Thanatos

Connection to Sisyphus

Zeus ordered Thanatos (Death personified) to chain Sisyphus in Tartarus. Sisyphus slyly asked Thanatos to demonstrate how the chains worked. When Thanatos did so, Sisyphus secured them and threatened him. This caused an uproar since no human could die with Thanatos out of commission.

Overview

In Greek mythology, Thanatos (Ancient Greek: Θάνατος, Thánatos, "Death," from θνῄσκω - thnēskō, "to die, be dying") was the daemon personification of death. He was a minor figure in Greek mythology, often referred to but rarely appearing in person.

His name is transliterated in Latin as Thanatus, but his equivalent in Roman mythology is Mors or Letus/Letum, and he is sometimes identified erroneously with Orcus (Orcus himself had a Greek equivalent in the form of Horkos, God of the Oath).

Sources

• Thanatos at Wikpedia
• The Myth of Sisyphus at Greek Myths & Greek Mythology.com