SINIS (greek mythological figure)
Figure of myth · Greek mythological figure
- Parents
- Procrustes, Poseidon, Sylea
- Children
- Perigune
- Haunts and cult places
- Isthmus of Corinth
- In the sources
- 16 ancient passages
Sinis, the Pine-bender, stood as the strongest of all mortal men, a fearsome robber who haunted the Isthmus of Corinth.1,2,3,4,5 His mother was Sylea, daughter of Corinthus, and he fathered a beautiful and stately daughter named Perigune.4,6 His mother was Sylea, daughter of Corinthus, and he fathered a beautiful and stately daughter named Perigune.4,6
His method of killing was brutal and unique, involving the bending of two pine trees to attach a victim's arms.4,5 He then released the trees, allowing them to snap back upright and tear the bodies of many men apart.4,5 Theseus, clearing the road from Troezen to Athens, defeated Sinis as his second labor by using the same method against him.3,5,4,2
A swift stream named after Sinis flows through the area.7 Some reports even claim the Isthmian games were established in his honor, a testament to his enduring legacy.8 His daughter was later taken by force by Theseus, and she bore him a son named Melanippus.9,10
The codex facts behind this entry
Sinis was a robber who operated at the Isthmus. Euripides, Hippolytus 936-982 +1
In the myths
Theseus killed Sinis, who was one of the brigands he defeated while clearing the road from Troezen to Athens, as his second labor using the same method that Sinis had used on others. Bacchylides 18 +7 Sinis released the bent pines to tear his victims' bodies apart as the trees snapped back to their upright positions. Apollodorus 3.16.2 +2 Sinis killed many men by bending two pine trees and attaching a victim's arms to them. Apollodorus 3.16.2 +2
Fate
Theseus killed Sinis on the Isthmus using the same method Sinis had used on his victims. Apollodorus 3.16.2 +2
