In Greek mythology, Tantalus (alternatively named Atys) was a Phrygian ruler, and a man who had the nerves to test if the Greek gods really were omniscient. To test this, he cut up HIS OWN SON - PELOPS - and served his remains as offering food for the gods!!! Almost none of them fell for it, completely aware of what he did. Unfortunately, Demeter was still mourning over the absence of her daughter Persephone (which is another myth for another day), so she took a bite out of the food before realizing she just bit into Pelops' shoulder!

Zeus brought the boy to life again by reassembling him, with Hephaestus making an artificial shoulder out of ivory to replace the one that was chewed by Demeter. As for Tantalus, Hades took him down to the worst area of the Underworld: Tartarus! As punishment for his blasphemy and disregarding his own son, Tantalus is forced to wallow in a pool of water with the branches of a tree above him. Should he reach for the fruit growing on the branches, they stay out of his reach. And should he stoop down to take a sip, the water is drained completely dry. This is a punishment that Tantalus must endure for all eternity!

The metallic element known as tantalum is named for this king, as is the tantalum-containing anion tantalate, and the primary source of the metal: tantalite. In addition, the word "tantalize" also owes its origins to the mythical villain.