Greek Legends

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 king—but 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.