About Tantalus      Tantalus was king of great power and wealth in Lydia.  He was son of Zeus and had the good fortune to banquet with the gods on nectar and ambrosia.  His blessings proved too much for his character and he committed various grievous sins.

• Pandareus stole a golden dog, which was a guardian of a sanctuary of Zeus, and gave the dog to Tantalus to keep for him.  Hermes in searching for the hound came to Tantalus, who lied to the god and denied all knowledge of the theft.
• He stole nectar and ambrosia, the divine food of the gods, and fed it to his mortal friends.
• He revealed many secrets of the gods.
• He denied the divine nature of the sun.
• He killed his own son Pelops and served him as a feast for the gods.  They discovered his attempt at once, and punishment followed.

For these crimes Tantalus was sentenced to eternal torment in Hades.  He was set in a pool of water and had branches full of fruit hung close over his head.  Thirsty, he would bend to drink but the water level would drop out of reach.  Famished, he would reach up for the fruit but the fruit would evaded his grasp, tantalizing him. Back to Family Tree Back to Literature Index