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Tantalus

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	Topics Tantalus Topic Home In Greek mythologyGreek mythology Greek mythology consists in part of a large collection of narratives that explain the origins of the world and detail the l... Tantalus was a son of ZeusZeus In Greek mythology, Zeus is the highest ranking god among the Olympian gods, the ruler of Mount Olympus, and god of the sky... and the nymphNymph In Greek mythology, a nymph is any member of a large class of female nature entities, either bound to a particular location ... PloutoPlouto In Greek mythology, Plouto was a nymph and the mother of Tantalus by Zeus.... . Thus he was a king in the primordialPrimordial Primordial may refer to:* Primordial cell... world, the father of a son BroteasBroteas In Greek mythology, Broteas was the ugly son of Tantalus, whose other offspring were Niobe and Pelops.... whose very name signifies "mortals" (brotoi). Other versions name his father as TmolusTmolus In Greek mythology, Tmolus was a mountain god and husband to Omphale.... "wreathed with oak," son of Sipylus, a king of LydiaList of Kings of Lydia This page lists Kings of Lydia, an ancient Kingdom in western Anatolia, based on the city of Sardis.... . Both Tmolus and Mount Sipylus are names of mountains in ancient LydiaLydia Lydia is a historic region of western Anatolia, congruent with Turkey's modern provinces of Izmir and Manisa.... . Thus, like other Greek heroes such as TheseusTheseus Theseus was a legendary king of Athens, son of Aethra, and fathered by Aegeus and Poseidon, with whom Aethra lay in one nig... , or the Dioskouroi, Tantalus had both a hidden, divine sire and a mortal one. Tantalus' mortal mountain-fathers placed him in Lydia; otherwise he might be located in PhrygiaPhrygia In antiquity, Phrygia was a kingdom in the west central part of the Anatolia .... or PaphlagoniaFacts About Paphlagonia Paphlagonia was an ancient area on the Black Sea coast of north central Anatolia, situated between Bithynia and Pontus, and ... , all in Asia Minor. Tantalus became one of the inhabitants of TartarusTartarus Tartarus, or Tartaros is a place of eternal torment and suffering, similar to the Hell of Christianity, Netherworld o... , the deepest portion of the Underworld, reserved for the punishment of evilEvil Summary In religion and ethics, evil refers to the "bad" aspects of the behaviour and reasoning of human beings —those which a... doers. The association of Tantalus with the underworld is underscored by the names of his mother Plouto ("riches", as in gold and other mineral wealth), and grandmother, Chthonia ("earth"). His children were PelopsPelops In Greek mythology, Pelops was a son of Tantalus and Dione.... —eponymEponym Overview An eponym is the name of a person, whether real or fictitious, which has given rise to the name of a particular place, trib... of the Peloponnesus—the unfortunate NiobeNiobe A mortal woman in Greek mythology, Niobe, daughter of Tantalus and either Euryanassa, Eurythemista, Clytia, Dione, or Laodic... , and BroteasBroteas In Greek mythology, Broteas was the ugly son of Tantalus, whose other offspring were Niobe and Pelops.... . The identity of his wife is variously given: DioneDione (mythology) Dione in Greek mythology is a vague goddess presence who has her most concrete form in Book V of Homer's Iliad as the mo... , whose name simply means "The Goddess," perhaps the PleiadPleiades Pleiades can refer to:Pleiades - an open cluster of stars in the constellation Taurus;... with that name; or Eurythemista, a daughter of the river-god XanthusScamander In Greek mythology, Scamander* was an Oceanid, son of Oceanus and Tethys.... ; or Euryanassa, daughter of PactolusPactolus Pactolus is a river, now in modern Turkey.... , another river-god, both of them in AnatoliaAnatolia Anatolia is a region of Southwest Asia which corresponds today to the Asiatic portion of Turkey, as opposed to the European... ; or Clytia, the child of Amphidamantes (Graves 1960, section 108). Tantalus, through PelopsPelops In Greek mythology, Pelops was a son of Tantalus and Dione.... was the founder of the House of AtreusHouse of Atreus The House of Atreus is a family in Greek mythology.... . The geographer Strabo, quoting earlier sources, states that the wealth of Tantalus was derived from the mines of Phrygia and Mount Sipylus. Near Sipylus (modern Spil Mount), archaeological features that have been associated with Tantalus and his house since Antiquity are in fact HittiteHittites The Hittites were an ancient people who spoke an Indo-European language, and established a kingdom centered at Hattusa in n... . On Mount Yamanlar some two km east of Akpinar are two monuments mentioned by Pausanias: the tholosTholos As a generic term tholos tomb is an alternative name for a Beehive tomb from the late Bronze Age.... tomb of Tantalus and the "throne of Pelops," in fact a rocky altar. A more famous rock-cut carving mentioned by Pausanias is the Great Mother of the Gods, said to have been carved by BroteasBroteas In Greek mythology, Broteas was the ugly son of Tantalus, whose other offspring were Niobe and Pelops.... , but also in fact Hittite. Story of Tantalus Tantalus is known for having been welcomed to Zeus' table in Olympus, like IxionFacts About Ixion In Greek mythology, Ixion was one of the Lapiths, a king of Thessaly, and a son of Antion or Phlegyas.... . There he too misbehaved, stole ambrosiaAmbrosia In ancient mythology, Ambrosia is sometimes the food, sometimes the drink, of the gods.... , brought it back to his people, and revealed the secrets of the gods. Tantalus offered up his son, PelopsPelops In Greek mythology, Pelops was a son of Tantalus and Dione.... , as a sacrifice to the gods. He cut PelopsPelops In Greek mythology, Pelops was a son of Tantalus and Dione.... up, boiled him, and served him up as food for the gods. The gods were said to be aware of his plan for their feast, so they didn't touch the offering; only DemeterDemeter Dmtr is the Greek goddess of agriculture, the pure nourisher of youth and the green earth, the health-giving cycle of lif... , distraught by the loss of her daughter, PersephonePersephone In Greek mythology, Persephone was the queen of the Underworld, the *Kore* or young maiden, and the daughter of De... , "did not realize what it was" and ate part of the boy's shoulder. Fate, ordered by Zeus, brought the boy to life again (she collected the parts of the body and boiled them in a sacred cauldron), rebuilding his shoulder with one wrought of ivory made by HephaestusHephaestus Hephaestus is the Greek god whose approximate Roman equivalent is Vulcan; he is the god of blacksmiths, craftsmen, artisans... and presented by Demeter. The revived PelopsPelops In Greek mythology, Pelops was a son of Tantalus and Dione.... was kidnapped by PoseidonPoseidon In Greek mythology, Poseidon was the god of the sea, as well as horses and, as "Earth-Shaker", of earthquakes.... and taken to Olympus to be the god's eromenosEromenos In the pederastic tradition of Classical Athens, the eromenos was an adolescent boy who was in a love relationship with an a... . Later, Zeus threw PelopsPelops In Greek mythology, Pelops was a son of Tantalus and Dione.... out of Olympus due to his anger at Tantalus. The Greeks of classical times claimed to be horrified by Tantalus' doings; cannibalismCannibalism Cannibalism , also called anthropophagy is the act or practice of humans eating other humans.... , human sacrificeHuman sacrifice Human sacrifice was practiced in many ancient cultures.... and parricideParricide Parricide is defined as: the act of killing one's parents or;... were atrocities and taboo. Tantalus was the founder of the cursed House of AtreusHouse of Atreus The House of Atreus is a family in Greek mythology.... in which variations on these atrocities continued. Misfortunes also occurred as a result of these acts, making the house the subject of many Greek Tragedies. Tantalus' grave-sanctuary stood on Sipylus. But hero's honours were paid him at ArgosArgos Argos is a city in Greece in the Peloponnese near Nafplio, which was its historic harbor, named for Nauplius.... , where local tradition claimed to possess his bones. On LesbosLesbos Lesbos may refer to:Lesbos Island, a large Greek island in the Aegean Sea... , there was another hero-shrine in the little settlement of Polion and a mountain named for Tantalos. Tantalus' punishment, now proverbial for temptation without satisfaction ("tantalizing"), was to stand in a pool of water beneath a fruit tree with low branches. Whenever he reached for the fruit, the branches raised his intended meal from his grasp. Whenever he bent down to get a drink, the water receded before he could get any. Over his head towers a threatening stone, like that of SisyphusSisyphus Sisyphus, in Greek mythology, was a king punished in the underworld by being set to roll a huge rock up a hill throughout et... . In a different story, Tantalus was blamed for indirectly having stolen the dog made of gold created by HephaestusHephaestus Hephaestus* is the Greek god whose approximate Roman equivalent is Vulcan; he is the god of blacksmiths, craftsmen, artisans... (god of metals and smithing) for Rhea to watch over infant Zeus. Tantalus' friend PandareusPandareus In Greek mythology, Pandareus was the son of Clymene and Merops.... stole the dog and gave it to Tantalus for safekeeping. When asked later by Pandareus to return the dog, Tantalus denied that he had the dog, saying he "had neither seen nor heard of a golden dog." According to Robert Graves, this incident is why an enormous stone hangs over Tantalus' head. Others state that it was Tantalus who stole the dog, and gave it to Pandareus for safekeeping. There is a similarity between the names Tantalus and Hantili, the latter a name of two HittiteHittites The Hittites were an ancient people who spoke an Indo-European language, and established a kingdom centered at Hattusa in n... kings. Thus, there may be a loose historical connection between the mythical Tantalus and the Bronze AgeBronze Age The term Bronze Age refers to a period in human cultural development when the most advanced metalworking included technique... Hittite kings, who likewise ruled over Asia Minor. In Robert Graves' historical novel, Hercules, My Shipmate, Graves appears to claim that Tantalus was a member of an invading Greek tribe who was condemned to his torment in Tartarus for refusing to reject his patriarchal deities in favor of a local version of Ashtoreth. Interpretations of the Tantalus figure The tale of Tantalus reaffirms that human sacrificeHuman sacrifice Human sacrifice was practiced in many ancient cultures.... and parricideParricide Parricide is defined as: the act of killing one's parents or;... are tabooTaboo Summary A taboo is a strong social prohibition relating to any area of human activity or social custom declared as sacred and forbi... in Ancient and Classical Greek culture. Yet it seems to suggest that human sacrifice had once been offered in archaic times, especially to Demeter. Alternatively, Tantalus can be seen as a PrometheanPrometheus In Greek mythology, Prometheus, or Satan' is the Titan chiefly honored for stealing fire from the gods in the stalk of... figure who divulges divine secrets to mortals. He presides over sacred initiations consisting of mystic death and transfiguration. His dismemberment of PelopsPelops In Greek mythology, Pelops was a son of Tantalus and Dione.... and Pelops' resurrection can be seen as an archetypal shamanic initiation. Other characters with the same name There are two other characters named Tantalus in Greek mythology, both minor figures and both descendants of the above Tantalus. Broteas is said to have had a son named TantalusTantalus son of Broteas Tantalus, not to be confused with his more famous grandfather and namesake , who was also called Atys, was the son of Brotea... , who ruled over the city of PisaPisa (Greece) Pisa, or Pisatis, was the name of an ancient Greek town in Elis.... in the Peloponnesus. This Tantalus was the first husband of ClytemnestraClytemnestra Clytemnestra was the wife of Agamemnon, king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Mycenae or Argos.... . He was slain by AgamemnonAgamemnon Agammnon , one of the two best-known Atrides, is one of the most distinguished heroes of Greek mythology, was the son of Ki... , King of MycenaeMycenae Mycenae , is an archaeological site in Greece, located about 90km south-west of Athens, in the north-eastern Peloponnese.... , who made Clytemnestra his wife. The third Tantalus was a son of ThyestesThyestes In Greek mythology, Thyestes was the son of Pelops, King of Mycenae, and Hippodamia and father of Pelopia and Aegisthus.... , who was murdered by his uncle AtreusAtreus In Greek mythology, King Atreus of Mycenae was the son of Pelops and Hippodamia and father of Agamemnon and Menelaus.... , and fed to his unsuspecting father, ThyestesThyestes In Greek mythology, Thyestes was the son of Pelops, King of Mycenae, and Hippodamia and father of Pelopia and Aegisthus.... . Related terms The name "Tantalus" is the origin of the English word "tantalize". The idea 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 tantalumTantalum Tantalum is a chemical element in the periodic table that has the symbol Ta and atomic number 73.... (symbol Ta, atomic number 73) is named for the mythological Tantalus. Ancient sources HomerHomer Homer was a legendary early Greek poet and rhapsode traditionally credited with the composition of the Iliad and the ... , OdysseyOdyssey *The Odyssey* is one of the two major ancient Greek epic poems , attributed to the poet Homer.... XI, 582-92 ApollodorusApollodorus Apollodorus was a Greek writer most famous for a verse chronicle of Greek history from the fall of Troy in the 12th century ... , Bibliotheke III, v, 6 Apollodorus, EpitomeEpitome An epitome is a summary or miniature form, also used as a synonym for embodiment.... II,1-3 OvidOvid Publius Ovidius Naso , a Roman poet known to the English-speaking world as Ovid, wrote on topics of love, abandoned wo... , MetamorphosesMetamorphoses (poem) Overview The Metamorphoses by the Roman poet Ovid is a poem in fifteen books that describes the creation and history of the world in ... IV, 458-9; VI, 172- 76 & 403-11. HyginusHyginus Hyginus can refer to:Gaius Julius Hyginus, Roman poet, author of Fabulae* and De Astronomia; reputed author of Po... , Fabulae 82 Modern sources pp 57-61 et passim* "Tantalus" External links compiled from selected primary sources to highlight the shamanic and promethean aspects of the story. By Pindar's time this view would have been rejected. being a lare 3-D zoetropic kinetic sculpture, depicting Tantalus' punishment, being unable to reach the low-hanging fruit above his head. Spoken-word myths - audio files