Sinis: The Mythology of the Bandit Who Killed People for Sport

Sinis was a robber who was cast out of the Isthmus of Corinth, probably due to his criminal activities. He spent the rest of his life on the road waiting for passersby who he would eventually rob and kill. He became sinister and struck fear in the hearts of all travelers until he finally met his death. Keep on reading to find out who killed Sinis.

Sinis's Origin

Sinis has different parentages depending on the source of the myth. One source indicates that he was born to another notorious bandit called Procrustes and his wife Sylea. Procrustes was known for killing his victims by stretching them till their appendages tore off their bodies. Thus, it was no surprise when his son Sinis took after him, albeit killing people in a different way.

Another source also portrays Sinis as the son of Canethus, a nefarious Arcadian prince who, along with his brothers, played dangerous pranks on people. It was told that they once mixed the entrails of a child with food and gave it to a peasant who begged them for a meal.

Unknowingly, the peasant was Zeus in disguise, who had heard of their evil pranks and decided to test them. Zeus got upset with what Canethus and his brothers did and threw thunderbolts at them, killing them on the spot.

Canthus fathered Sinis with Henioche, the Princess of the city of Troezen in the region of Argolis. Unlike her husband, Henioche was a good handmaiden who accompanied Helen to Troy. Though Sinis has different parents, all the sources portray the father, as a criminal. It is therefore not far-fetched to opine that Sinis came from a family of notorious hooligans.

Sinis Greek Mythology

As already stated, Sinis was a bandit who stood on the road of the Corinthian Isthmus and robbed the travelers of their belongings. Once he was done robbing, he forced the travelers to bend tall pine trees to the ground to amuse himself.

When his victims got tired of bending the trees and let go, the tree flung them into the air and they died on landing. The method he chose to end the lives of his victims earned him the nickname Sinis the Pine-bender or Pityocamptes.

According to other sources, Sinis would tie his victims between two bent pine trees after robbing them. Each arm and leg would be tied to a different tree with his victim in the middle and the tree bent to the ground. Once he was done tying his victim, he released the bent pine trees which would then rebound and tear his victims apart. He continued this barbaric act till he eventually came in contact with Theseus, founder of Athens.

How Did Sinis Die?

Theseus killed Sinis the same way Sinis killed his victims. According to one myth, Theseus forced Sinis to bend the pine trees in the same manner as his victims. Then when his strength got sapped, he let the pine tree go which threw him into the air and he died as soon as his body hit the ground.

Another Sinis Theseus mythology indicates that Theseus tied Sinis to two pine trees on each side of his body. He then bent the pine trees till the arms and legs of Sinis tore from each part of the body. Theseus killed Sinis as part of his Six Labors and later married his daughter, Perigune, and the couple gave birth to a son which they named Melanippus.

Sinis Meaning

Sinis in English means a mocker, a person who is cynical, or one who likes to ridicule or underestimate another.

Conclusion

We've just encountered the short mythology of Sinis and how he killed his victims. Here is a summary of all that we've read so far:

• Sinis was a bandit who was cast out of the city due to his activities and he terrorized travelers along the Corinthian Isthmus.

• According to one myth, he did this by coercing his victims to bend pine trees to the ground and when they got tired of bending and let go of the tree, it flung them to their death.

• Another myth narrated that he tied his victims between two pine trees and bent the pine trees apart till his victims' arms and legs tore off their bodies.

This activity earned him the nickname pine-bender until he met Theseus who killed him the same way his victims.