SisyphusSisyphos

A son of Aiolos (Aeolus) and the ruler of the city of Korinth (Corinth) who was noted for his cleverness.

Sisyphus was the grandson of the founder of the Greeks, Hellen; his siblings were: Alkyone (Alcyone), Athamas, Kretheus (Cretheus) Perieres and Salmoneus; Sisyphus was the father of Glaukos (Glaucus) and the grandfather of Bellerophontes (Bellerophon).

There are several interesting stories regarding Sisyphus which have earned him the reputation of a rogue and a scoundrel:

1. When another rogue, Autolykos (Autolycus), tried to steal and disguise Sisyphus’ cattle, the clever Sisyphus was able to identify his herd because he had marked his cattle on the under-side of their hoofs;
2. When Thanatos (Death) came to claim the life of Sisyphus, the undaunted king captured Thanatos and kept him in chains until Ares (god of War) forced Sisyphus to release him; while Thanatos was in chains, all death stopped on the earth and chaos prevailed;
3. When Zeus stole Aegina, the daughter of the river Asopos (Asopus), Sisyphus knew who had perpetrated the crime but would not tell Asopos until the mighty river supplied a spring on the top of the Akrokorinth (Acrocorinth); Zeus did not take kindly to having his infidelities exposed and, for this and other blunders, when Sisyphus was finally taken to the Underworld, he was punished by being compelled to roll a stone to the top of a slope where it always escaped him and would roll down the slope again; Sisyphus would begin the task again and thus continue forever.

Iliad, book 6, lines 153-4

Odyssey, book 11, line 593-600

Descriptions of Greece, book 2 iv 1

Catalogues of Women, fragments 3 and 7