The Torments of Tantalus - Meaning and Origin of the Idiom
Tantalus, a hero of ancient Greek myths, might have long been forgotten if not for the memory of his torments, which gave life to the enigmatic idiom for the uninitiated.
Origin of the Idiom "The Torments of Tantalus"
According to ancient Greek mythology, Tantalus ruled the kingdom of Phrygia and was the son of Zeus. The gods generously rewarded him with all blessings and befriended him. They descended from Olympus to visit his palace, and Tantalus himself appeared at their banquets.
Once, Tantalus violated the prohibitions that separated the world of gods from the world of humans.
The hero's first sin was the theft of nectar and ambrosia, which he seized from Olympus for his friends. The king wished to feed them divine food to show how close he was to the gods. But Zeus forgave his son.
However, the second offense provoked the father's wrath. Someone stole his favorite golden dog. At the request of the thief, Pandareus, whom Tantalus had hidden the dog in his house, Hermes, the messenger of the gods, learned about it. Zeus forgave this too.
But the third crime could not go unpunished. Tantalus wanted to test whether the all-seeing gods, and he invited them to a banquet, the main dish of which was his son, whom he had killed with his own hands.
The immortals unraveled the terrible secret and did not touch the feast. They resurrected the boy, but the fate of his father was unfortunate.
For these crimes, the kingdom of Tantalus was ruined, and he himself was cast by Zeus into the underworld of the dead and condemned to eternal torments.
Since then, Tantalus stands neck-deep in water, eternally thirsty and hungry. The waves of the lake splash around him, but when he bends to quench his thirst, the water disappears without a trace. Even if he manages to scoop a little with his hand, the moisture slips between his fingers, and he only wets his cracked lips, which only intensifies his thirst.
Above Tantalus' head, trees bend with various fruits, but as soon as he reaches out to these delicacies, the wind blows, the branches sway, and the fruits become unreachable.
Meaning of the Idiom "The Torments of Tantalus"
The expression "The Torments of Tantalus" signifies the suffering experienced by a person from realizing that the desired goal seems so close yet remains unattainable.
