Long, long ago, in the land of ancient Greece, when the sun began its slow journey down behind the hills, a special quiet would start to settle over everything.
In a small house near the sea, a little girl named Lyra was getting ready for bed. She had played all day in the warm sun, helping her mother gather olives and watching the boats sail on the blue water. Now, the sky was turning soft shades of pink and purple.
Lyra’s grandmother tucked her into her small bed. “Listen,” her grandmother whispered, “Can you hear him?”
Lyra listened. She heard the gentle lapping of waves on the shore. She heard a little cricket chirping its sleepy song. She heard the soft rustle of leaves outside the window.
“That,” her grandmother smiled, “is the sound of Hypnos starting his work.” Hypnos was known throughout ancient Greece as the bringer of sleep, but not in a loud or sudden way. Oh no, Hypnos was the gentlest of all the spirits.
He didn't come with trumpets or bright lights. Hypnos came like a soft sigh, like the warmth of a blanket, like the quiet twinkle of the first star appearing in the twilight sky.
His job was to help the world rest. He would float on a gentle breeze over the fields, and the little lambs would yawn and snuggle close to their mothers. He would drift through the olive groves, and the leaves would stop dancing and become still.
Hypnos would pass over the villages, and the busy sounds of the day would fade into peaceful quiet. He would touch the eyelids of tired children like Lyra, and their eyes would feel heavy, heavy, heavy.
Lyra felt it now. A sweet, peaceful feeling settling over her. Her breathing became slow and steady. The sounds outside seemed to grow softer, further away.
She imagined gentle Hypnos floating nearby, perhaps leaving a tiny poppy flower, which was said to help bring dreams. Not scary dreams, but soft, happy ones.
As the moon rose, round and silvery, Hypnos had finished his quiet work for the night. The world was asleep, peaceful and still, ready for rest before the new day began. And Lyra, feeling safe and snug, drifted off into a gentle sleep too.