Tantalus

The story of Tantalus was so powerful that it was imprinted in the common simile and the well-known phrase "tantalum torment". For Tantalus committed such terrible deeds that earthly punishments were not enough to punish him, but he was condemned to eternal torment.

At the beginning of it all was the friendship between Thantalos and Zeus. Zeus invited him to Olympus, where he and the other gods feasted and participated in many meetings. Thantalos gradually grew older and began to compare himself with the gods, or even to exalt himself above them. He then stole divine food (nectar and ambrosia) at feasts, which he then shared with his mortal friends. He did not hesitate to divulge the secrets he had overheard on Olympus. But Zeus was willing to transcend everything.

Tantalus's next unpleasant act was to hide a stolen golden dog in his palace. This dog was stolen by King Pandareos, who hid it with Tantalos because he knew that Tantalos was in the favor of the gods and no one would look for him. Zeus began to search for the dog through the memory of his own childhood, when he was raised by the goat Amaltheia, and it was the golden dog that protected them both. When Tantalus Diem was asked about the dog, he admitted nothing. So Zeus sent the god Hermes to search the entire palace. When the dog was found, Zeus was very angry.

And that still wasn't all. Tantalus invited several gods to test their omniscience. He killed his son Pelops, dismembered his body and made a great meal, which he then served to the gods. But the gods recognized the dish for what it was and rejected it. Except for the goddess Demeter, who was filled with grief over her kidnapped daughter Persephone, and thoughtlessly ate a piece of the shoulder. The angry gods put the meat back into the cauldron, boiled it, and the god Hermes, at Zeus' command, revived it. They replaced the missing piece of shoulder with ivory. Pelops rose radiantly beautiful, so much so that Poseidon took him to Olympus to be his personal waiter.

For all his actions, Tantalus was stripped of his kingdom and thrown into the underworld, where he would suffer the most severe torments. He will stand in clear water. But when he wants a drink, the water will recede. Above him will be branches full of apples. But when he reaches out to them, the branches will move away. There will be a huge boulder hanging over him, about to fall, but it will never fall to end his misery.