The Prequel to the Royal House of Mycenae

Unsurprisingly, the tales of the royal family of Mycenae are overly complicated and filled with gore, rape and incestuous literature. The saga begins with the tale of Tantalus. He was king of Mycenae and blessed to be a friend of Zeus. He was once even blessed to have dinner on Olympus with the gods, however, this went to his head. When he issued a return invitation, he wanted to know how perceptive the gods were and served them the cooked flesh of his firstborn son Pelops. All the gods, bar Demeter. refused the meal. However, she accidentally ate the meat of Pelop’s left shoulder. Tantalus was punished for his hubris by being imprisoned within the Underworld, immortally surrounded by sweet fruits and water, but never being able to consume it. It would be Pelop’s deeds that would curse his own children and grandchildren for generations. They would be subjected to rape, incest, and murder, and each would try and try for revenge.

This image is a depiction of Tantalus’ punishment in Tartarus, the most damning of Hell, where he was forever prevented from drinking the water he could swim in. It would simply recede when his mouth reached for it. The fruit would do the same, rising from his reach when he wished nothing more than to eat. The creator of the painting is entirely unknown.

Findlay, M., 1999. Classical mythology. Auckland, N.Z.: Longman, pp.78 - 81.