Tantalus
Forever almost reaching
Tantalus is a figure from Greek mythology, a king punished in the underworld by being made to stand in a pool of water beneath fruit trees.
Whenever he reached for fruit, the branches withdrew; whenever he bent to drink, the water receded.
His eternal frustration gave us the verb tantalize. (Lowercase tantalus is a locked liquor cabinet.)
Condemned eternal boulder roller
- PrometheusFire-stealing benefactor of mortals
- NiobeGrieving queen, now stone
- ZeusGreek sky god
- HadesGreek afterlife realm
Hermes · Persephone · underworld · Tartarus · punishment · eternal · torment · curse
Severe prolonged suffering
- frustrationDispleasure from blocked efforts
- unattainableImpossible to acquire
- unreachableCannot be accessed
- agonyExtreme physical or emotional pain
suffering · eternal · receding · hunger · thirst · desperation · longing · desire
Sisyphus
Condemned eternal boulder roller
- PrometheusFire-stealing benefactor of mortals
- NiobeGrieving queen, now stone
- ZeusGreek sky god
Hades · Hermes · Persephone · underworld · Tartarus · punishment · eternal · torment · curse · nectar
torment
Severe prolonged suffering
- frustrationDispleasure from blocked efforts
- unattainableImpossible to acquire
- unreachableCannot be accessed
agony · suffering · eternal · receding · hunger · thirst · desperation · longing · desire · craving
asteroid
Sun-orbiting rocky mass
TantalusEpicurus
Athenian pleasure-seeking sage
hedonist · satiation · fulfillment · satisfaction · gratification