Sisyphus ,or Sisyphos (Ancient Greek: Σίσυφος) is one of the most intriguing figures of Hellenic Tradition. He was king of Corinth and became infamous for his general trickery, with the fact that he cheated death twice being the highlight of his resume. Nonetheless, even though he was called the most cunning of men, Sisyphos truly got what he deserved in the end.
Sisyphus was the founder of the Isthmian Games and grandfather of the hero Bellerophon. He is best remembered as a poignant symbol of the folly of those who seek to trifle with the natural order of things and avoid humanity's sad but inescapable lot of mortality. The adjective 'Sisyphean' denotes a task which can never be completed.
Sisyphus Violates Xenia and Cheats Death
Sisyphos was the son of King Aeolus the Thessalian. He is credited with being the founder and first king of Corinth, having also founded the Isthmian Games. He gained infamy for his trickery and wicked intelligence, but his greatest feat was to cheat Thanatos ( Death ) and Hades Himself, not once but twice, thus living up to Homer's description of him as "the most cunning of men" (Iliad, 6:153).
Although Sisyphus helped its city become a commercial hub and invested in navigation, he was a sly and deceitful person. In numerous occasions, he violated the Xenia, the concept of hospitality and generosity shown to travellers and guests, by killing them, so he could prove that he was a ruthless king. These violations made him fall in the eyes of Zeus, who was in charge of promoting the Xenia. Another time that Sisyphus infuriated Zeus when he told the river god Asopus where his daughter Aegina was - Zeus had previously kidnapped her. In return, Asopus created a spring to flow on the Acropolis of Corinth.
As the various insults of Sisyphus started to pile up, Zeus asked Thanatos, to take him and chain him in the Underworld. When Thanatos went to Sisyphus, the king asked how the chains actually worked; Thanatos agreed to give him a demonstration, but Sisyphus swiftly managed to chain Thanatos instead. With Death now in chains, no mortal could die and go to the Underworld. After a while, the situation aggravated, and Ares, the God of War, became truly angry, as the wars that he reigned upon had no casualties and at the same time, severely wounded that sick, kept on suffering. He managed to release Thanatos.
The second episode proved more successful. After dying for the second time and once again finding himself in the shady Underworld, Sisyphus persuaded Hades to let him out back into the bright realm of the living. For the king had cleverly arranged for his wife not to provide the usual offerings and sacrifices that were due on her husband's death. Working on the kind-hearted wife of Hades, Persephone, the king pleaded that if he were released he would be able to instruct his wife to carry out the proper rituals and all would be well. On his release, Sisyphus, naturally, made no attempt to return to Hades but lived to a ripe old age, largely thanks to Death now not wanting to go anywhere near him following his previous experience of being put in chains.In the end, God Hermes took him and dragged him there.
How Did Zeus Punish Sisyphus?
When the king died yet again, there was to be no escape for him this time as Zeus himself now intervened. The King of the Gods made sure that humans would not be encouraged by the feats of the trickster Sisyphus. His fate would have to be long and tedious. In Homer's Odyssey the hero Odysseus descends into Hades and, coming across many a fallen hero, he sees Sisyphus and his eternal punishment:
Then I witnessed the torture of Sisyphus, as he wrestled with a huge rock with both hands. Bracing himself and thrusting with hands and feet he pushed the boulder uphill to the top. But every time, as he was about to send it toppling over the crest, its sheer weight turned it back, and once again towards the plain the pitiless rock rolled down. So once more he had to wrestle with the thing and push it up, while the sweat poured from his limbs and the dust rose high above his head. (Odyssey, Book 11:593)
Autolycus & Other Associations
In another tale, Sisyphus used his cunning to finally catch Autolycus, the grandfather of Odysseus and infamous thief. Sisyphus cleverly attached lead tablets to the feet of his own cattle herd, and so when Autolycus stole them, Sisyphus was able to follow the tracks and catch the thief red-handed. The tablets had all been inscribed with the words 'Autolycus stole them.'
Sisyphus was also the founder of the famous Isthmian games of Corinth, held every two years in honour of Poseidon, and one of the four major Panhellenic games which included the Olympic Games. Sisyphus was succeeded as king of Corinth by his son Glaucus – he who was ripped to pieces by his own flesh-eating horses – and then his grandson Bellerophon, whose winged horse Pegasus became a symbol of the city and a feature of Corinthian coins.
Edited from: World History Encyclopedia, greekmythology.com
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