly among the mortals but, his brother, Thanatos has a heart made of pitiless iron. When he takes hold of you, the world of light ceases to be.

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Thanatos in The Iliad (listed by book and line)

14.231 ...Hera promises Hypnos (Sleep), the brother of Thanatos (Death), many gifts if he will use his powers on Zeus
16.454 ...When Zeus regrets the impending death of his son, Sarpedon, Hera advises him to let Sarpedon die and then send Thanatos (Death) and painless Hypnos (Sleep) to the battlefield to transport Sarpedon’s body to his home in Lykia (Lycia)
16.672 ...Zeus instructs Apollon to retrieve the body of his son, Sarpedon, and to wash the body in the river then let the twin brothers, Hypnos (Sleep) and Thanatos (Death), carry the body to Lykia (Lycia)
16.682 ...Apollon gives the body of Sarpedon to the twin brothers, Hypnos (Sleep) and Thanatos (Death), so they can carry the body to Lykia (Lycia) as Zeus had commanded

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Thanatos in The Odyssey (listed by book and line)

11.134 ...At the entrance to the Underworld, the ghost of the prophet, Teiresias, tells Odysseus that, at the end of his long life, Thanatos (Death) will come for him from the sea
23.281 ...Reunited with Penelope, Odysseus tells her the prophecy of Teiresias and how Thanatos (Death) will come for him from the sea after a long life

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How to Cite this Page

Cut and paste the following text for use in a paper or electronic document report.

Stewart, Michael. "Thanatos", Greek Mythology: From the Iliad to the Fall of the Last Tyrant. http://messagenetcommresearch.com./myths/bios/thanatos.html (November 15, 2005)

Cut and paste the following html for use in a web report.

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Cut and paste the following html for use in a web report. This format will link back to this page, which may be useful but may not be required.

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