Philologist, candidate philological sciences, poet, member of the Russian Writers' Union.
Publication date:05/06/2019

Tantalus, the hero of ancient Greek myths, might have been forgotten long ago if not for the memory of his torment, which gave birth to a phraseological unit incomprehensible to the uninitiated.

What kind of torment was this, and why did he deserve it?

We will try to give answers, and at the same time find out what the expression means "Tantalum Torments".

The meaning of phraseology

Tantalum torment is a desire that seems feasible, but can never be fulfilled.

This is the inability to fulfill one’s dream, dooming a person to suffering.

Unrequited love sometimes brings such torment. For example, one of the lovers, for some reason, cannot leave the city in which the object of his passion lives.

The refusal has already been received, but from time to time you have to meet on the streets, find out news about your loved one, understand that there will be no place for you in their life.

Like the gift of love, talent is not given to everyone. A middle-aged, mediocre writer comes across a story by a brilliant young man in a magazine and realizes that he will never write like that. He wants to get closer to perfection, but cannot jump above his head.

Usually, not the best human qualities are associated with Tantalum torment: envy, pride, vanity, anger. This is no coincidence, because it was for such vices that the legendary King Tantalus was punished.

Origin of phraseology

Tantalus was the son of Zeus and ruled the Lydian city of Sipylus. The immortals generously rewarded him with all the benefits. The gods were not friends with the young king of Lydia.

They descended from Olympus to visit his palace, and he himself appeared at their feasts.

One day Tantalus broke the prohibitions that separated the world of gods from the world of people.
The hero's first sin was the theft of nectar and ambrosia, which he captured from Olympus for his friends.

The king wanted to feed them heavenly food to show how close he was to the gods. At his father's feasts, Tantalus more than once heard talk about the fate of mortals. Sometimes he warned his acquaintances about what turn fate was preparing for them.

It is unlikely that the Lydian did this out of a desire to help his neighbors. Most likely, he was flattered to consider being a mediator between gods and people, but Zeus forgave his son these weaknesses.

But the second offense aroused the father’s anger. The Thunderer's beloved golden dog was stolen. At the request of King Pandareus, who committed the theft, Tantalus hid the dog in his house, which Hermes, sent to search, found out about. Zeus forgave this too.

But the third crime could not be left unpunished. Tantalus wanted to check whether the gods were omniscient, and invited them to a feast, the main dish of which was his son, whom he himself killed.

The immortals unraveled the terrible secret and did not touch the treat.

Only Demeter, grieving for her beloved daughter Persephone, kidnapped by Hades, absent-mindedly ate a piece of shoulder. The gods resurrected the boy, and the blacksmith Hephaestus made him a new shoulder from ivory.

But his father’s fate was unenviable: Tantalus was sent to the underworld.

There are two surviving accounts of his torment:

1. According to Homer, Tantalus was immersed in an underground lake, the waters of which receded every time he leaned down to drink. Juicy fruits hung on powerful branches above the apostate’s head, but Tantalus could not reach them.
2. The poet Pindar describes a different punishment. King Sipila was placed under a rock hanging over him, which was about to collapse. But the rock did not fall, and it was impossible to leave. Thus he ended his days in eternal anticipation of death.

Synonymous expressions

In our native language, the Greek phraseological unit has synonyms:

• The eye sees, but the tooth numbs.
• The elbow is close, but you won’t bite.

The French poet Villon has a line, the translation of which into Russian became catchphrase: “I’m dying of thirst over the stream.” It well illustrates the meaning of the expression “Tantalum torment.”

No matter how much we would like, achieving the desired goal is not always in our power. Just admit that there is a power that is greater than ourselves, and then the torment of Tantalus will stop tormenting your soul, burning with the flame of painful desires.

Set phraseological expression « tantalum flour» came to us from ancient Greek mythology. Tantalus was the ruler of the Phrygian kingdom (according to one version - Lydian). The king was indecently rich: his barns were bursting with grain, huge herds roamed the fields, his storehouses were full of gold and silver. He was the son of the Greek god Zeus, and therefore was close to the pantheon of deities who lived on the sacred Mount Olympus.

Few of the Greek heroes were allowed to be close to the rulers of Olympus, to participate in their meals, and to be initiated into the secrets of divine providence. The people ruled by the king-god were well-fed, satisfied and loved their ruler.

History of origin

Homer's Odyssey describes this version of the development of Tantalus's fate. He had friendly relations with the gods of Olympus and was known as their favorite. They often invited him to feasts and councils. Tantalus was immensely proud of the fact that he was close to the gods. At some point, the king's frivolity took precedence over his position among the gods, and he dared to defy them, believing that he had the rights given to him at birth. A sort of deputy of the Almighty on Earth.

For a long time, offended Zeus could not figure out what to do with the king of Phrygia. Pride was one of the terrible sins of the Greeks. As punishment, he decided to send the sinner to hell. The ancient Greeks called hell by the word “Tartar”. From here the roots of another Russian phraseological unit can be traced - “to fly to Tartarary”. A little distorted, but nevertheless we are talking about the descent into the underworld, where the ruler of the afterlife, Hades, rules.

The punishments of the gods have always been distinguished by a certain sophistication. Zeus, of course, could not just send Tantalus to hell. For his pride, he came up with a clever punishment - Tantalus stood up to his neck in water. Ripe fruits hung above his head. He suffered greatly from hunger and unbearable thirst. When he tried to drink and opened his mouth, the water dropped below his chin. No matter how much he tried, he could not take a single sip. If Tantalus reached for the fruits, the branches of the trees rose up, and he could not pick them.

The described painful situation, when desires do not fit in with possibilities, although they are extremely close, is actually called “tantalum torment.” The meaning of a phraseological unit is firmly rooted in the Russian language and is often used to characterize the impossibility of achieving what is easily achievable. This situation is often played out in modern film adaptations.

Other versions of the myth

Morality

There are many more myths about Tantalum than are described in the article. They are all structured approximately the same way: there is a crime, and then there is punishment. The punishment is static - Tartarus and eternal torment in the form of hunger and thirst, but the crime itself varies. The moral of all these stories is:

• do not cross the line of what is permitted and you will not receive punishment;
• modesty and virtue must be true friends even to such a god-born ruler. Pride is a terrible sin that leads to self-destruction.

In the Slavic equivalent, there is another stable expression with the same meaning - “close to the elbow, but not to bite”

Tantalum flour
From ancient Greek mythology. Tantalus, the king of Phrygia (sometimes called the king of Lydia), was a favorite of the gods, and they often invited him to their feasts. But King Tantalus became proud of such honors and was punished for it.
As Homer writes in the Odyssey, his punishment was that he would be cast into hell or, according to the poet, into Tartarus (hence Russian expression“fly to hell”), was doomed to eternally experience the pangs of hunger and thirst. At the same time, he stood up to his neck in water, and branches with various fruits hung above him. But as soon as he bends down to the water to drink, it retreats, as soon as he stretches out his hands to the branches - they rise up.
A synonym for suffering due to the inability to achieve what you want, although at first glance it is quite achievable. An analogue of the Russian proverb: “The elbow is close, but you won’t bite.”

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Phraseologism flour of Tantalus meaning

Suffering from the inability to achieve an observed desired goal.

It is not known for certain what crime he committed Tantalum- mythical Phrygian king: ancient legends tell about this in different ways. Some said that Tantalus allegedly made some divine secrets public. Others claimed that he stole nectar and ambrosia from the Olympic table - heavenly food and drink that endowed the gods with immortality.
Finally, there was this rumor: the daring king, who wanted to test how omniscient the celestials were, killed his son and was going to feed him the meat of the gods.
In any case, his crime was discovered, and the retribution was truly terrifying. Tantalum is forever contained in Kingdom of the Dead standing up to his neck in the clear water of the lake. Juicy fruits hang over his head. But as soon as he bends down, the water goes down; raises his hand - the wind throws up the branches. Tortured constant hunger and thirst, the unfortunate Tantalus bites his hands, but all in vain. “” is suffering from the inaccessibility of desired things that seem to be at arm’s length.

Example:

"Oh! If you want to further oppress someone who is oppressed by poverty, send him to England: here, among the objects of wealth, blooming abundance and heaps of scattered guineas, he will recognize the torment of Tantalus!” (N. Karamzin).

(According to Greek mythology, Tantalus, the king of Phrygia, was the favorite of the gods and was often present at their feasts. However, he insulted the gods and was punished by them. Cast down by them to hell, he constantly experienced the pangs of thirst and hunger; as soon as he wanted to quench his thirst with the water surrounding him , she retreated to an inaccessible distance. As soon as he stretched out his hands to the branches with fruits hanging over him, the branches immediately deviated).

The suffering that comes from the fact that you cannot achieve an already visible desired goal.

The expression “Tantalum's torment” preserved the memory of the mythological king of Phrygia Tantalus, whom the gods loved and often invited to their feasts.

One day Tantalus could not resist and stole the food of the gods - nectar and ambrosia.

The angry Gods doomed him to eternal torment. Tantalus had to stand up to his neck in water, surrounded by juicy fruits hanging from the trees.

As soon as the unfortunate person wanted to get drunk or satisfy his hunger, the water left his lips, and the branches with fruits rose up.

If you want to oppress even more someone who is oppressed by poverty, send him to England: here, among the objects of wealth, blooming abundance... he will recognize the torment of Tantalus!

Nikolai Mikhailovich Karamzin. "Letters from a Russian Traveler"

TANTALUM FLOUR

The suffering that comes from the fact that you cannot achieve an already visible desired goal.

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Ambrosia, more precisely ambrosia (“immortality”) - V Ancient Greece, the legendary food of the gods, giving them youth and immortality. It is the divine equivalent of olive oil and fat. It is produced daily by the moon.