Mythology Blogz- Greek: Blessed by Koalemos- Tantalus

If you ask me a person in Greek Mythology who was just too stupid, the first name that would have come to my mind was Tantalus. He was a mortal, extremely arrogant and foolish, in my opinion. Zeus (yes it all starts and ends with Zeus *ugh*) was his father and Pluto his mother. Since this king of Sipylus was the first generation of mortals, he was given the privilege of dining with the gods. He boasted this privilege and gave the other mortals fake tales of the Gods cooking up plans against humanity. honestly, I feel like gods are deaf and dumb at the same time. They couldn’t hear what he told, or if they did they couldn’t speak against him. And yes, we are not even going to talk about gods being good judges.

Tantalus was also made infamous for taking nectar and ambrosia and distributing it among mortals. Can you already feel his foolishness coming? Well, let me come to the most foolish and foulest of his tales.

He proudly invited the gods to have a meal with him. The gods, being amazingly blind, agreed. For the meal, Tantalus served them steak. But guess what was in the steak. Well, his son of course. What else could be a perfect meal rather than the host killing his own son, dicing and making a meal out of Pelops, his son, and serving it to the gods?

At the same time Demeter, being extremely distraught, was searching for her lost daughter Persephone. She agreed she will taste the meal without being physically present there. The Olympians who were present there, immediately realized something was wrong, FINALLY, and found out what had happened. Tantalus had thought they wouldn’t for some unknown reason. And that brings us to the title of this blog. Tantalus being blessed by Koalemos, the god of stupidity.

Not in the myths but according to me. Demeter tasted the steak without realizing the composition of it, eating Pelops’ shoulder. Tantalus got the punishment he had deserved since he was born. Limos reigned in him as he was suspended in a pool in the Underworld without being able to drink its water or reach the apple tree right above him. Pelops was “reassembled” and Hephaestus designed a shoulder for him.

Punishment a bit harsh? Lets not forget about Sisyphus and Ixion. Did he deserve it? ABSOLUTELY. He made Demeter, the goddess of the plants, an actual cannibal! He assassinated his son just to make steak.

“I also saw the awful agonies that Tantalus has to bear. The old man was standing in a pool of water which nearly reached his chin, and his thirst drove him to unceasing efforts; but he could never reach the water to drink it. For whenever he stooped in his eagerness to drink, it disappeared. The pool was swallowed up, and all there was at his feet was the dark earth, which some mysterious power had drained dry. Trees spread their foliage high over the pool and dangled fruits above his head – pear-trees and pomegranates, apple-trees with their glossy burden, sweet figs and luxuriant olives. But whenever the old man made to grasp them in his hands, the wind would toss them up towards the shadowy clouds. ” -Odysseus.