Tantalos, by Goya

In Greek mythology Tantalus (Greek Τάνταλος) was a son of Zeus^[1] and the nymph Plouto ("riches")^[2] Thus he was a king in the primordial world, the father of a son Broteas whose very name signifies "mortals" (brotoi)^[3] Other versions name his father as Tmolus "wreathed with oak,"^[4] son of Sipylus, a king of Lydia. Both Tmolus and Mount Sipylus are names of mountains in ancient Lydia. Thus, like other Greek heroes such as Theseus, or the Dioskouroi, Tantalus had both a hidden, divine sire and a mortal one. Tantalus' mortal mountain-fathers placed him in Lydia; otherwise he might be located in Phrygia (Strabo, xii.8.21) or Paphlagonia, all in Asia Minor. Tantalus became one of the inhabitants of Tartarus, the deepest portion of the Underworld, reserved for the punishment of evildoers. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1336x1789, 2090 KB) Francisco de Goya: Tantalo - 18,3 x 12,7 cm Scan from original etching (private possession) Scanned and uploaded to Commons by Dominik Hundhammer, 7 February 2006 ÄŒesky | Deutsch | English | Ελληνικά | Español | فارسی | Français | עברית | Indonesian | Italiano | 日本語 | 한국어 | Magyar | Nederlands... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1336x1789, 2090 KB) Francisco de Goya: Tantalo - 18,3 x 12,7 cm Scan from original etching (private possession) Scanned and uploaded to Commons by Dominik Hundhammer, 7 February 2006 ÄŒesky | Deutsch | English | Ελληνικά | Español | فارسی | Français | עברית | Indonesian | Italiano | 日本語 | 한국어 | Magyar | Nederlands... This article is about Francisco Goya, a Spanish painter. ... In Greek mythology, the underworld indicates the kingdom of deaths. ... Proserpine by Dante Gabriel Rossetti, 1874) (Tate Gallery, London In Greek mythology, Persephone (Greek Περσεφόνη, PersephónÄ“) was the Queen of the Underworld of epic literature. ... Hades, Greek god of the underworld, enthroned, with his bird-headed staff, on a red-figure Apulian vase made in the 4th century BC. For other uses, see Hades (disambiguation). ... Front face of the MINOS far detector. ... In Greek mythology, Aeacus (Greek: Aiakos, bewailing or earth borne) was king in the island of Aegina in the Saronic Gulf. ... In Greek myths, Rhadamanthus (Ῥαδαμάνθυς; also transliterated as Rhadamanthys or Rhadamanthos) was a wise king, the son of Zeus and Europa. ... In Greek mythology, Charon (in Greek, Χάρων — the bright[1]) was the ferryman of Hades. ... Heracles and threatened Cerberus, Attic black-figure neck-amphora, ca. ... The Acheron is located in the Epirus region of northwest Greece. ... In Greek mythology, Cocytus, meaning river of wailing (Greek kokutos, lamentation) was the river in the underworld on the banks of which the dead who could not pay Charon wandered, according to most accounts, for one hundred years. ... In classic Greek mythology, below Heaven, Earth, and Pontus is Tartarus, or Tartaros (Greek Τάρταρος, deep place). ... In Classical Greek, Lethe (LEE-thee) literally means forgetfulness or concealment. The Greek word for truth is a-lethe-ia, meaning un-forgetfulness or un-concealment. In Greek mythology, Lethe is one of the several rivers of Hades. ... Elysian redirects here. ... In Greek mythology, Styx (Στυξ) is the name of a river which formed the boundary between Earth and the Underworld, Hades. ... In Greek mythology, the river Phlegethon ([river of] fire) was one of the five rivers of the underworld. ... The Asphodel Meadows is a section of the Ancient Greek underworld where indifferent and ordinary souls were sent to live after death. ... In Greek mythology Erebus (Έρεβος Erebos, Deep blackness/darkness or shadow from Ancient Greek Έρεβος) was the son of a primordial God, Chaos, the personification of darkness and shadow, which filled in all the corners and crannies of the world. ... This article is about the Greek myth. ... Sisyphus by Titian, 1549 In Greek mythology, Sisyphus (Σίσυφος) (IPA: ) was a king punished in the underworld by being set to roll a huge boulder up a hill throughout eternity. ... In Greek mythology, the Titans (Greek: Titan; plural: Titanes) were a race of powerful deities that ruled during the legendary Golden Age. ... The bust of Zeus found at Otricoli (Sala Rotonda, Museo Pio-Clementino, Vatican) Greek mythology is the body of stories belonging to the Ancient Greeks concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. ... Greek religion is the polytheistic religion practiced in ancient Greece in form of cult practices, thus the practical counterpart of Greek mythology. ... The bust of Zeus found at Otricoli (Sala Rotonda, Museo Pio-Clementino, Vatican) Greek mythology is the body of stories belonging to the Ancient Greeks concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. ... The Statue of Zeus at Olympia Phidias created the 12-m (40-ft) tall statue of Zeus at Olympia about 435 BC. The statue was perhaps the most famous sculpture in Ancient Greece, imagined here in a 16th century engraving Zeus (in Greek: nominative: Zeús, genitive: Diós), is... In Greek mythology, Plouto was a nymph and the mother of Tantalus by Zeus. ... The introduction of this article does not provide enough context for readers unfamiliar with the subject. ... In Greek mythology, Broteas was the ugly son of Tantalus, whose other offspring were Niobe and Pelops. ... In Greek mythology, Tmolus was a mountain god and husband to Omphale (but see below). ... Mount Sipylus in Turkish Sipil DaÄŸi is near the city of Manisa in Aegean Region of Turkey. ... This page lists Kings of Lydia, an ancient Kingdom in western Anatolia, based on the city of Sardis. ... In Greek mythology, Mount Sipylus northeast of Smyrna in Lydia (southwestern Anatolia, now Turkey) was the region ruled by Tantalus. ... Lydia (Greek ) is a historic region of western Anatolia, congruent with Turkeys modern provinces of Ä°zmir and Manisa. ... // Greek mythological characters (Most of the gods and goddesses had Roman equivalents. ... Theseus (Greek ) was a legendary king of Athens, son of Aethra, and fathered by Aegeus and Poseidon, with whom Aethra lay in one night. ... Castor (or Kastor) and Polydeuces (sometimes called Pollux), were in Greek mythology the twin sons of Leda and the brothers of Helen of Troy and Clytemnestra. ... In antiquity, Phrygia (Greek: ) was a kingdom in the west central part of the Anatolian Highland, part of modern Turkey. ... The Greek geographer Strabo in a 16th century engraving. ... Paphlagonia was an ancient area on the Black Sea coast of north central Anatolia, situated between Bithynia and Pontus, and separated from Phrygia (later, Galatia) by a prolongation to the east of the Bithynian Olympus. ... Anatolia (Greek: ανατολη anatole, rising of the sun or East; compare Orient and Levant, by popular etymology Turkish Anadolu to ana mother and dolu filled), also called by the Latin name of Asia Minor, is a region of Southwest Asia which corresponds today to... In classic Greek mythology, below Heaven, Earth, and Pontus is Tartarus, or Tartaros (Greek Τάρταρος, deep place). ... In religion, evil refers to anything against the will or law of the god(s). ...

His children were Pelops—eponym of the Peloponnesus—the unfortunate Niobe, and Broteas. The identity of his wife is variously given: Dione, whose name simply means "The Goddess," perhaps the Pleiad with that name; or Eurythemista, a daughter of the river-god Xanthus; or Euryanassa, daughter of Pactolus, another river-god, both of them in Anatolia; or Clytia, the child of Amphidamantes (Graves 1960, section 108). Tantalus, through Pelops was the founder of the House of Atreus. In Greek mythology, Pelops (Greek Πέλοψ, from pelios: dark; and ops: face, eye) was venerated at Olympia, where his cult developed into the founding myth of the Olympic Games, the most important expression of unity, not only for the Peloponnesus, land of Pelops, but for all Hellenes. ... An eponym is the name of a person, whether real or fictitious, who has (or is thought to have) given rise to the name of a particular place, tribe, discovery, or other item. ... Peloponnesos (Greek: Πελοπόννησος, sometime Latinized as Peloponnesus or Anglicized as The Peloponnese) is a large peninsula in Greece, forming the part of the country south of the Isthmus of Corinth. ... Apollo and Artemis slaying the children of Niobe by Niobid Painter (c. ... In Greek mythology, Broteas was the ugly son of Tantalus, whose other offspring were Niobe and Pelops. ... Dione in Greek mythology is a vague goddess presence who has her most concrete form in Book V of Homers Iliad as the mother of Aphrodite: Aphrodite journeys to Diones side after she has been wounded in battle while protecting her favorite son Aeneas. ... Pleiades refers to: Pleiades (star cluster) an open cluster of stars in the constellation Taurus. ... In Greek mythology, Scamander (Skamandros) was an Oceanid, son of Oceanus and Tethys. ... Pactolus is a river, now in modern Turkey. ... Anatolia and Europe Anatolia (Turkish: from Greek: Ανατολία - Anatolia) is a peninsula of Western Asia which forms the greater part of the Asian portion of Turkey, as opposed to the European portion (Thrace, or traditionally Rumelia). ... In Greek mythology, Pelops (Greek Πέλοψ, from pelios: dark; and ops: face, eye) was venerated at Olympia, where his cult developed into the founding myth of the Olympic Games, the most important expression of unity, not only for the Peloponnesus, land of Pelops, but for all Hellenes. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Atreus. ...

The geographer Strabo, quoting earlier sources, states that the wealth of Tantalus was derived from the mines of Phrygia and Mount Sipylus. Near Mount Sipylus, archaeological features associated with Tantalus and his house since Antiquity are, in fact, Hittite. On Mount Yamanlar some two km east of Akpınar are two monuments mentioned by Pausanias: the tholos tomb of Tantalus (Christianized as "Saint Charalambos' tomb") ^[5] and the "throne of Pelops," in fact a rocky altar. A more famous rock-cut carving mentioned by Pausanias is the Great Mother of the Gods (Cybele to the Greeks), said to have been carved by Broteas, but in fact Hittite. Relief of Suppiluliuma II, last known king of the Hittite Empire The Hittites were an ancient people who spoke an Indo-European language, and established a kingdom centered at Hattusa (Hittite URU) in north-central Anatolia from the 18th century BC. In the 14th century BC, the Hittite empire was... The Treasure of Atreus tholos in 2004 Beehive tombs, also known as Tholos tombs (plural tholoi), are a style of Mycenaean chamber tomb from the Bronze Age. ... St Francis Xavier converting the Paravas: a 19th-century image of the docile heathen The historical phenomenon of Christianization, the conversion of individuals to Christianity or the conversion of entire peoples at once, also includes the practice of converting pagan practices, pagan religious imagery, pagan sites and the pagan calendar... Great Mother of the Gods, the ancient Oriental-Greek-Roman deity commonly known as Cybele in Greek and Latin literature from the time of Pindar. ... Cybele with her attributes. ... In Greek mythology, Broteas was the ugly son of Tantalus, whose other offspring were Niobe and Pelops. ...

Story of Tantalus

Tantalus is known for having been welcomed to Zeus' table in Olympus, like Ixion. There he too misbehaved, stole ambrosia, brought it back to his people,^[6] and revealed the secrets of the gods^[7]. Mount Olympus (Greek: ; also transliterated as Mount Ólympos, and on modern maps, Óros Ólimbos) is the highest mountain in Greece at 2,919 meters high (9,576 feet)[1]. Since its base is located at sea level, it is one of the highest mountains in Europe, in real absolute altitude... This article is about the Greek myth. ... In ancient Greek mythology, Ambrosia (Greek ) is sometimes the food, sometimes the drink, of the gods, often depicted as conferring immortality on whoever consumes it. ...

Tantalus offered up his son, Pelops, as a sacrifice to the gods. He cut Pelops up, boiled him, and served him up as food for the gods. In Greek mythology, Pelops (Greek Πέλοψ, from pelios: dark; and ops: face, eye) was venerated at Olympia, where his cult developed into the founding myth of the Olympic Games, the most important expression of unity, not only for the Peloponnesus, land of Pelops, but for all Hellenes. ... In Greek mythology, Pelops (Greek Πέλοψ, from pelios: dark; and ops: face, eye) was venerated at Olympia, where his cult developed into the founding myth of the Olympic Games, the most important expression of unity, not only for the Peloponnesus, land of Pelops, but for all Hellenes. ...

The gods were said to be aware of his plan for their feast, so they didn't touch the offering; only Demeter, distraught by the loss of her daughter, Persephone, "did not realize what it was" and ate part of the boy's shoulder. Fate, ordered by Zeus, brought the boy to life again (she collected the parts of the body and boiled them in a sacred cauldron), rebuilding his shoulder with one wrought of ivory made by Hephaestos and presented by Demeter. Ceres (Demeter), allegory of August: detail of a fresco by Cosimo Tura, Palazzo Schifanoia, Ferrara, 1469-70. ... Proserpine by Dante Gabriel Rossetti, 1874) (Tate Gallery, London In Greek mythology, Persephone (Greek Περσεφόνη, Persephónē) was the Queen of the Underworld of epic literature. ... Hephaestus, Greek god of forging, riding an ass; Greek drinking cup (skyphos) made in the 5th century B.C. Hephaestus (World Book «hih FEHS tuhs») (Greek: Ἡφαιστος Hêphaistos) is the Greek god whose approximate Roman equivalent is Vulcan; he is the god of blacksmiths, craftsmen, artisans, sculptors, metals and metallurgy...

The revived Pelops was kidnapped by Poseidon and taken to Olympus to be the god's eromenos. Later, Zeus threw Pelops out of Olympus due to his anger at Tantalus. In Greek mythology, Pelops (Greek Πέλοψ, from pelios: dark; and ops: face, eye) was venerated at Olympia, where his cult developed into the founding myth of the Olympic Games, the most important expression of unity, not only for the Peloponnesus, land of Pelops, but for all Hellenes. ... Neptune reigns in the city of Bristol. ... In the pederastic tradition of Classical Athens, the eromenos (Greek ἐρόμενος, pl. ... In Greek mythology, Pelops (Greek Πέλοψ, from pelios: dark; and ops: face, eye) was venerated at Olympia, where his cult developed into the founding myth of the Olympic Games, the most important expression of unity, not only for the Peloponnesus, land of Pelops, but for all Hellenes. ...

The Greeks of classical times claimed to be horrified by Tantalus' doings; cannibalism, human sacrifice and parricide were atrocities and taboo. Tantalus was the founder of the cursed House of Atreus in which variations on these atrocities continued. Misfortunes also occurred as a result of these acts, making the house the subject of many Greek Tragedies. This article is about consuming ones own species. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Patricide. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Atreus. ... Tragedy is one of the oldest forms of drama. ...

Tantalus' grave-sanctuary stood on Sipylus ^[8]. But hero's honours were paid him at Argos, where local tradition claimed to possess his bones.^[9] On Lesbos there was another hero-shrine in the little settlement of Polion and a mountain named for Tantalos^[10] Coordinates 37°37′ N 22°43′ E Country Greece Periphery Peloponnese Prefecture Argolis Province Argos Population 29,505 Area 5. ... Lesbos may refer to: Lesbos Island, a large Greek island in the Aegean Sea Lesbos Prefecture, the Greek prefecture that contains the island Slang word for Lesbians. ...

Tantalus' punishment, now proverbial for temptation without satisfaction, was to stand in a pool of water beneath a fruit tree with low branches. Whenever he reached for the fruit, the branches raised his intended meal from his grasp. Whenever he bent down to get a drink, the water receded before he could get any. Over his head towers a threatening stone, like that of Sisyphus.^[11] It is from this story that the word tantalizing comes.^[12] Sisyphus by Titian, 1549 In Greek mythology, Sisyphus (Σίσυφος) (IPA: ) was a king punished in the underworld by being set to roll a huge boulder up a hill throughout eternity. ...

In a different story, Tantalus was blamed for indirectly having stolen the dog made of gold created by Hephaestus (god of metals and smithing) for Rhea to watch over infant Zeus. Tantalus' friend Pandareus stole the dog and gave it to Tantalus for safekeeping. When asked later by Pandareus to return the dog, Tantalus denied that he had the dog, saying he "had neither seen nor heard of a golden dog." According to Robert Graves, this incident is why an enormous stone hangs over Tantalus' head. Others state that it was Tantalus who stole the dog, and gave it to Pandareus for safekeeping. Hephaestus, Greek god of forging, riding a Donkey; Greek drinking cup (skyphos) made in the 5th century BC Hephaestus (IPA pronunciation: or ; Greek Hêphaistos) was the Greek god whose Roman equivalent was Vulcan; he was the god of technology including, specifically blacksmiths, craftsmen, artisans, sculptors, metals and metallurgy, and... In Greek mythology, Pandareus was the son of Clymene and Merops. ...

There is a similarity between the names Tantalus and Hantili, the latter a name of two Hittite kings. Thus, there may be a loose historical connection between the mythical Tantalus and the Bronze Age Hittite kings, who likewise ruled over Asia Minor. Hantili I was a king of the Hittites (Old Kingdom), ruling for 30 years, approximately 1590–1560 BC. External links Reign of Hantili I Categories: | ... Relief of Suppiluliuma II, last known king of the Hittite Empire The Hittites were an ancient people who spoke an Indo-European language, and established a kingdom centered at Hattusa (Hittite URU) in north-central Anatolia from the 18th century BC. In the 14th century BC, the Hittite empire was... The Bronze Age is a period in a civilizations development when the most advanced metalworking has developed the techniques of smelting copper from natural outcroppings and alloys it to cast bronze. ...

In Robert Graves' historical novel, "Hercules, My Shipmate," Graves appears to claim that Tantalus was a member of an invading Greek tribe (after the Peloponnesians?) who was condemned to his torment in Tartarus for refusing to reject his partriarchal deities in favor of the local version of Ashtoreth.

Interpretations of the Tantalus figure

The tale of Tantalus reaffirms that human sacrifice and parricide are taboo in Ancient and Classical Greek culture. This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Patricide. ... This article is about cultural prohibitions in general, for other uses, see Taboo (disambiguation). ...

Human sacrifice may have been offered in earlier times, especially to Demeter. ^{[citation needed]}

Alternatively, Tantalus can be seen as a Promethean figure who divulges divine secrets to mortals. He presides over sacred initiations consisting of mystic death and transfiguration. His dismemberment of Pelops and Pelops' resurrection can be seen as an archetypal shamanic initiation. ^{[citation needed]} In Greek mythology, Prometheus (Greek: forethought) is the Titan chiefly honored for stealing fire from Zeus in the stalk of a fennel plant and giving it to mortals for their use. ... In Greek mythology, Pelops (Greek Πέλοψ, from pelios: dark; and ops: face, eye) was venerated at Olympia, where his cult developed into the founding myth of the Olympic Games, the most important expression of unity, not only for the Peloponnesus, land of Pelops, but for all Hellenes. ...

Other characters with the same name

There are two other characters named Tantalus in Greek mythology, both minor figures and both descendants of the above Tantalus. Broteas is said to have had a son named Tantalus, who ruled over the city of Pisa in the Peloponnesus. This Tantalus was the first husband of Clytemnestra. He was slain by Agamemnon, King of Mycenae, who made Clytemnestra his wife. The third Tantalus was a son of Thyestes, who was murdered by his uncle Atreus, and fed to his unsuspecting father, Thyestes. Pisa, or Pisatis, was the name of an ancient Greek town in Elis. ... Peloponnesos (Greek: Πελοπόννησος, sometime Latinized as Peloponnesus or Anglicized as The Peloponnese) is a large peninsula in Greece, forming the part of the country south of the Isthmus of Corinth. ... After the murder (1882 painting) Clytemnestra (or Clytaemestra) ‘‘(Eng. ... The so-called Mask of Agamemnon. Discovered by Heinrich Schliemann in 1876 at Mycenae. ... A clay tablet with writing in Linear B from Mycenae. ... In Greek mythology, Thyestes was the son of Pelops, King of Mycenae, and Hippodamia and father of Pelopia and Aegisthus. ... In Greek mythology, King Atreus (Greek: Ατρεύς, Atreús) (fearless) of Mycenae was the son of Pelops and Hippodamia and father of Agamemnon and Menelaus. ... In Greek mythology, Thyestes was the son of Pelops, King of Mycenae, and Hippodamia and father of Pelopia and Aegisthus. ...

see main article: Tantalus son of Broteas Tantalus, not to be confused with his more famous grandfather and namesake (Tantalus), who was also called Atys, was the son of Broteas . ...

Related terms

The name "Tantalus" is the origin of the English word "tantalize". The idea is being that when a person tantalizes someone else, that person is making them like Tantalus: there is something desirable that is always just out of that person's reach.

A Tantalus, by an obvious analogy, is also the term for a type of drinks decanter stand in which the bottle stoppers are firmly clamped down by a locked metal bar, as a means of preventing servants from stealing the master's liquor. The decanters themselves, however, remain clearly visible.

The chemical element tantalum (symbol Ta, atomic number 73) is named for the mythological Tantalus. General Name, Symbol, Number tantalum, Ta, 73 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 5, 6, d Appearance gray blue Standard atomic weight 180. ...

Later references

In the Star Trek original series episode "Mirror, Mirror" the mirror universe version of Captain Kirk has a secret device in his cabin that enables the monitoring and elimination of enemies called the "Tantalus Field." In the Star Trek television series, the Mirror Universe is an alternate reality. ... Captain James T. Kirk James Tiberius Kirk, a fictional character in the Star Trek television series, was the captain of the starship Enterprise (NCC-1701 and NCC-1701-A). ...

A Stargate: SG-1 episode bears the name "The Torment of Tantalus". In this episode, character Daniel Jackson is presented with something that could very well be the key to understanding the Meaning Of Life. But the enormity of it puts it out of reach, thus tantalising Dr. Jackson. The Torment of Tantalus is an episode from Season 1 of the science fiction television series Stargate SG-1. ...

The Sony PlayStation game Final Fantasy IX involves a theatre troupe known as "Tantalus," which shares the original thieving concept with Tantalus' story. The original PlayStation was produced in a light grey colour; the more recent PSOne redesign sports a smaller more rounded case. ... Final Fantasy IX ) is a console role-playing game developed and published by Square (now Square Enix), and the ninth installment in the Final Fantasy video game series. ...

Jason Robert Brown's revue Songs for a New World contains a song called "The River Won't Flow" about a man striking out on his own and playing by his own rules to look for riches, but finding that when he reaches for a river that is "greener than green" the river runs dry. He also says "it's not about God and the master plan." He could potentially be interpreted as a Tantalus figure, albeit a very attractive and sympathetic one. Jason Robert Brown (born 1970 in Ossining, New York) is an American musical theater composer and lyricist. ... Songs for a New World is a work of musical theater written and composed by Jason Robert Brown. ...

In Gregor and the Curse of the Warmbloods, the main characters visit the "Arch of Tantalus," and Gregor is told a shortened version of the story. Gregor and the Curse of the Warmbloods is the third book in the Underland Chronicles by Suzanne Collins. ...

In the XBOX 360 Video Game Test Drive Unlimited there is a particularly difficult track available called 'Tantalus'. The Xbox 360 is the successor to Microsofts Xbox video game console, developed in cooperation with IBM, ATI, Samsung and SiS. Information on the console first came through viral marketing campaigns and it was officially unveiled on MTV on May 12, 2005, with detailed launch and game information divulged... Test Drive Unlimited is an arcade-style racing game that features over 125 licensed sports cars and motorcycles and a terrain modeled after the Hawaiian island of Oahu that features some 1000 miles of roads and highways. ...

In the comic book series The Sandman, in the collection Fables and Reflections, Tantalus is briefly seen in a pool of water with grapes hanging overhead. The Sandman is a comic book series written by Neil Gaiman. ... Fables and Reflections (1993) is the sixth collection of issues in the DC Comics series, The Sandman. ...

Notes

A statue of Euripides. ... Scholium (tr~bXtoe), the name given to a grammatical, critical and explanatory note, extracted from existing commentaries and inserted on the margin of the manuscript of an ancient author. ... Ä°zmir, historically Smyrna, is the third most populous city of Turkey and the countrys largest port after Ä°stanbul. ... Pindar (or Pindarus) (probably born 522 BC in Cynoscephalae, a village in Boeotia; died 443 BC in Argos), was perhaps the greatest of the nine lyric poets of ancient Greece. ... Stephanus Byzantinus (Stephanus of Byzantium, fl. ... Polygnotus was a Greek painter in the middle of the 5th century BC, son of Aglaophon. ... Pausanias (Greek: ) was a Greek traveller and geographer of the 2nd century A.D., who lived in the times of Hadrian, Antoninus Pius and Marcus Aurelius. ...

Sources and references

• Homer, Odyssey XI, 582-92
• Apollodorus, Bibliotheke III, v, 6
• Apollodorus, Epitome II,1-3
• Ovid, Metamorphoses IV, 458-9; VI, 172- 76 & 403-11.
• Robert Graves, The Greek Myths 1960, 1992. section 108, etc.
• Karl Kerenyi, 1959. The Heroes of the Greeks pp 57-61 et passim
• Encyclopaedia Britannica 1911: "Tantalus"

Homer (Greek: ) is the name given to the supposed unitary author of the early Greek poems the Iliad and the Odyssey. ... Beginning of the Odyssey The Odyssey (Greek Οδύσσεια (Odússeia) ) is one of the two major ancient Greek epic poems attributed to the Ionian poet Homer. ... Apollodorus was a common name in ancient Greece. ... The Bibliotheke was renowned as the chief work of Greek historian and scholar. ... An epitome (Greek epitemnein—to cut short) is a summary or miniature form, also used as a synonym for embodiment. ... For other uses, see Ovid (disambiguation) Publius Ovidius Naso (March 20, 43 BC – 17 AD) was a Roman poet known to the English-speaking world as Ovid who wrote on topics of love, abandoned women and mythological transformations. ... // Cover of George Sandyss 1632 edition of Ovids Metamorphosis Englished The Metamorphoses by the Roman poet Ovid is a poem in fifteen books that describes the creation and history of the world in terms according to Greek and Roman points of view. ... Robert von Ranke Graves (24 July 1895 – 7 December 1985) was an English poet, scholar, and novelist. ... One of the founders of modern studies in Greek mythology, Karl (Carl, Károly) Kerényi (January 19, 1897 - April 14, 1973) was born in Hungary but became a citizen of Switzerland in 1943. ...

External links

• The story of Tantalus, fully developed compiled from selected primary sources to highlight the shamanic and promethean aspects of the story. By Pindar's time this view would have been rejected.

Spoken-word myths - audio files