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Tantalus

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Fictional Character

The Resume

    King of Sipylus (Lydian mountain region)
    Condemned to standing in a body of water tied to a tree upon which luxurious fruits grew and a crag hung over him (Homer’s Odyssey, Book 11, Hades)
    Namesake for verb ‘tantalize’ (to torment with temptation; in his case, eternal famine and thirst)
    Son of Zeus (or Tmolus) and Plouto the nymph; husband of Dione (or Taygete); father of Broteas, Pelops, and Niobe
    Ruler of the city of Tantalis (eventually Aegean Turkey)
    Namesake for the tantalum chemical element (Ta, atomic number 73) and the Tantalus decanter cabinet

Why he might be annoying:

    Invited by Zeus to dine with the gods on Olympus, he quietly smuggled their ambrosia and nectar for his mortal friends on Earth!
    Among his other heinous acts was keeping his father’s golden dog in hiding for a known thief.
    He attempted to trick the gods into eating human flesh — specifically that of his cooked and chopped-up son Pelops (which only one actually ate).
    He was not one to keep secrets — except toward his own subjects.
    Two minor figures in Greek mythology, from the same family tree, were named after him — one of whom suffered the same fate as Pelops!
    Though he had only three children, they would combine to breed at least two dozen kids of their own.

Why he might not be annoying:

    He held his offering to the gods at his own house.
    He actually suffered his infamous punishment after his death, when Zeus had him crushed with a Sisyphus-like crag of his mount and his kingdom destroyed.
    In taking the nectar and ambrosia, he sought to make immortals out of his friends.
    The lake in Mount Yamanlar, Izmir, Turkey, known as Karagol (or ‘the black lake’), was named in his honor for being associated with the accounts surrounding him.
    Though he had his entire kingdom wrapped around his finger, he proved to be a truly irredeemable and thoroughly shamelessly evil character.
    In fairness to him, he was born relatively wealthy and had little clue about what he had going for him.

Credit: Cool It All Right?


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 4 Votes: 75.00% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 3 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 13 Votes: 61.54% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 5 Votes: 60.0% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 3 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 10 Votes: 50.0% Annoying