What are the Dreaming and Waking worlds in The Sandman? Differences and significance explained

Gods belong to various realms and The Sandman is no exception to this rule.

Just as Thor comes from Asgard and Lucifer from Hell, Dream (also known as Morpheus) rules over the Dreaming world. This is where he can see and manage every dream or nightmare.

Netflix's adaptation follows Neil Gaiman's source material closely. Dream is held captive for over a century and returns to find the Dreaming in disarray. The Sandman's Morpheus or Dream is a god in his own right, although he doesn't consider himself one. Dream's mood drastically alters the Dreaming's landscape.

With the release of Netflix's new series, let's dive into the importance of Dream's world and how it differs from the Waking world.

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The Sandman presents two vastly different worlds that influence each other

Dream and his assistant talk inside the Dreaming (Image via Netflix)

The Dreaming is an amalgamation of the real world, or the Waking, as Morpheus calls it. Dream's realm is created through the culmination of dreams of every sentient being in existence.

They spend one-third of their life in Dream's realm, influencing both the Dreaming and Waking. This connection is more profound than fans might realize.

The Dreaming in Neil Gaiman's The Sandman (Image via DC Comics)

Inspiration comes from our dreams. We daydream all the time, and that's when some of our best ideas come to us. Dreams genuinely shape our reality. Wielding power over dreams is incredible, which puts Dream on the same level as any other god within the DC Universe.

The Sandman comic tells its readers that if enough people share the same dream simultaneously, reality can be altered. All of history can be changed through dreams.

Morpheus can exist outside of the Dreaming. Just as he can travel between dreams on a whim, he can tour the Waking to see those that are visiting his realm. However, if he stays away from the Dreaming for too long, it will begin to decay.

There are a certain set of rules he must abide by or else he would cease to exist. One of these rules is that the Endless are not allowed to spill the blood of family. Meaning, he can't kill another Endless. He's also not allowed to kill a mortal.

The only exception to this rule is if the mortal poses a danger to the Dreaming. This happens when a sentient being is capable of lucid dreaming and can sometimes get out of hand. A person capable of controlling their dreams beyond a certain extent is called a Dream Vortex.

A Dream Vortex is capable of traversing between dreams, which weakens the barrier that separates everyone's dreams. This causes catastrophic earthquakes within the Dreaming that will eventually destroy it. Without the Dreaming, nobody has anywhere to go when they're asleep. If this happens, the Dream Vortex can collapse reality itself, so Dream has to put a stop to it.

The Endless might not be allowed to kill, but punishment is sometimes a sweeter consequence than death. Not being able to escape a dream/nightmare, for example, is terrifying.

Morpheus in the Dreaming (Image via Netflix)

Morpheus can put somebody into what's called the curse of Eternal Waking. They'll live through a nightmare only to wake up in another one and this continues for the rest of their existence.

So, the next time you're dreaming, try not to have too much control over it!

The Sandman is currently streaming on Netflix. Watch this prolific story unfold one season at a time.