After he came back to life, his shoulder, which Demeter had bitten, was patched up with a piece of ivory.Īlthough his crime varied, his brutal punishment was always the same-Tantalus was doomed to stand up to his neck in water but could never reach it to take a sip, and could never take a bite from the luscious fruits that surrounded him in the underworld.Įternally thirsty and hungry but just inches away from food and water, Tantalus has since become one of the most iconic figures of Greek mythology.What happened to Cadmus and his wife Harmonia and, what did the show? Turned into serpents to show suffering isn't not a punishment for wrong doings What wrongs did Oedipus commit? Killed his father Laius and married his mother Jocasta Did Oedipus commit this crime knowingly? No What punishment Oedipus inflict upon himself? Blinded himself Why was Antigone killed? For burring her brother For what was Cecrops noted? Responsible for Athena becoming the protector of Athens How did Philomela let Procne know of Tereus's evil deeds? By illustrating what happened in a tapestry What happened to Procne and Philomela? Were turned into birds: Procne-nightingale and Philomela-swallow How did Cephalus test Procris's devotion to him? Disguised himself and tried to get Procris to fall for him How were Creusa and Ion reunited? She and her husband came to Delphi to ask if they'll have a son and Apollo gave them Ion What evil deed did Atreus committed? Killed Thyestes's children and fed them to him What evil deed did Thyestes committed? Slept with Atreus's wife Son of Apollo and Creusa Ion Raped by Apollo and had Ion Creusa Accused of treason Creon Who cut out his sister-in-law's, Philomela, tongue? Tereus Blind prophet Teiresias Feet were bond as an infant and left on a mountain Oedipus Waged war against Thebes Athens Theme of Oedipus You cannot escape your destiny.

With eternal hunger, thirst and fear, the gods had punished Tantalus for his countless sins. There was another punishment for him: over his head hung a rock that barely balanced without falling on Tantalus. Zeus was disturbed by Tantalus’s horrifying act, and appealed to Clotho, one of the Fates, to revive the king’s son. In this way, Tantalus suffered endless thirst and hunger despite the abundance of food and water. All of the gods, apart from Demeter, who has distraught at the abduction of her daughter, Persephone, by Hades, immediately realized that it was human flesh on the plates before them.ĭemeter, distracted by her grief, was the only one who took a bite of the food, which happened to be Pelops’ shoulder.

After killing his son, he cut him into pieces and tried to serve him to the gods.

Consequences by Tantalus