Sisyphus

Description
In Greek mythology Sisyphus was the king of what later became Corinth. In the introduction to The Curse of the Grebes Arthur describes Sisyphus’ punishment of forever rolling a boulder up a hill and compares it to being a Elwood City Grebes fan, since they always get their hopes up only for the Grebes to lose.

Life and Punishment
Sisiphus was both very clever and very wicked. First, he seduced his niece in order to kill his brother. When Zeus sent Thanatos (Death) to take Sisyphus to Tartarus (Hell), Sisyphus managed to trap Thanatos in his own chains. Later he convinced Persephone, the Queen of the Underworld, to send him back to the living, because his wife had not given him a proper burial (he had in fact told his wife not to bury him).

Eventually Zeus punished Sisyphus by making him roll a boulder up a hill for eternity. The boulder was enchanted to always roll back down at the last moment, making the punishment a torture for the mind as well as the body.

Trivia

 * A Sisyphean task is a task that is pointless and never-ending.

Appearances
100601 The Curse of the Grebes