The Man Who Tried to Deceive Zeus

One greek king tried his luck at deceiving the gods of the Greek pantheon

Sisyphus pushing his boulder up a hill in Tartarus

Greek mythology is an interesting subject to study. Most, if not all, stories told about the Greek pantheon have a conclusion from which we can draw wisdom from. This couldn’t be more true of the story of the king Sisyphus. After evoking the wrath of the god of gods the king was condemned to an eternity of agony.

Ephyra

A depiction of Zeus. Source: Wikicomons

The legend of Sisyphus starts in modern-day Greece. Here it is said that he founded the Kingdom of Ephyra which he went on to rule with an iron fist. As part of his tyrannical rule of the region, he would often murder guests and messengers who visited him in order to ensure his rule would be uncontested. This was a big problem due to the sacred rule of Greek society known as ξενία (Anglicised: Xenia).

Xenia was a key part of Greek society. This fundamental rule ensured that travellers and guests felt safe within Greek homes. The god responsible for upholding this rule was none other than Zeus. Sisyphus also betrayed Zeus by revealing the location of the daughter of the river god Asopus who Zeus…