Knowing that he would not be able to keep Thanatos / Hades prisoner for long, he gave certain instructions to his wife, Merope, which were to be carried out when he had been taken to the Underworld. The cunning Sisyphus, however, was able to cheat death once more. Once released, Thanatos / Hades completed his mission. In another version of the myth, it was Hades who was sent to fetch Sisyphus, though he was also tricked by the king. In the end, Ares, the god of war, had to intervene (wars were no longer “interesting” without anyone dying), and he freed Thanatos. As Thanatos was showing the king how the chains worked, Sisyphus swiftly trapped him in his own chains instead.Īs Death was now a prisoner of Sisyphus, no one could die. When Thanatos came for Sisyphus, he asked him how his chains worked. Incensed by Sisyphus’ deed, Zeus ordered Thanatos, the personification of Death, to bring him to the Underworld. Sisyphus promised to reveal to Asopus what had happened to his daughter, on the condition that an eternal spring for his city was created. The king of the gods had abducted Aegina, the daughter of Asopus, a river god who was the son of Poseidon. Nevertheless, Zeus only decided to take action against Sisyphus following a separate incident. This displeased Zeus, who was in charge of maintaining xenia. In order to demonstrate that he was a ruthless king, Sisyphus had his guests killed on numerous occasions, thus violating xenia. Sisyphus apparently came to the attention of the gods when he broke xenia, which is the concept of hospitality and generosity that hosts are obliged to show to guests and travelers. Masks, Sex, Laughter, and Tears: The Exciting Evolution of Ancient Greek Theater.The Seductive Sirens of Greek Mythology: How the Heroes Resisted Temptation. The Unshakeable Power of Zeus, Prime Mover of Ancient Greek Deities.after the epics of Homer), Sisyphus is regarded to be the father of Odysseus (whose father is traditionally said to be Laërtes), another figure in Greek mythology renowned for his cunning, through his seduction of Anticlea. Sisyphus is best known for being an extremely cunning person. He was the son of Aeolus, a king of Thessaly, and Enarete. ( Public Domain ) Who Was Sisyphus?Īccording to Greek mythology, Sisyphus was the founder and the first king of Ephyra (which is said to have been the original name of Corinth). But what did Sisyphus do to deserve this castigation?įor you linguistic aficionados out there, you may be interested to know that this mythological figure’s story is the inspiration for the word ‘Sisyphean’ – which is used to describe a task that can never be completed. In other words, Sisyphus was punished to carry out this impossible task for all of eternity. As his punishment in the Greek Underworld, each time Sisyphus neared the top of the hill, the boulder would miraculously roll itself down, forcing him to begin the task all over again. Doomed to forever roll a huge boulder up a steep hill, Sisyphus is a figure in Greek mythology who represents an impossible task.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |