Hypnos (short story)

Hypnos is a short story by American horror and science fiction author H.P. Lovecraft, written in 1922 and first published in the May 1923 issue of National Amateur.

The story is narrated in the first person by an unnamed protagonist, an artist with a fascination for the sublime and the beautiful. He meets a mysterious stranger, a tall and ethereally handsome man, with whom he forms an immediate and intense bond. This stranger seems to share his artistic sensibilities and his yearning for transcendent experience.

The two men become inseparable, sharing a studio and pushing the boundaries of their artistic pursuits. They discover they can achieve profound and terrifying visions through the use of artificial sleep, induced by statues depicting the Greek god Hypnos. Initially, these visions are blissful and otherworldly, but they gradually become more disturbing and nightmarish.

The narrator becomes increasingly dependent on these artificial sleeps and increasingly terrified by what he sees within them. He believes that they are unlocking forgotten memories or connecting him to some ancient, malevolent entity. He struggles to break free from the hypnotic influence of his companion and the allure of the statue of Hypnos.

The story culminates in a desperate attempt to destroy the statue and sever their connection to the terrifying visions. The ending is ambiguous, leaving the reader to question the true nature of their experiences and the fate of the two artists.

Hypnos is notable for its exploration of themes common in Lovecraft's work, including the pursuit of forbidden knowledge, the fragility of sanity, the terror of the unknown, and the dangers of unchecked ambition. It also features Lovecraft's characteristic use of evocative language and a creeping sense of dread to create a powerfully unsettling atmosphere. The story also draws heavily on the imagery and symbolism of classical mythology, particularly the figure of Hypnos, the Greek god of sleep, and the idea of dreams as gateways to other realms.