What does the expression tantalum flour mean? "Tantalum Torment"

The son of Zeus, the hero Tantalus, was fabulously rich. He lived in the city of Lydia at the foot of Mount Sipila and was considered the favorite of all the Olympian gods. The gods invited him, the only one on earth, to Olympus for their councils and to participate in their feasts. Tantalus listened to their stories and knew many of their secrets. But he was overly ambitious, proud, he was bursting with the desire to tell people how great he was, equal to the gods, feasting with them, knowing their secrets. He became so proud that he began to tell people the secrets of the gods of Olympus. This was unheard of audacity.

Tantalus could live in happiness and contentment until a very old age. He had everything that an earthly man could dream of. And even the gods were his friends. The only thing he didn’t understand was that trust and friendship cannot be exchanged for the satisfaction of selfish desires.

Tantalus often visited Olympus, sat at the same table with the gods. He returned home to good mood. But one day he took with him the food of the gods - ambrosia and nectar. Perhaps no one would have paid attention to this, but Tantalus, overwhelmed by a thirst to boast, began to treat earthly people with the food of the gods!

The gods learned of their favorite's misdeed. Perhaps Zeus would have forgiven him for the crime he committed, since he loved his son very much, but Tantalus did not stop there. Once he received for safekeeping a golden dog that belonged to his father Zeus. She once guarded the newborn Zeus and the wonderful goat Amalthea who fed him. When Zeus grew up and took away the power over the world from Cronus, he left this dog in Crete to guard his sanctuary. This dog was kidnapped by the king of Ephesus, Pandareus, secretly taken out and offered to hide Tantalus with him. Tantalus took the golden dog, although he knew whose it was.

Zeus was immediately informed about this story. He became terribly angry and sent Hermes to his son demanding the return of the golden dog. Tantalus declared that he did not have any dog, and swore that he was telling the truth. With this oath he angered Zeus even more. This was another insult inflicted by Tantalus on the gods. But even after this the Thunderer did not punish him.

It gets worse. Tantalus decided to test the ability of the gods to recognize the essence of things. He invited them to his feast, and prepared human meat as a treat. To do this, he killed his handsome son Pelops. But the gods did not touch the dishes; they immediately comprehended Tantalus’ evil intent. One goddess Demeter, depressed by grief over the loss of her daughter Persephone, did not notice anything and ate a piece of meat, which was the shoulder of young Pelops.

The gods decided to show the villain Tantalus that they had figured out his deception. They ordered to collect all the dishes with the body of Pelops, throw them into the cauldron and put it on the fire. When the water boiled, Hermes revived the boy with his charms. Pelops appeared before the gods as beautiful as before, but without one shoulder. Then Hephaestus made a shoulder for him from Ivory. Since then, all descendants of Pelops have a bright white spot on their right shoulder.

This crime of Tantalus overflowed the patience of the great king of gods and people, Zeus. He cast him into the underworld of Hades. There Tantalus fell into a lake, the water in which reached his chin. Beautiful apples, dates and grapes hung above his head. Tantalus was thirsty, but as soon as he lowered his head to drink, the water immediately disappeared and he found himself standing on dry ground. When he stretched his arms upward to pick the fruits, the blowing wind lifted the branches, and he could not reach them. But even this torment seemed not enough to Zeus; he erected a cliff above Tantalus, which could collapse at any moment and crush him.

So the gods made Tantalus suffer forever from thirst, hunger and fear.

The idiomatic expression “tantalum's torment” or “torment of Tantalus” is one of such phraseological units, the meaning of which is impossible to guess without knowing the history of its origin. The word "torment" makes it clear that we're talking about about torment, but the word “Tantalus” is understandable only to those who are well acquainted with Greek mythology and the name of King Tantalus, who offended the gods and was punished eternal torment.

The myth of Tantalus gives a fairly clear idea of ​​what tantalum flour is. The meaning of the phraseological unit is derived from the entire story of King Tantalus, retold in many sources.

Who was Tantalus

Tantalum flour do not fit in with the happy life of Tantalus. He was the son of Zeus, ruled in Lydia, in the city of Sipylus. The name of the city was given by Mount Sipila, near which this prosperous city was located. The image of Tantalus during his reign is the embodiment of happiness and luck. The city ruled by Tantalus is rich; on Mount Sipile there were inexhaustible gold mines; the fields near the city were fertile; vineyards and orchards brought the richest harvests. There was an abundance in the herds of sheep and bulls, and in the herds of fleet-footed horses. All this abundance was sent to Tantalus by the gods, who loved him so much that they not only descended from Olympus to his domain to feast, but also allowed him to come to Olympus for their feasts.

What did Tantalus do to deserve his torment?

In the palace of his father Zeus, Tantalus felt equal to the gods and became proud of his happiness, for which he was eventually punished by the gods. The phraseology “Tantalum's torment,” the meaning of which is associated with this punishment, goes back to the myth of how Tantalus aroused the wrath of his father Zeus and doomed himself to torment.

Returning from feasts with the gods, Tantalus allowed the gods to take drink (nectar) and food (ambrosia) with him and treated people to this. In addition, being aware of the decisions of the gods regarding the lives of people, he communicated them to mortals. Tantalus was not afraid to divulge the secrets of his father, and once told him that his own life happier life gods. With this arrogance and comparison of himself with the gods, Tantalus for the first time aroused the real anger of Zeus.

The second time Tantalus angered his father with an even greater insult to the gods. He hid a golden dog that King Pandareus stole from Zeus. The gods found out about this and sent Hermes to get Zeus's favorite dog. Tantalus swore a terrible oath that he did not have a golden dog. However, this time Zeus did not punish his beloved son.

The punishment followed the third insult. Tantalus decided to test how omniscient the gods really are, and committed a terrible crime. He chopped his son Pelops into pieces and prepared a dish from him, which he treated to the gods who came down to him. The gods understood Tantalus' plan and were horrified by his crime. No one touched the dish except Demeter. She was deeply saddened by the disappearance of her daughter, Persephone, and ate the boy's shoulder. The gods revived Pelops: he became even more beautiful, but he did not have a shoulder. Then Zeus ordered Hephaestus to make a shoulder for the boy from ivory.

For this crime of Tantalus, the gods doomed him to eternal torment in the kingdom of Hades. They are called “tantalum flour”. Phraseologism becomes clear after getting acquainted with what exactly the gods punished Tantalus with.

Description of the torment of Tantalus in Homer

Tantalum's torment is described in detail in Homer's poem "Odyssey". According to Homer, Tantalus stands forever in a lake, the water of which reaches his chin. Old man Tantalus is very thirsty, but as soon as he bows his head to drink from the water so close to him, the water disappears, recedes from him, and he sees black earth - it is being drained by a deity.

Standing chin-deep in water, Tantalus sees branches bending towards him above him fruit trees, heavy with juicy ripe fruits. Tantalus sees pears, apples, pomegranates, figs and olive berries above him and wants to be satisfied with them. But as soon as he tries to pick one of the fruits and raises his hand to it, the wind throws up the branches, the fruit becomes unattainable.

It is with this punishment that the expression “tantalum torment” is usually associated. The meaning of a phraseological unit is associated with pleasures that seem close, but which can never be achieved.

Description of the torment of Tantalus by Pindar

Pindar describes tantalum torments differently. Zeus punished Tantalus by having a huge stone, like a rock, hanging over him, and he was forced to remain forever terrified that the stone could break off and fall on him at any moment.

The idiom “Tantalum's torment,” the meaning of which is significantly expanded by this version of the myth, can thus be understood as eternal unbearable suffering.

The meaning of the phraseological unit “tantalum flour”

All elements of the myth of Tantalus are symbolic in their own way, but not all of them are usually related to the phraseology “torment of Tantalus.” Most often, when using this expression, it does not mean that someone is specifically punished with torment or that someone is suffering because of their pride.

This phraseological unit is usually used when they want to express the idea that someone is doomed to constantly feel approaching a cherished goal, but not be able to achieve it. Somewhat less commonly, this idiom refers to endless suffering associated with anxiety and impending threat.

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, therefore he was close to the pantheon of deities who lived on sacred mountain Olympus.

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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 viceroy 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 should be true friends even to such a god-born ruler. Pride - terrible sin leading to self-destruction.

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

Tantalus is a mythological character. There is no historical evidence that would confirm that such a person once lived, or that this hero had a real prototype. However, ancient authors tied the myth to specific geographical coordinates: Tantalus was the king of one of the states of Asia Minor. Today, the places where it was located belong to Turkey.

Tantalus lived in those wonderful times when the gods did not hesitate to descend from Olympus, and earthly people could be invited to their abode for gatherings. Tantalus was also a regular in the kingdom of God. He was friends with Zeus and often visited him. The king's knowledge of the plans of the celestials helped him wisely build policies and achieve prosperity for the state.

Friendly gatherings with the gods made Tantalus proud. As to what exactly he did that angered the Olympians, there are different versions:

• After feasts in heaven, the monarch loved to tell stories about what he saw and heard there to his earthly comrades.
• Having become addicted to the delicacies of the gods, the guest stole ambrosia and nectar to put on the festive table at home.
• The arrogant king did not share a guard dog with Zeus. It was intended for the temple, and Tantalus and his mortal comrades stole the dog, and then swore to the gods that they had not seen the animal.
• Wanting to deceive the gods, he invited them to a feast and ordered them to kill and cook his son as a festive meal. When asked by Tantalus what kind of delicacy this was, the Olympians unanimously declared that in front of them was human flesh, they would not eat it, and the child killer would be cast into the underworld. This version repeats the myth of Sisyphus.

As punishment for his pride, the gods sent Tantalus to the underworld, where Hades came up with an original punishment for him. The glutton and drinker were placed in a lake near which trees grew. When Tantalus wanted to drink water, he bowed his head and the water retreated from his face. Trying to satisfy his hunger, he reached out to a tree branch, but the fruits and leaves rose to a great height. This was the torment prepared for him.

The meaning of phraseology

From ancient Greek myths, the image of Tantalus has survived to this day. People forgot why the king was punished, but they were impressed by the situation of a man who could not satisfy his basic needs. At the same time, what can end the monarch’s suffering is at arm’s length, but inaccessible, as if it were on another planet.

Tantalum torment is the name given to suffering from the inability to achieve a goal. This is a permanent condition. At the same time, what you want should be nearby and the path to it should seem simple. A person tries to follow this very in a simple way, but visible success is unattainable, and the goal, as if teasingly, moves away.

Sentences with phraseological units:

• Unable to pull out glass bottle candy wrapper, the cat was experiencing tantalum torment.
• The aspiring musician suffered tantalum torment from the lack of invitations to concerts.
• and in rhyme:

A fat man on a diet, a piece of lard in the display case -

Some call Tantalus the husband of the famous Omphale, but others say that his children are Pelops, Niobe and Broteus - were born either by the daughter of the river god Pactolus, Euryanassa, or by Eurythemis, the daughter of the god of another river - Xanthus.

Myths ancient Greece. Tartarus. Cursed by the gods. Episode 10

Before anyone had time to find out about this crime, he committed an even more terrible one. Having invited the Olympian gods to a feast, Tantalus discovered that there was not enough food in his pantries for everyone. Either in order to test how omniscient Zeus was, or in order to feed the celestials to their heart's content, he cut his son Pelops into pieces and offered his meat to the gods under the guise of a wonderful dish. All the gods immediately realized what dish they were being treated to and turned away in horror. Only the goddess Demeter, full of grief over her daughter Persephone, who was kidnapped by the gloomy Hades and not noticing anything around, ate the shoulder of young Pelops.

For these two crimes of Tantalus, his kingdom was destroyed, and he himself was cast by Zeus into the underground kingdom of the dead and condemned to eternal torment, like other great sinners - Ixion, Sisyphus , Tityus, Danaids and others. Since then, Tantalum has stood in clear water, forever tormented by thirst and hunger. The waves of the lake splash at his waist, sometimes even reaching his chin, but as soon as he bends down to quench his thirst, the water disappears without a trace. Even if he manages to scoop up a handful, the moisture runs between his fingers, and he only wets his chapped lips, which only intensifies his thirst. Beautiful fruits hang over Tantalus's head - plump apples, sweet dates, ripe olives and pomegranates, but as soon as he reaches out to these delicacies, the wind blows, the branches bend and the fruit becomes out of reach.

That's what it is tantalum flour. In addition, a huge stone - a cliff from Mount Sipylus - hangs over the tree and constantly threatens to crush Tantalus's head. So he was punished for the third crime - theft aggravated by perjury. This is how Tantalus accomplished it. When Zeus was still a child in Crete and was nursed by the goat Amalthea, Hephaestus made for Zeus’s mother, Rhea, a golden dog that was supposed to guard the child. But the Lydian Pandareus decided to steal the dog and give it to Tantalus, so that he would hide it on Mount Sipylus. When the noise about the theft subsided, Pandareus demanded that Tantalus return the dog, but Tantalus began to swear by Zeus that in his life he not only had not seen the golden dog, but had also never heard anything about it.

Zeus heard this oath and ordered Hermes to investigate the matter. Tantalus continued to swear, denying everything. However, Hermes discovered the dog by force or cunning, and Zeus threw Tantalus under one of the cliffs of Mount Sipylus. Pandareus and his wife Harmothea fled to Athens, and then to Sicily, where they ended their lives ingloriously.

Others claim that Tantalus himself stole the golden dog and entrusted it to guard Pandareus. For a false oath that he had never seen the golden dog, the enraged gods killed Pandareus and his wife or turned them into stone.

Having punished Tantalus, Zeus revived the unfortunate Pelops, for which he ordered Hermes to collect all the members of his severed body and boil them again in the same cauldron. After this, Zeus cast a spell over the cauldron, and Moira Clotho returned Pelops’ body to its previous appearance. Demeter gave him a strong ivory shovel instead of the one she had gnawed, Rhea breathed life into him, and the goat-footed Pan began to dance around him with joy.

Pelops emerged from the magic cauldron so beautiful that Poseidon took him with him to Olympus in a chariot drawn by golden horses. There he appointed Pelops as his cupbearer and bedmaster and began to feed him ambrosia. Pelops later became famous for his equestrian competition with King Oenomaus. After the death of Pelops, his ivory shoulder blade was kept in the city of Pisa.