Facts about Sisyphus and His Eternal Punishment

1. 05

   Zeus assigned Thanatos, the god of death, to chain Sisyphus in the underworld after Sisyphus had tricked and imprisoned Thanatos himself.

   Sisyphus and His Eternal PunishmentJun 6sharemythologygreekancient
2. 04

   Cunning and deceitful, Sisyphus reportedly tricked Persephone into releasing him from the underworld by claiming he needed to return to earth to arrange his own funeral.

   Sisyphus and His Eternal PunishmentJun 6sharemythologygreekancient
3. 03

   In Greek mythology, Sisyphus was the founder and king of Ephyra, the city later known as Corinth.

   Sisyphus and His Eternal PunishmentJun 6sharemythologyancientgreek
4. 02

   The myth of Sisyphus inspired Albert Camus's 1942 philosophical essay The Myth of Sisyphus, which uses his endless toil as a metaphor for the absurdity of human existence.

   Sisyphus and His Eternal PunishmentJun 6sharemythologyphilosophygreek
5. 01

   As punishment for cheating death twice, Sisyphus was condemned by the gods to roll a boulder up a hill in Hades, only for it to roll back down for eternity.

   Sisyphus and His Eternal PunishmentJun 6sharemythologyancientgreek