Tantalum and Sisyphus / Myth. Short summary

5 seconds

Tantalus and Sisyphus are prisoners of Hades, punished by the gods. King Tantalus is in the throes of hunger and thirst, but he cannot satisfy them. Sisyphus, on the other hand, is forced to roll a huge stone up a mountain day after day.

1 minute

For a long time the Olympian gods favored their favorite, Tantalus. But the king became proud of this patronage. He began to tell his neighbors the secrets of the gods he found out at their gatherings. And once he insulted the Olympians by stealing their food, the divine nectar and ambrosia.

Zeus cast the king into the underworld for his evil deeds. The thunderer commanded the trees not to give their ripe fruit to the ruler. And the river was commanded not to give him any water. Day after day, Tantalus was tormented by hunger and thirst, but he could not satisfy them.

Sisyphus, ruler of Corinth, was punished for imprisoning Thanatos, the god of death. At this time, people stopped dying in the world, and the ruler of the afterlife was left without his sacrifices. Angered at Sisyphus, Hades banished him to Tartarus. In this dark abyss the former king was forced to roll an enormous stone uphill. Every step from the top the boulder came crashing down with a roar, and Sisyphus had to pick it up again.