Sisyphus pushes the rock up the hill |
Sisyphus
Symbol of heroic but fruitless effort
King of Corinth who was punished in Hades by having to push a large boulder to the top of a hill only for it to roll down again.
Master Trickster
Sisyphus was a master trickster.
When Thanatos, the god of Death came to collect him, Sisyphus chained him up. Death was unable to escape and no one could die until the god of war, Ares, came to help.
In the meantime, Sisyphus ordered his wife not to perform sacrifices or bury his body. Upon entering Hades he won permission to return to the upperworld to berate his wife for failing to observe the proper rites. Sisyphus then remained in the land of the living for many more years before dying a second time at a considerable age.
Eternal punishment
For tricking Death in this way, Sisyphus faced eternal punishment in Hades: pushing a boulder to the summit of a hill only for it to roll down again.