While Tom Sturridge’s character inThe Sandmanis often referred to as Morpheus, the other members of the Endless rarely call him anything other than Dream.The Sandman’s high-concept storytelling makes it one of thebest shows on Netflix, despite only being two seasons long. While some parts of the lore are easy to parse, other elements require some rumination.
The Sandmanis based on a series of comicsthat debuted in 1989, so there was plenty of source material for Netflix’s live-action adaptation. Tom Sturridge’s return to leadThe Sandmanseason 2’s castwould be the last time he played Morpheus, as the new version of the story was deemed complete after focusing almost entirely on the saga’s title character.
Morpheus Is Just One Of Many Names The Sandman’s Main Character Is Referred To By Humans
Humanity’s various eras often come with a rebranding for Tom Sturridge’s character
Like many other fantastical beings in theSandmanuniverse,Morpheus only exists because of humanity. When mankind started to dream, Sturridge’s character and his realm were created. Humans have been dreaming for so long that countless civilizations have had encounters withThe Sandman’s main character, and they’ve each given him a new name.
Morpheus is how the King of Dreams was known in Ancient Greece, and like so many other facets of the era that have stuck around to influence modern Western culture, the name has remained one of the most prominent ways to refer to the mysterious figure. However, it isn’t the only name Sturridge’s character has been given other names.
The Ancient Greeks believed Morpheus to be the God of Dreams, although Sturridge’s character isn’t actually a deity, but rather a member of the Endless.
Other titles that humanity has bestowed upon Morpheus include Oneiros and the Sandman, although countless cultures have given him other monikers that connect him to the concept of sleep, dreams, and conscious imagination.Even those from other realms have different titles for Morpheus, with those from Faerie addressing him as Lord Shaper, for example.
Why Morpheus' Siblings Call Him Dream Instead
The Endless all have equally simple names
Other members of the Endless, whom Morpheus refers to as his siblings, are similarly the personifications of concepts that humanity has experienced for a very long time. Death, Destruction, and Desire and just three examples. They all existed long before humans could name the members of the Endless anything other than what they are.
Delirium
Esmé Creed-Miles
In other words,the Endless needed ways to refer to each other pretty much straight away, rather than waiting for humanity to name them. Sturridge’s character wouldn’t be known as Morpheus by anyone until centuries after he came into existence, so the name Dream was the purest and most logical title he could have had inThe Sandmanwithout leaning on human folklore.
