The Myth of Tantalus

Tantalus' Punishment in Hades

The oldest surviving reference to Tantalus is the Odyssey. Odysseus sees him there when he journeys to Hades, standing in a pool of water up to his chin beneath a fruit tree with low branches. Whenever Tantalus reached for the fruit, the wind blew the branches out of his reach; whenever he tried to drink, the water receded before he could reach it. However, the crime for which this is the punishment is not mentioned.