Morpheus

The eastern wind rose as Ceyx and his crew sailed into the open sea. Waves climbed towards the sky, rain fell heavily, and lightning struck the mast. Ceyx understood that the ship would sink. His thoughts turned to his wife, Alcyone, and he was relieved that she would not share his fate. He called to his father and father-in-law, but neither answered. As he sank into the dark water, he prayed to Poseidon to carry his body to his wife, so that she could bury him properly.

Meanwhile, Alcyone was sick with worry and prayed that her husband might remain safe. Hera knew that Ceyx had drowned and took pity on her. She sent Iris to Somnus, the god of sleep, with an order to send Alcyone a dream that would reveal the truth. Somnus lay in a dark dwelling where no sunlight entered. The only sound was the quiet flow of Lethe, and poppies and other sleep-inducing plants grew before the entrance. Dreams in many forms surrounded his black couch.

Iris entered and woke Somnus with difficulty. She told him to send a dream to Alcyone in Trachinae, showing her lost husband and the events of the wreck. Somnus then chose Morpheus from among his brothers. Morpheus could imitate the human form, movement, and voice. Somnus returned to sleep, while Morpheus flew silently to the city.

Morpheus laid aside his wings and took the form of Ceyx. He appeared naked and pale before Alcyone’s bed, like a man newly dead. His beard seemed wet, and water fell from his drowned hair. With tears on his face, he leaned over her and asked whether she recognised her husband, or whether death had changed him too greatly. He told her that she was seeing Ceyx’s ghost, not the living man. Her prayers had not saved him. He was dead, and she must no longer expect his return. Storm winds had sunk his ship in the Aegean Sea, and the waves had filled his mouth while he called her name.