Who is Tantalus?
Q: Who is Tantalus?
A: Tantalus was a mortal king in Greek mythology.
Q: What did Tantalus do to anger the gods and goddesses?
A: At a banquet, he tried to feed people the flesh of his son Pelops.
Q: What was Tantalus's punishment while he was alive?
A: His punishment while he was alive was the ruin of his kingdom.
Q: What happened to Tantalus when he died?
A: When he died, his punishment in the Tartaros of the Underworld was much worse. He was made to stand in a pool of water up to his chin for all time. During this, he would always be hungry and thirsty. Each time Tantalus lowered his head to drink the water he was standing in, the water would lower. Over his head hung branches of trees filled with fruit but wind would blow them out of his reach so that he could never get them.
Q: Where does the word "tantalize" come from?
A: The word "tantalize" comes from this story as it refers to being teased or frustrated by something that is just out of reach - like food and drink were for Tantalus in this story.
Q: Who is Niobe?
A: Niobe is Tantulus's daughter.
Q: Who is Pelops and what happened to him?
A: Pelops is Tantulus's son who was brought back from death by the gods and went on to become ruler of Greece's peninsula which still bears his name - The Peloponesus
