Sisyphus Greek Son of Aeolus; brother of Athamas; husband of Merope.
Publié le 26/01/2014
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Sisyphus Greek Son of Aeolus; brother of Athamas; husband of Merope. Although Sisyphus is described as a cunning rogue in Homer's Odyssey, he is most famous for a terrible punishment visited on him by Zeus. He was condemned to push an enormous boulder to the top of a hill. Once at the top, the boulder would come crashing down, and Sisyphus had to begin his task all over again. Thus, Sisyphus 133 Sisyphus has become the symbol for a fruitless task. It is not known for what crime Sisyphus was being punished in this manner. Another story about Sisyphus tells how he outwitted Thanatos (Death). Zeus had sent Thanatos to seize Sisyphus. Sisyphus asked Thanatos to demonstrate how the manacles that he carried worked. During the demonstration, Sisyphus managed to lock up Thanatos. Zeus had to send Ares from Olympus to release Death upon the Earth again, for no one was dying. Meanwhile Sisyphus asked his wife, Merope, to leave his body unburied when he died--for he knew that Thanatos would come for him a second time. When Sisyphus died, he went straight to Hades, god of the Underworld (1), and complained that his corpse had not received a proper burial. Hades, a just god, sent Sisyphus back to Earth to arrange a decent burial. Sisyphus had a joyous reunion with his wife, broke his word to Hades to return, and lived to an old age.
Liens utiles
- Menelaus Greek King of Sparta; brother of Agamemnon; husband of Helen.
- Merope Greek Daughter of Atlas and Pleione; wife of Sisyphus; one of the "Seven Sisters" called the Pleiades.
- Oceanus Greek The Titan son of Gaia and Uranus and the brother and husband of the Titan Tethys; father of all the Oceanids and all the rivers and seas of the world.
- Peleus Greek Son of King Aecus; brother of Telamon; husband of Thetis; father, with Thetis, of the hero Achilles.
- Phrixus Greek Son of Athamas and Nephele; brother of Helle.