Sisyphus facts for kids
Sisyphus was a famous character in ancient Greek mythology. He was known for being very clever and tricky.
According to the old stories, Sisyphus was given a special punishment. He had to roll a giant rock up a steep hill. But just as he got near the top, the rock would always roll back down. He had to do this over and over again, forever. This never-ending task is why we sometimes use the word "Sisyphean" to describe a job that takes a lot of effort but never seems to finish.
Sisyphus was the son of King Aeolus and Enarete. He married a woman named Merope. They had a son named Glaucus, who later became the grandfather of the hero Bellerophon.
Sisyphus' Story
King of Corinth
Sisyphus was the first king of a city called Ephyra, which is now known as Corinth. He helped his city grow by encouraging sailing and trade. However, Sisyphus was also very dishonest. He was known for being cruel to visitors and travelers, which was a big problem because ancient Greeks believed in treating guests with great respect (this was called xenia). This behavior made the powerful god Zeus very angry.
Tricking Death
Sisyphus was so clever that he even managed to trick Death itself! Here's how it happened:
- Tricking Thanatos: Sisyphus once told a secret of Zeus to a river god. Zeus was furious and sent Thanatos, the god of death, to take Sisyphus to the underworld. But Sisyphus was too smart. He tricked Thanatos into showing him how his own chains worked. As Thanatos demonstrated, Sisyphus quickly trapped Thanatos in the chains! With Death chained up, no one on Earth could die. This caused a huge mess, and the god of war, Ares, got annoyed because his battles weren't fun anymore if no one could be defeated. So, Ares freed Thanatos and made sure Sisyphus was taken away.
- Tricking Persephone: Before Sisyphus was finally taken to the underworld, he told his wife not to bury his body properly. When he arrived in the underworld, he complained to Persephone, the queen of the underworld, that his wife had disrespected him. He convinced Persephone to let him go back to the living world to scold his wife and arrange a proper funeral. Once Sisyphus was back in Corinth, he refused to return to the underworld! Eventually, Hermes, the messenger god, had to drag him back by force.
His Endless Punishment
Because Sisyphus had been so tricky and had even tried to cheat the gods, he received a special punishment in the underworld. Hades, the ruler of the underworld, made Sisyphus roll a giant boulder up a very steep hill.
The punishment was especially frustrating because of Sisyphus's own cleverness. Just as he would get the boulder almost to the top, Hades would make it roll all the way back down again. This meant Sisyphus was stuck in an endless cycle of hard work that never achieved anything. It was a punishment designed to be incredibly frustrating and never-ending, fitting for someone who thought he was smarter than the gods themselves.
See also
In Spanish: Sísifo para niños
