Persephone supervising Sisyphus in the Underworld, Attic black-figure amphora, ca. In Greek mythology, Persephone ( Kore or Cora) was the embodiment of the Earth's fertility at the same time that she was the Queen of the Underworld The Greek Underworld is a general term used to describe the various realms of Greek mythology which were believed to lie beneath the earth or beyond the horizon Attica (Αττική Attikí;) is a periphery (subdivision in Greece, containing Athens, the capital of Greece An amphora (plural amphorae or amphoras) is a type of Ceramic Vase with two handles and a long neck narrower than the body  530 BC, Staatliche Antikensammlungen (Inv. The Staatliche Antikensammlungen (State Collections of Antiques in the Kunstareal of Munich is a museum for the Bavarian state's antique collections for 1494)

In Greek mythology, Sisyphus (Greek:[Σίσυφος] (help·info)) (IPA: /ˈsɪsɨfəs/), was a king punished in Tartarus by being cursed to roll a huge boulder up a hill, only to watch it roll down again, and to repeat this throughout eternity. Greek mythology is the body of stories belonging to the ancient Greeks concerning their gods and Heroes the nature of the world and the origins and significance Greek (el ελληνική γλώσσα or simply el ελληνικά — "Hellenic" is an Indo-European language, spoken today by 15-22 million people mainly A king is a male Monarch, or a Head of state, who may or may not depending on the style of government of a nation exercise monarchal powers over a territory usually In classic Greek mythology below Heaven, Earth, and Pontus is Tartarus, or Tartaros ( Greek Τάρταρος deep place In Geology, a boulder is a rock with grain size of usually no less than 256 mm (10 Inches diameter While in the popular mind eternity often simply means existing for a limitless amount of Time, many have used it to refer to a timeless existence altogether outside of

Today, Sisyphean can be used as an adjective meaning that an activity is unending and/or repetitive. It could also be used to refer to tasks that are pointless and unrewarding.

The myth

Sisyphus was son of the king Aeolus of Thessaly and Enarete, and the founder and first king of Ephyra (Corinth). For the Click beetle Genus, see Aeolus (beetle. Aeolus ( Greek:, Ailos Modern Greek Thessalia redirects here For the Butterfly Genus, see Thessalia (butterfly. In Greek mythology, Enarete (Ἐνάρετη was the wife of Aeolus and ancestress of the Aeolians. Corinth, or Korinth ( Greek Κόρινθος ( is a city in Greece. He was the father of Glaucus by the nymph Merope, and the grandfather of Bellerophon. In Greek mythology, Glaucus ("shiny" "bright" or "bluish-green" (Γλαῦκος was the name of several different figures including Merope was the name of several probably unrelated characters in Greek mythology Bellerophon (βελλεροφῶν or Bellerophontes (βελλεροφόντης was a Hero of Greek mythology, "the greatest hero and Later sources say Sisyphus was the father of Odysseus by Anticlea, just before she married her later husband, Laertes. grc-Latn Odysseus or la Ulysses ( Greek grc-Latn Odysseus; Latin: la Ulixes or more commonly Ulysses) oʊˈdɪsiəs In Greek mythology, Anticlea, (Ἀντίκλεια was the daughter of Autolycus and Amphithea, and mother of Odysseus by Laërtes In Greek mythology, Laërtes (Λαέρτης was the son of Arcesius and Chalcomedusa. Sisyphus was said to have founded the Isthmian games in honor of Melicertes. The Isthmian Games or Isthmia ( Ancient Greek Ἴσθμια were one of the Panhellenic Games of Ancient Greece, and were named after the Melicertes Μελικέρτης (sometimes Melecertes, later called Palaemon Παλαίμων) in Greek mythology, the son of the

Sisyphus promoted navigation and commerce, but was avaricious and deceitful, violating the laws of hospitality by killing travelers and guests. He took pleasure in these killings because they allowed him to maintain his dominant position. From Homer onwards, Sisyphus was famed as the craftiest of men. Homer ( Ancient Greek:, Homēros) is a legendary ancient Greek epic Poet, traditionally said to be the author of the epic poems the He seduced his niece, took his brother's throne and betrayed Zeus's secrets. Zeus (zjuːs in Greek: nominative: Zeús /zdeús/ genitive: Diós; Modern Greek /'zefs/ in Greek mythology Zeus then ordered Hades to chain Sisyphus in Tartarus. Hades (from Greek, Hadēs, originally, Haidēs or, Aidēs, probably from Indo-European *n̥-wid- 'unseen' refers both to the ancient In classic Greek mythology below Heaven, Earth, and Pontus is Tartarus, or Tartaros ( Greek Τάρταρος deep place Sisyphus slyly asked Thanatos to try the chains to show how they worked. In Greek mythology, Thanatos (in Ancient Greek, θάνατος &ndash " Death " was the Daemon personification When Thanatos did so, Sisyphus secured them and threatened Hades. This caused an uproar, and no human could die until Ares (who was annoyed that his battles had lost their fun because his opponents would not die) intervened, freeing Thanatos and sending Sisyphus to Tartarus. In Greek mythology, Ares ( Ancient Greek:, Μodern Greek Άρης) is the son of Zeus and Hera.

However, before Sisyphus died, he had told his wife that when he was dead she was not to offer the usual sacrifice. In the underworld he complained that his wife was neglecting him and persuaded Persephone, Queen of the Underworld, to allow him to go back to the upper world and ask his wife to perform her duty. In Greek mythology, Persephone ( Kore or Cora) was the embodiment of the Earth's fertility at the same time that she was the Queen of the Underworld When Sisyphus got back to Corinth, he refused to return and was eventually carried back to the underworld by Hermes. Hermes ( Greek,, ˈhɝmiːz in Greek mythology, is the Olympian god of boundaries and of the travelers who cross them of Shepherds and In another version of the myth, Persephone was directly persuaded that he had been conducted to Tartarus by mistake and ordered him to be freed. ^[1]

"Sisyphean task" or "Sisyphean challenge"

As a punishment from the gods for his trickery, Sisyphus was compelled to roll a huge rock up a steep hill, but before he could reach the top of the hill, the rock would always roll back down again, forcing him to begin again. The Greek Underworld is a general term used to describe the various realms of Greek mythology which were believed to lie beneath the earth or beyond the horizon Aeacus (also spelled Eäcus, Greek, "bewailing" or "earth borne" was a mythological king of the island of Aegina In Greek mythology, Cerberus or Kerberos ( Greek Κέρβερος Kérberos) the ker or Daimon of In Greek mythology, Charon or Kharon (in Greek, Χάρων &mdash the bright) was the Ferryman of Hades Hades (from Greek, Hadēs, originally, Haidēs or, Aidēs, probably from Indo-European *n̥-wid- 'unseen' refers both to the ancient In Greek mythology, Minos ( Ancient Greek:) was a mythical king of Crete son of Zeus and Europa. In Greek mythology, Persephone ( Kore or Cora) was the embodiment of the Earth's fertility at the same time that she was the Queen of the Underworld In Greek myths, Rhadamanthus ( also transliterated as Rhadamanthys or Rhadamanthos) was a wise king the son of Zeus and This article concerns the Greek river For other uses see Acheron (disambiguation. The Asphodel Meadows is a section of the Ancient Greek underworld where indifferent and ordinary souls were sent to live after death Cocytus or Kokytos, meaning "the river of wailing" (from the Greek κωκυτός, "lamentation" is a river in the underworld in In Greek mythology, Elysium ( Greek:) was a section of the Underworld (the spelling Elysium is a Latinization of the In Greek mythology, Erebus or Erebos ( Ancient Greek:, English translation: "deep blackness/darkness or shadow" was the son of a primordial In Classical Greek, Lethe (λήθη Classical Greek, Modern Greek:) literally means "forgetfulness" or "concealment" In Greek mythology, the river Phlegethon ( English translation: "flaming" or Pyriphlegethon (English translation "fire-flaming" was In classic Greek mythology below Heaven, Earth, and Pontus is Tartarus, or Tartaros ( Greek Τάρταρος deep place In Greek mythology, Ixion was king of the Lapiths, the most ancient tribe of Thessaly, and a son of Ares or Antion or the notorious In Greek mythology Tantalus ( Greek Τάνταλος was a son of Zeus and the Nymph Plouto. In Greek mythology, the Titans ( Greek: Tītā́n; plural Tītânes) were a race of powerful Deities that ruled during the legendary ^[2] The maddening nature of the punishment was reserved for Sisyphus due to his hubristic belief that his cleverness surpassed that of Zeus. Hubris, sometimes spelled hybris ( Ancient Greek ὕβρις is a term used in modern English to indicate overweening Pride, self-confidence Sisyphus took the bold step of reporting one of Zeus's sexual conquests, telling the river god Asopus of the whereabouts of his daughter Aegina. Asopus or Asôpos (Greek Ασωπός) is the name of five different Rivers in Greece and Turkey and also in Greek mythology Aegina ( Greek: Αίγινα ( Egina) is one of the Saronic Islands of Greece in the Saronic Gulf, 17 miles (30 km from Zeus had taken her away, but regardless of the impropriety of Zeus's frequent conquests, Sisyphus overstepped his bounds by considering himself a peer of the gods who could rightfully report their indiscretions. ^[3] As a result, Zeus displayed his own cleverness by binding Sisyphus to an eternity of frustration. Accordingly, pointless or interminable activities are often described as Sisyphean. Sisyphus was a common subject for ancient writers and was depicted by the painter Polygnotus on the walls of the Lesche at Delphi. Polygnotus (Πολύγνωτος was an Ancient Greek painter from the middle of the 5th century BC, son of Aglaophon. Lesche ( Gr) is an Ionic Greek word signify­ing council or conversation, and a place for council or conversation. Delphi ( Greek,) ( pronounce and dialectal forms) is an archaeological site and a modern town in Greece on the south-western ^[4]

Interpretations

According to the solar theory, Sisyphus is the disk of the sun that rises every day in the east and then sinks into the west. "Sun god" redirects here For the Ramsey Lewis album see Sun Goddess (album. ^[5] Other scholars regard him as a personification of waves rising and falling, or of the treacherous sea. ^[5] The 1st-century BC Epicurean philosopher Lucretius interprets the myth of Sisyphus as personifying politicians aspiring for political office who are constantly defeated, with the quest for power, in itself an "empty thing," being likened to rolling the boulder up the hill. Titus Lucretius Carus (ca 99 BC- ca 55 BC was a Roman Poet and Philosopher. ^[6] Welcker suggested that he symbolises the vain struggle of man in the pursuit of knowledge, and S. Friedrich Gottlieb Welcker ( 4 November 1784 &ndash 17 December 1868) German Philologist and Archaeologist, Reinach^[7] that his punishment is based on a picture in which Sisyphus was represented rolling a huge stone Acrocorinthus, symbolic of the labour and skill involved in the building of the Sisypheum. Acrocorinth (Ακροκόρινθος the Acropolis of Ancient Corinth, is a monolithic rock overseeing the ancient city of Corinth Greece. Albert Camus, in his 1942 essay The Myth of Sisyphus, sees Sisyphus as personifying the absurdity of human life, but concludes "one must imagine Sisyphus happy" as "The struggle itself towards the heights is enough to fill a man's heart. Albert Camus ( (7 November 1913 – 4 January 1960 was an Algerian born French Author, philosopher, and journalist who won the Nobel prize The Myth of Sisyphus is a philosophical essay by Albert Camus. "

Literary references

Ovid, the famous Roman poet, references Sisyphus in the story of Orpheus and Eurydices. Publius Ovidius Naso ( March 20, 43 BC – 17 AD was a Roman poet known to the English -speaking world as Ovid who wrote on many topics including When Orpheus descends and confronts Hades and Persephone, he sings a song with the result of getting his wish of bringing Eurydices back. After this song is sung, Ovid shows how moving it was by noting that Sisyphus sat on his rock, the Latin wording being "inque tuo sedisti Sisyphe, saxo. "^[8]

Albert Camus, the Algerian born Absurdist, wrote a book entitled The Myth of Sisyphus in which he elevates Sisyphus to the status of absurd hero. Albert Camus ( (7 November 1913 – 4 January 1960 was an Algerian born French Author, philosopher, and journalist who won the Nobel prize The Myth of Sisyphus is a philosophical essay by Albert Camus.

Franz Kafka repeatedly referred to Sisyphus as a bachelor; the Kafkaesque for him were those qualities that brought out the Sisyphus-like qualities in himself. " Kafkaesque " is an Auctorial descriptive which is used to describe concepts situations and ideas which are reminiscent of the literary work of Prague writer According to Frederick Karl: "The man who struggled to reach the heights only to be thrown down to the depths embodied all of Kafka's aspirations; and he remained himself, alone, solitary. "^[9]

Also seen in Airborn by Kenneth Oppel in regards to the Sisyphus Triangle, similar to the Bermuda Triangle. Airborn is a 2004 young adult novel by Kenneth Oppel. The book has been honored by several awards including winning Canada's Governor General's Award Kenneth Oppel (born August 31 1967) is a Canadian author Born in Port Alberni, British Columbia, he spent his childhood in The Bermuda Triangle, also known as the Devil's Triangle, is a region of the northwestern Atlantic Ocean in which a number of Aircraft and surface

See also

• Sisyphus (dialogue), a dialogue ascribed to Plato
• 1866 Sisyphus, asteroid
• Tantalus
• The Myth of Sisyphus, a philosophical essay by Albert Camus
• "Sysyphus", an instrumental by Richard Wright of Pink Floyd

References

Sources

• This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain. The Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition (1910–1911 is a 29-volume reference work that marked the beginning of the Encyclopædia Britannica The public domain is a range of abstract materials &ndash commonly referred to as Intellectual property &ndash which are not owned or controlled by anyone