The Myth of Sisiphyus

The myth of Sisyphus is one of the most known myths in the Greek Mythology, due to the cunningness of Sisyphus and the
punishment that was awaiting him.
If you could cheat death, would you? Most people would. But few have ever had the cunning of Sisyphus, the legendary rogue who
cheated death not just once, but twice.
Sisyphus ultimately paid a heavy price for his trickery: The reprieve he gained through his cunning was brief; the torture he suffered in
the Underworld was eternal.

Family tree of Sisyphus

Father: Aeolus, king of Thessaly, was the father of Sisyphus
Mother: Enarete
Brother: Salmoneus
Wife: Merope was the wife of Sisyphus
Sons: Glaucus, Thersander, Almus, Ornytion, Sinon
Grandson: Bellerophon

Sisyphus and Family Issues

Sisyphus, the son of Aeolus, was born heir to the throne of Thessaly in central Greece. Sisyphus and one of his brothers, Salmoneus,
hated each other and Salmoneus took the throne of Thessaly from him.
Eventually Sisyphus would become a kingbut never of Thessaly. The sorceress Medea gave Sisyphus the throne of Ephyra, later
known as Corinth. Some say that Sisyphus earned the crown by founding the city, which he populated with people grown out of
mushrooms. Sisyphus married Merope, the only one of the seven Pleiades (daughters of the Titan Atlas and Pleione) to have wedded
a mortal rather than consorting with the gods. The couple would have three children: Glaucus, Ornytion, and Sinon.
Glaucus would inherit the throne of Ephyra, but would suffer a gruesome fate. A renowned horseman, Glaucus fed his mares on
human flesh. Having whetted their appetites for flesh, Glaucus unwittingly served them up a full meal. After losing a chariot race, his
mares tore Glaucus to pieces and ate him on the spot. For generations afterward, horses on Corinth seemed unusually skittish
haunted no doubt by the ghost of Glaucus.

The Cunningness of Sisyphus Sisyphus and Autolycus

Sisyphus, called the craftiest of men by Homer, was extraordinarily clever. His ingenuity came in handy when Autolycus began
grazing cattle near the herds of Sisyphus.
Autolycus was a notorious thief. He would steal anything he could get his hands on. But he always escaped detection because he
could change the form or color of anything he stole. Horned cattle would lose their horns; brown cattle would become white.
Autolycus repeatedly stole cattle from Sisyphuss herd. Sisyphus noticed that cattle were missingand that the herd of Autolycus
seemed to be expanding in number, but could not prove any theft.
In an attempt to catch Autolycus in the act, Sisyphus secretly marked the inside of the hooves of his cattle. Some say he wrote the
words Stolen by Autolycus, while others maintain he wrote only the letters SS. The later discovery of his mark on cows in
Autolycuss herd proved that his neighbor was a thief.
Sisyphus was not satisfied merely with proving Autolycus a thief and recovering his cattle. Seeking revenge, he seduced Anticleia, the
daughter of Autolycus and later the mother of Odysseus . Given the cunning that Odysseus later demonstrated, many have suggested
that Sisyphus, rather than Anticleias husband Laertes, was his father.