| Tantalus. There were two favorite treats of the gods, nectar and ambrosia. According to one version of his myth, Tantalus was condemned to eternal punishment in the afterlife for stealing ambrosia from the gods. Scene from Wrath of the Gods. |
| nectar (NEK-tur). Beverage of the gods, which conferred immortality on any mortal lucky enough to partake of it. In this regard, nectar was like ambrosia, the divine food. The theft of either was a serious offense. Tantalus was condemned to an eternity of hunger and thirst, with water and fruit always just out of reach, for a crime which may well have involved stealing ambrosia from the gods. |