can anyone remember what sisyphus actually did?

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i mean before

― mark s (mark s), Thursday, 19 September 2002 13:31 (twenty-three years ago)

like what was his crime?

― mark s (mark s), Thursday, 19 September 2002 13:31 (twenty-three years ago)

i googled this http://www.in2greece.com/english/historymyth/mythology/names/sisyphus.htm

― Alan (Alan), Thursday, 19 September 2002 13:33 (twenty-three years ago)

zeus was a cunt

― mark s (mark s), Thursday, 19 September 2002 13:36 (twenty-three years ago)

pardon my ire

― mark s (mark s), Thursday, 19 September 2002 13:36 (twenty-three years ago)

It is said that Sisyphus, being near to death, rashly wanted to test his wife's love. He ordered her to cast his unburied body into the middle of the public square. Sisyphus woke up in the underworld. And there, annoyed by an obedience so contrary to human love, he obtained from Pluto permission to return to earth in order to chastise his wife. But when he had seen again the face of this world, enjoyed water and sun, warm stones and the sea, he no longer wanted to go back to the infernal darkness. Recalls, signs of anger, warnings were of no avail. Many years more he lived facing the curve of the gulf, the sparkling sea, and the smiles of earth. A decree of the gods was necessary. Mercury came and seized the impudent man by the collar and, snatching him from his joys, lead him forcibly back to the underworld, where his rock was ready for him.

― Jerry the Nipper (Jerrynipper), Thursday, 19 September 2002 13:40 (twenty-three years ago)

in fairness, I reckon Sisyphus got it easy in the underworld. rolling a rock up a hill forever is a lot preferable to being up to being incredibly thirsty but unable to drink.

― DV (dirtyvicar), Thursday, 19 September 2002 15:26 (twenty-three years ago)

The only page of comic i ever wrote was called "The Eternal Antics of Sisyphus and Saint Peter". As the first rule of comedy is inversion it took the idea that (in "Hell") actually Sisyphus was having a great time rolling the stone, cos he got to watch it roll down hill doing major damage to whatever was at the bottom (hurrah) like a cosmic game of tenpin bowling. Conversely (in "Heaven") Saint Peter was bored out of his tiny mind listening to the life story of every cockfarmer that wanted admission through the pearly gates.

i was rubbish at drawing, but I might scan it in and put it on my website just to upset everyone.

― Alan (Alan), Thursday, 19 September 2002 15:32 (twenty-three years ago)

it's not the worst idea ever.

isn't it an endlessly recurring idea that Hell is where the real action is?

― DV (dirtyvicar), Thursday, 19 September 2002 16:01 (twenty-three years ago)

Sisyphus seems a bit more bad ass than you think, he cheated death and was a known trickster.

I mean he tied up up Thanatos (death) so that for a bit no one could die.

He is one of the four great sinners along with Ixion, Tantalus and Tityus.

A 'sisyphean task' is one demanding endless and frustrating labour (ILX on mass: that's my job!)

(source: cassell's dictionary of classical mythology)

― jel -- (jel), Thursday, 19 September 2002 16:23 (twenty-three years ago)

Cassell's dictionary is great! 831 pages.

― jel -- (jel), Thursday, 19 September 2002 16:25 (twenty-three years ago)

tityus!!?? frankie howerd to thread!!

― mark s (mark s), Thursday, 19 September 2002 16:25 (twenty-three years ago)

i can't think of a way of making Tantalus' punishment into some sort of ironic enjoyment.

― Alan (Alan), Thursday, 19 September 2002 16:31 (twenty-three years ago)

tityus: son of Zeus and Elara. Giant. Tried to rape Leto.

punishment: tied to the ground over two acres with vultures pecking at his liver (forever)

― jel -- (jel), Thursday, 19 September 2002 16:31 (twenty-three years ago)

Zeus dropped a mountain on Tantalus (a mountain of paperwork!)

― jel -- (jel), Thursday, 19 September 2002 16:42 (twenty-three years ago)

and he had to stay at his desk (forever)

― jel -- (jel), Thursday, 19 September 2002 16:46 (twenty-three years ago)

It was also Sisyphus who founded the Isthmian games by burying Melictertes and giving him the Palaimon cult. (from Alan's link upthread)

What? Whatever the Palaimon cult might be (my guess is it's like a Chinese Burn), how does burying someone and giving them that found any sort of games? Unless the only game is burying someone then giving them a chinese burn, I suppose.

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Thursday, 19 September 2002 17:37 (twenty-three years ago)

Competitive chinese burns?
I suppose it could be a bit like 'raps' (you know, hitting knuckles with playing cards, like in school), although it would take a lot longer the Sisyphus way - bury opponent, give chinese burn, dig up opponent ("hey, jabbing me with the shovel is cheating"), be burried, receive chinese burn, be dug up.
By which time of course your opponents arm wouldn't hurt *at all*, it's been aaaages since you gave it a chinese burn. This could go on for ever, it would never end. Winning would be a Sisyphean task.... hey....

― Sofa King Alternative (Sofa King Alternative), Friday, 20 September 2002 10:56 (twenty-three years ago)

one year passes...

hah tityus!

― jel -- (jel), Tuesday, 18 May 2004 17:13 (twenty-one years ago)

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