23. A Spoiled Brat Who Abused the Gods’ Hospitality and Goodwill
Tantalus comes across as a spoiled brat who often got away with stuff because of who his father was, until he eventually went too far. Among the sins that ticked off the gods, he stole ambrosia and nectar, the food of the gods, and gave it to mortals. He also liked to blab and revealed to mortals secrets he had learned at the table of the gods. However, what offended the divine pantheon the most was when Tantalus killed his own son, Pelops, and served him to the gods at a banquet in order to test their powers of observation.
The gods realized what Tantalus had offered them and refused to touch it, with the exception of the goddess Demeter. She was distracted by the death of her daughter, Persephone, and absent-mindedly ate part of Pelops’ shoulder. Zeus gathered the rest of the boy’s body parts, got the god Hephaestus to make him a bronze shoulder, put them all together and restored Tantalus’ son to life. Zeus then turned on Tantalus, and as seen below, subjected him to the vengeance of the gods.
