Sisyphus, the cruel king with endless punishment

Condemned to forever climb a large boulder up a steep hill, Sisyphus is the figure of Greek mythology who represents an impossible mission. The punishment for him in the Underworld was: Every time he got close to the top of the hill, the stone he was climbing would fall down again at the bottom forcing him to start the task all over again. But what did he do to deserve this severe punishment? And who was Sisyphus?

According to g mythology, Sisyphus was the founder and first king of Ephyra (said to be the original name of Corinth). He was the son of Aeolus, king of Thessaly and Enareta. Sisyphus is best known as a very cunning person. In some later literary sources (after Homer's epic), he is considered the father of Odysseus (whose father is traditionally said to be Laertes), another figure in Greek mythology known for his cunning.

Sisyphus placed himself in the focus of the gods when he violated xenia – the concept of hospitality and generosity that hosts are obligated to show to guests and travelers. To show that he was a ruthless king, Sisyphus killed his friends on many occasions. This did not please Zeus who was responsible for maintaining this code of conduct. Therefore, he decided to take action against Sisyphus, after a particular incident. The king of the gods had kidnapped Aegina, the daughter of Asopus, the river god, who was also the son of Poseidon.

Sisyphus promised Asopus to tell him what had happened to his daughter, on the condition that he create in his city a source of eternal life. Thus, he revealed Zeus' low act. Enraged by Sisyphus' gesture, Zeus ordered Thanatos, the god of death, to take him to the Underworld. When Thanatos went to Sisyphus, he asked him how his chains worked. As Thanatos was showing the king how the chains worked, Sisyphus quickly tied him. Death was now the slave of Sisyphus and no one could die. In the end, it took the intervention of Ares, the god of war. This is because wars were no longer "interesting" in conditions where no one could die. So he freed Thanatos. In another version of the myth, it was Hades who was sent to retrieve Sisyphus, although he too was tricked by the king.

Once freed, Thanatos/Hades completed his mission. However, the cunning Sisyphus was able to cheat death again. Knowing that he would not be able to keep Thanatos/Hadei prisoner for long, he gave some instructions to his wife, Merope, which would be implemented when he was taken to the underworld. Instead of giving him a normal burial, Sisyphus told Meropus to leave his corpse unburied and forgo the necessary funeral rites. When he went to the Underworld, Sisyphus approached Persephone and complained about what the woman had done to his body. He asked to return to the realm of the living so that he could punish the woman. This request was granted and Sisyphus returned to the realm of mortals. He continued to live to old age. In another version, Sisyphus reprimands his wife for her negligence.

But because he refused to return to the Underworld, he was taken by force by Hermes. When he was taken there, Zeus had the chance to take revenge on Sisyphus. To punish the king and to discourage other people from trying to mock the Gods, Zeus gave a rather strange punishment: Sisyphus had to roll a huge stone up a steep hill. Whenever he was near the end of his task, the rock would roll downhill as if by magic and he would have to start all over again making it impossible to escape that punishment.

And what is the moral of Sisyphus' story?

The futile nature of Sisyphus' eternal task is certainly a terrible punishment. But, today some people have an interesting perspective on the meaning of the myth of Sisyphus. Rather than seeing this punishment as proof that the vengeful Zeus triumphed over the cruel king, some people interpret it as a reminder of the need to persevere when faced with a worthwhile mission, even if it seems impossible at first glance.

While Sisyphus may have deserved his punishment, there are people who believe that when challenges are seen not as punishment but as a fact of life, one should face the difficulty, work hard and never give up. Contrary to the story of Sisyphus, those people who make an effort will have a result. /Source: Ancient Origins/In Albanian from: Bota.al/