The Punishment of Sisyphus
The cunning king Sisyphus is condemned in the Underworld to push a great stone uphill forever, only for it to roll back down each time.
The Story
Sisyphus was famous for intelligence, deception and an unwillingness to accept the ordinary limits placed upon mortals.
He ruled Corinth and repeatedly used cunning to gain advantage over both humans and gods.
One of the most famous traditions tells how Sisyphus revealed information Zeus wished to keep secret.
Zeus sent Thanatos, Death itself, to take him.
Sisyphus managed to trick Thanatos and bind him.
With Death imprisoned, human beings could no longer die.
The natural order of the world was disrupted until Thanatos was eventually freed.
Sisyphus still refused to surrender.
Before his death he instructed his wife not to perform the proper funeral rites.
Once in the Underworld, he complained that he had been dishonoured and persuaded Persephone or Hades to allow him to return temporarily to the world above so that he could correct the situation.
Once free, he simply refused to return.
Eventually death caught up with him again.
This time there would be no escape.
In the Underworld Sisyphus was given an endless task.
He had to push a huge stone toward the top of a hill.
Every time the stone nearly reached the summit, it slipped from his control and rolled back to the bottom.
Sisyphus had to descend and begin again.
His greatest gift — the ability to find a way around every problem — was answered with a punishment that had no solution.
Key Figures
Why It Matters
Sisyphus became one of the most famous symbols of endless and apparently meaningless labour. His punishment also represents the restoration of limits after a mortal repeatedly attempts to outwit death itself.
Traditions & Variations
Different ancient sources attribute different crimes to Sisyphus, including betrayal of divine secrets, violations of hospitality and repeated deception of Death. The rolling stone became the defining feature of his later punishment.