Tantalus
Tantalus (Ancient Greek: Τάνταλος Tántalos), also called Atys, was a Greek mythological figure, most famous for his punishment in Tartarus: for trying to trick the gods into eating his son, he was made to stand in a pool of water beneath a fruit tree with low branches, with the fruit ever eluding his grasp, and the water always receding before he could take a drink.
| Tantalus | |
|---|---|
Mythological King | |
Tantalus by Gioacchino Assereto | |
| Other names | Atys |
| Abode | Lydia or Phrygia or Paphlagonia |
| Personal information | |
| Parents | (1) Zeus and Plouto (2) Tmolus and Plouto |
| Siblings | - |
| Consort | (i) Dione (ii) Taygete (iii) Eurythemista (iv) Euryanassa (v) Clytie (vi) Eupryto |
| Children | Pelops, Niobe, Broteas and Dascylus |
Tantalus was the father of Pelops, Niobe, and Broteas. He was a son of Zeus and a woman named Plouto. Thus, like other heroes in Greek mythology such as Theseus (his great-great-grandson) and the Dioskouroi, he had one divine and one mortal parent.
The Greeks used the proverb "Tantalean punishment" (Ancient Greek: Ταντάλειοι τιμωρίαι: Tantáleioi timōríai) in reference to those who have good things but are not permitted to enjoy them. His name and punishment are also the source of the English word tantalize, meaning to torment with the sight of something desired but out of reach; tease by arousing expectations that are repeatedly disappointed.