Myths & legends of Corinthia

Few parts of Greece pack so much mythology into so small an area. In Corinthia a god was born, a winged horse was tamed, a king was punished for eternity — and Heracles passed through twice.

Sisyphus and the boulder

Sisyphus was the mythical founder and king of Corinth — then called Ephyra. He outwitted death itself, and his punishment became proverbial: to push a boulder up a slope for ever, watching it roll back down each time. We still call a hopeless task Sisyphean.

Pegasus and the Peirene spring

At the Peirene spring on Acrocorinth, Bellerophon tamed the winged horse Pegasus with a bridle given him by Athena. Pegasus became the emblem of Corinth and was struck on its coins for centuries.

Medea

Euripides’ tragedy is set in Corinth. Medea, betrayed by Jason as he prepared to marry the daughter of King Creon, takes her revenge by killing her own children. It is among the darkest texts of antiquity — and this city is its stage.

Heracles, twice

• The Nemean Lion: the first labour. The beast lived in the hills around Nemea and its hide could not be pierced; Heracles strangled it with his bare hands.
• The Stymphalian Birds: the sixth labour, at Lake Stymphalia. Birds with metallic feathers, which Heracles startled into the air with bronze rattles.

The birth of Hermes

In a cave on Kyllini — today Ziria — Hermes was born. The Homeric Hymn says it all: born in the morning, he made the lyre by midday, and by evening had stolen the cattle of Apollo.

Two games, two mournings

Both Panhellenic games of Corinthia were born out of death. The Isthmian Games were founded in honour of Palaimon-Melikertes, the child who fell into the sea with his mother. The Nemean Games began as funeral games for the infant Opheltes, killed by a snake when his nurse set him down on the grass for a moment.

Where to meet them

Acrocorinth (Pegasus)· Nemea (the lion, Opheltes)· Stymphalia (the birds)· Isthmia (Palaimon)· Ziria (Hermes).