ἀνελθοῦσι δὲ ἐς τὸν Ἀκροκόρινθον ναός ἐστιν Ἀφροδίτης: ἀγάλματα δὲ αὐτή τε ὡπλισμένη καὶ Ἥλιος καὶ Ἔρως ἔχων τόξον. τὴν δὲ πηγήν, ἥ ἐστιν ὄπισθεν τοῦ ναοῦ, δῶρον μὲν Ἀσωποῦ λέγουσιν εἶναι, δοθῆναι δὲ Σισύφῳ: τοῦτον γὰρ εἰδότα, ὡς εἴη Ζεὺς ἡρπακὼς Αἴγιναν θυγατέρα Ἀσωποῦ, μὴ πρότερον φάναι ζητοῦντι μηνύσειν πρὶν ἤ οἱ καὶ ἐν Ἀκροκορίνθῳ γένοιτο ὕδωρ: δόντος δὲ Ἀσωποῦ μηνύει τε οὕτως καὶ ἀντὶ τοῦ μηνύματος δίκην—ὅτῳ πιστὰ—ἐν Ἅιδου δίδωσιν. ἤκουσα δὲ ἤδη τὴν Πειρήνην φαμένων εἶναι ταύτην καὶ τὸ ὕδωρ αὐτόθεν ὑπορρεῖν τὸ ἐν τῇ πόλει.
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- Culture Essay
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From what regions of the Mediterranean do the gods on Acrocorinth come? Why does Corinth (and Cenchreae) have such a diverse array of divinities? Is there any evidence that these same gods can be found in other parts of ancient Corinth?
We have seen that Sisyphus has multiple connections with Corinth, from burying Melicertes and founding the Isthmian Games (2.1.3) to his burial on the isthmus (2.2.2) and receiving the kingship from Medea (2.3.11). In this last tale, we see that he is punished in the Underworld for withholding information from Asopus. Other authors, however, mention that he was punished for attacking travelers with a block of stone or taking vengeance on his brother Cretheus by having children with his wife Tyro or tricking death by asking his wife not to bury him so that he could ask Hades to send him back to earth. Why might the Corinthians tell this other version of the story of his punishment? Why does Pausanias not explicitly mention who punishes him? In reflecting on the passages in Pausanias mentioned above, can we get a sense how either the Corinthians or Pausanias assess his legacy?
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