Tantalus - Story of Tantalus, Other characters with the same name, Related terms

In Greek mythology, a son of Zeus and Pluto. As king of Sipylos in Lydia, he committed terrible crimes. He stole the food of the gods, so becoming immortal, and served them his son Pelops in a dish. For this he was punished in the Underworld; he sits in a pool which recedes when he bends to drink, and the grapes over his head elude his grasp.

For other uses, see Tantalus (disambiguation).

In Greek mythology Tantalus (Greek Τάνταλος) was a son of Zeus and the nymph Plouto ("riches") (not to be confused with the god of the underworld). Thus, like other Greek heroes such as Theseus, Tantalus had both a hidden, divine sire and a mortal one. Tantalus became one of the inhabitants of Tartarus, the deepest portion of the Underworld, reserved for the punishment of evildoers.

The geographer Strabo, quoting earlier sources, states that the wealth of Tantalus was derived from the mines of Phrygia and Mount Sipylus. Near Mount Sipylys, archaeological features associated with Tantalus and his house since Antiquity are, in fact, Hittite. On Mount Yamanlar some 2 km E of Akpınar are two monuments mentioned by Pausanias: the tholos tomb of Tantalus (Christianized as "Saint Charalambos' tomb") and the "throne of Pelops", in fact a rocky altar.

Story of Tantalus

Tantalus is known for having been welcomed to Zeus' table in Olympus.

The gods were said to be aware of his plan for their feast, so they didn't touch the offering;

Thus reconstituted, Pelops was brought back to life with new qualities.

The Greeks of classical times claimed to be horrified by Tantalus' doings, and accused Tantalus of trying to trick the Olympian gods back into their older identities by offering them a sacrifice-banquet of human flesh.

The kernel of truth embodied in this tale reinforces Olympian suppression of human sacrifice, which had apparently been offered in earlier times, especially to Demeter in her earlier embodiment as the Great Goddess, but which was now taboo. Alternatively, Tantalus can be seen as a Promethean figure who divulges divine secrets to mortals and presides over sacred initiations consisting of mystic death and transfiguration.

Tantalus' punishment, now proverbial for temptation without satisfaction, was to stand in a pool of water beneath a fruit tree with low branches.

In a separate story, he was also blamed for having stolen the dog of Hephaestus (god of metals) (alternatively, he convinced his friend, Pandareus to do so).

There is a similarity between the names Tantalus and Hantili, the latter a name of two Hittite kings. Thus, there may be a loose historical connection between the mythical Tantalus and the Bronze Age Hittite kings, who likewise ruled over Asia Minor.

Note: In Robert Graves' historical novel, Hercules, My Shipmate, Graves appears to claim that Tantalus was a member of an invading Greek tribe (after the Peloponnesians?) who was condemned to his torment in Tartarus for refusing to reject his partriarchal deities in favor of the local version of Ashtoreth.

Other characters with the same name

There are two other characters named Tantalus in Greek mythology, both minor figures and both descendents of the above Tantalus. Broteas is said to have had a son named Tantalus, who ruled over the city of Pisa in the Peloponnesus. This Tantalus was the first husband of Clytemnestra. The third Tantalus was a son of Thyestes, who was murdered by his uncle Atreus, and fed to his unsuspecting father, Thyestes

Related terms

The name "Tantalus" is the origin of the English word "tantalize". The idea is being that when a person tantalizes someone else, that person is making them like Tantalus: there is something desirable that is always just out of that person's reach.

A Tantalus, by an obvious analogy, is also the term for a type of drinks decanter stand in which the bottle stoppers are firmly clamped down by a locked metal bar, as a means of preventing servants from stealing the master's liquor.The decanters themselves, however, remain clearly visible!

The chemical element tantalum (symbol Ta, atomic number 73) is named for the mythological Tantalus. Encyclopaedia Britannica 1911: "Tantalus"

Spoken-word myths - audio files

The Tantalus myth as told by story tellers
1. Hyginus, Fables, 82: Tantalus;