Tantalus, << TAN tuh luhs >>, was a king of Lydia in Greek mythology. He was the son of Zeus and the nymph Pluto. Tantalus was punished because he killed his son Pelops and served him to the gods as food. Later, Pelops was restored to life. In Hades, the land of the dead, Tantalus was forced to stand under threat of a hanging rock and up to his chin in water. When he tried to drink, the water always vanished. Fruit hung above him. When he tried to eat the fruit, the winds whirled the branches out of reach. The word tantalize, which means to tease or torment by keeping something out of reach, is taken from his name.
