GODS AND MEN

EXCERPT

Whoever goes to Olympia today and visits its museum will certainly stand in awe before the statues which once adorned the two pediments of the temple of Zeus. The one which deco­rated the eastern end shows the chariot race between Pelops and Oenomaus, while the western one depicts the battle be­tween the Centaurs and the Lapiths.

If only because they are portrayed in such great works of art, these two myths deserve to be retold.

But before we begin the myth of Oenomaus and Pelops, we must tell the story of the latter’s father, Tantalus.

In Phrygia, in Asia Minor, beneath the sacred mountain Tmolus, where Midas had once been king, Tantalus, son of Zeus by the oceanid Pluto, was now upon the throne.

Tantalus had all that a ruler could wish for. His ploughlands were fertile and gave bountiful crops. His lush meadows were filled with grazing flocks led by curly-horned rams, while riders on proud horses drove great herds of cattle to other pastures. Every day, rich gifts reached the court of Tantalus, the offerings of chiefs who acknowledged his dominion. And besides all this wealth he had the gold washed down from the mountains by the Pactolus, the richest gold-bearing river in the world.

As if all this were not enough, Tantalus enjoyed a closer friendship with the gods than any other man on earth. They would often come from Olympus to eat, drink and make merry with him in his golden palaces, and at other times they would invite him to their symposia on Olympus to drink nectar and ambrosia with the gods.

Zeus was so fond of his son that he would even ask him to attend their councils and join with the Olympians in taking those great decisions which determined the fate of mankind.

But the love shown to him by Zeus and the other gods filled Tantalus with such pride that he began to consider him­self their superior. Little by little, his respect for them di­min­ished. He began to take nectar and ambrosia from Olympus to toast his friends on earth, and he revealed the secrets of the gods to mortal men to show the world what a splendid fellow he was. Zeus warned him that if he wished to keep his friendship with the Olympians he must be more careful, but Tantalus replied in an insolent and haughty tone:

“I shall do whatever I please. I am a mighty ruler in my own right, and accept advice from no one.”

Copyright © by Dimitris Stefanidis. All rights reserved.