Tantalum flour

Tantalum flour
From ancient Greek mythology. Tantalus, king of Phrygia (sometimes poured by the king of Lydia), was a favorite of the gods, and they often invited him to their feasts. But King Tantalus was proud of such honors and was punished for it.
As Homer writes in the Odyssey, his punishment was that, being thrown into hell or, according to the poet, into Tartarus (hence the Russian expression “fly to hell”), he was doomed to eternally experience the pangs of hunger and thirst. At the same time, he stood up to his throat in water, and branches with various fruits hung above him. But as soon as he bends down to the water to drink, it retreats, only stretches out his hands to the branches - they rise up.
A synonym for suffering due to the inability to achieve what you want, although at first glance it is quite achievable. An analogue of the Russian proverb: "The elbow is close, but you won't bite."

Encyclopedic Dictionary of winged words and expressions. - M .: "Lokid-Press"... Vadim Serov. 2003.


Synonyms:

See what "Tantalum flour" is in other dictionaries:

    Ushakov's Explanatory Dictionary

    TANTALUM FLOUR. see flour. Ushakov's explanatory dictionary. D.N. Ushakov. 1935 1940 ... Ushakov's Explanatory Dictionary

    Nus., Number of synonyms: 2 tantalum flour (1) torment (21) ASIS synonym dictionary. V.N. Trishin. 2013 ... Synonym dictionary

    - ... Wikipedia

    tantalum flour- tant scarlet muk, tant scarlet muk ... Russian spelling dictionary

    tantalum flour- see tantals ... Dictionary of many expressions

    Season 1: 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 ... Wikipedia

    Book. Torment caused by the contemplation of the desired goal and the consciousness of the impossibility of achieving it. / i> Goes back to ancient Greek myth. FSRYa, 255; BTS, 1306; Mokienko 1989, 153 154; F 1, 305; BMS 1998, 390 ... A large dictionary of Russian sayings

    - ... Wikipedia

    Sush., Number of synonyms: 1 tantalum flour (2) ASIS synonym dictionary. V.N. Trishin. 2013 ... Synonym dictionary

Books

  • Greek mythology. The Illustrated Encyclopedia, Houtsager Gus. This encyclopedia tells in detail and in an accessible way about the most famous Greek gods, heroes, titans, monsters and other characters of myths. Encyclopedic articles are preceded by ...

Phraseologism of Tantalus flour meaning

Suffering from the inability to achieve the observed desired goal.

It is not known for certain what kind of crime he committed Tantalum- the mythical Phrygian king: ancient legends tell about this in different ways. Some said that Tantalus allegedly made some divine secrets available to the public. Others claimed that he stole nectar and ambrosia from the Olympic table - the heavenly food and drink that endowed the gods with immortality.
Finally, there was such a rumor: the impudent king, who wanted to check how omniscient the inhabitants of heaven were, killed his son and was going to feed him with the meat of the gods.
In any case, his crime was solved, and the retribution was truly terrifying. Tantalum is forever contained in the Kingdom of the Dead, standing up to throat in the clear water of the lake. Juicy fruits hang over his head. But as soon as he bends down, the water goes down; raises his hand - the wind throws up the branches. Tormented by constant hunger and thirst, the unfortunate Tantalus bites his hands, but in vain. "" - this is suffering from the inaccessibility of the desired things, which, it would seem, are at arm's length.

Example:

"Oh! If you want to subvert even more the one who is oppressed by poverty, send him to England: here, among the objects of wealth, blossoming abundance and heaps of guineas scattered, he recognizes the torment of Tantalus! " (N. Karamzin).

(According to Greek mythology, Tantalus - the king of Phrygia, was a favorite of the gods and was often present at their feasts. However, he insulted the gods and was punished by them. Thrown into hell by them, he constantly experienced the pangs of thirst and hunger; as soon as he wanted to quench his thirst with the surrounding water , she retreated to an inaccessible distance. As soon as he stretched out his hands to the branches with fruits hanging over him, the branches immediately deflected).

The idiomatic expression "tantalum flour", or "flour of Tantalus" is one of such phraseological units, the meaning of which cannot be guessed without knowing the history of its origin. The word "torment" makes it clear that we are talking about torture, but the word "tantalus" is understandable only to those who are well acquainted with Greek mythology and with the name of the king Tantalus, who was guilty before the gods and was punished for eternal torment.

The Tantalum myth gives a pretty clear idea of ​​what tantalum flour is. The meaning of the phraseological unit is derived from the entire history of King Tantalus, retold in many sources.

Who was Tantalus

Tantalum flour does not fit in with the happy life of Tantalus. He was the son of Zeus, ruled in Lydia, in the city of Sipil. The name of the city was given by Mount Sipila, near which this prosperous city was located. The image of Tantalus during his reign is the embodiment of happiness and luck. The city ruled by Tantalus is rich; there were inexhaustible gold mines on Mount Sipile; the fields near the city were fertile; vineyards and orchards brought rich harvests. There was a surplus in the herds of sheep and bulls, and in the herds of swift horses. All this abundance was sent to Tantalus by the gods, who loved him so much that they not only descended from Olympus to his domain to feast, but also admitted him to Olympus for their feasts.

How Tantalus deserved his torment

In the palace of his father Zeus, Tantalus felt on an equal footing with the gods and was proud of his happiness, for which he was ultimately punished by the gods. The phraseologism "tantalum flour", the meaning of which is associated with this punishment, goes back to the myth of how Tantalus aroused the wrath of his father Zeus and doomed himself to torment.

Returning from feasts with the gods, Tantalus allowed to take with him a drink (nectar) and food (ambrosia) of the gods and treated people with these. In addition, being aware of the decisions of the gods regarding the lives of people, he communicated them to mortals. Tantalus was not afraid to divulge the secrets of his father, and once told him that his own life is happier than the life of the gods. With this arrogance and comparison of himself with the gods, Tantalus for the first time aroused the real wrath of Zeus.

The second time, Tantalus angered his father with an even greater insult to the gods. He hid a golden dog, which was stolen from Zeus by the king of Pandareas. The gods found out about this and sent Hermes for the beloved dog of Zeus. Tantalus swore a terrible oath that he did not have a golden dog. However, this time Zeus did not punish his beloved son.

The punishment followed the third offense. Tantalus decided to test how the gods really are omniscient, and committed a terrible crime. He hacked his son Pelops into pieces and prepared a dish from him, with which he regaled the gods who came down to him. The gods comprehended the plan of Tantalus and were horrified at his crime. No one touched the dish except Demeter. She was deeply saddened by the disappearance of her daughter, Persephone, and ate the boy's shoulder. The gods revived Pelops: he became even more beautiful, but he did not have a shoulder. Then Zeus ordered Hephaestus to make an ivory shoulder for the boy.

For this crime of Tantalus, the gods doomed him to eternal torment in the kingdom of Hades. They are called "tantalum flour". Phraseologism becomes clear after getting acquainted with what exactly the gods of Tantalus punished.

Description of the torment of Tantalus by Homer

Tantalum flour is described in detail in Homer's poem "The Odyssey". According to Homer, Tantalus always stands in a lake, the water of which reaches his chin. The old man Tantalus has a strong thirst, but as soon as he bows his head to drink water so close to him, the water disappears, recedes from him, and he sees the black earth - the deity drains it.

Standing up to his chin in the water, Tantalus sees branches of fruit trees leaning towards him, heavy with juicy ripe fruits. Tantalus sees pears, apples, pomegranates, figs and berries of olives above him and wants to get enough of them. But as soon as he tries to pick one of the fruits and raises his hand to it, the wind throws up the branches, the fruit becomes unattainable.

It is with this punishment that the expression "tantalum flour" is usually associated. The meaning of phraseological units is associated with pleasures that seem close, but which can never be achieved.

Description of the torment of Tantalus at Pindar

Pindar describes tantalum flour differently. Zeus punished Tantalus by the fact that a huge stone, like a rock, hung over him, and he was forced to be forever terrified that the stone could break off and fall on him at any moment.

The idiom "tantalum torment", the meaning of which is significantly expanded by this version of the myth, can thus be understood as eternal unbearable suffering.

The meaning of the phraseological unit "tantalum flour"

All elements of the myth about Tantalus are symbolic in their own way, however, not all of them are usually related to the phraseological unit of "torment of Tantalus". Most often, when using this expression, it does not mean that someone is punished with torment or that someone is tormented because of their pride.

This phraseological unit is usually used when they want to express the idea that someone is doomed to constantly feel the approach to the cherished goal, but not be able to achieve it. Less commonly, this idiom refers to endless suffering associated with anxiety and impending threat.

Tantalum flour
From ancient Greek mythology. Tantalus, king of Phrygia (sometimes poured by the king of Lydia), was a favorite of the gods, and they often invited him to their feasts. But King Tantalus was proud of such honors and was punished for it.
As Homer writes in the Odyssey, his punishment was that, being thrown into hell or, according to the poet, into Tartarus (hence the Russian expression “fly to hell”), he was doomed to eternally experience the pangs of hunger and thirst. At the same time, he stood up to his throat in water, and branches with various fruits hung above him. But as soon as he bends down to the water to drink, it retreats, only stretches out his hands to the branches - they rise up.
A synonym for suffering due to the inability to achieve what you want, although at first glance it is quite achievable. An analogue of the Russian proverb: "The elbow is close, but you won't bite."

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"Tantalum flour" in books

Undeserved torment

From the book Stone Belt, 1989 the author Karpov Vladimir Alexandrovich

Undeserved torment Avdotya Matveyevna, exhausted by old age and illness, gave her soul to God, begging for some privileges for herself in that new, slightly frightening life. The deal took place far from home, in a city hospital, on a creaky government bed with a shell mesh, in

Muses torment

From the book Superintendents of the Spirit the author Voznesensky Andrey Andreevich

The torment of the muse Talents are born by the Pleiades. Astrophysicists of the Chizhevsky school explain their commonality by the effect of solar activity on biomass, sociologists - by social shifts, philosophers - by spiritual rhythm. It would seem that the poetry of the twenties can be represented in the form

The pangs of love

From the book In Search of Marcel Proust by Maurois Andre

The torment of love What will be the second stage? A priori, it seems that the life together of two beings, united by two misunderstandings, who believe that they saw in each other what was not really there, can only be a painful awakening and failure. We get engaged

1. FLOUR DISTRIBUTION

From the book My Heavenly Life: Memoirs of a Test Pilot the author Menitsky Valery Evgenievich

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Damien flour

From the book of Stories, old and recent the author Arnold Vladimir Igorevich

Damien's torment When Damien stabbed Louis XV with a knife at Versailles, he demanded that the guards keep him alive. Although Damien's legs were broken, so that he lay chained to a special mattress and could not get up until the "execution according to the custom of ancestors", he was completely

Chapter XII Tantalum flour

From the book The Stalinist Course the author Ilyashuk Mikhail Ignatievich

CHAPTER XII Tantalum torments As if making up for the loss of time in the parking lots, the train developed at a breakneck speed. We were thrown and rocked, like on a ship during a storm. Old cars creaked, cracked, rumbled. It seemed that the roof was about to break off and fall on his head. We raced on

6. Sisyphean labor, chalice of Danaids and tantalum flour (existentialism)

From the book Popular Philosophy. Tutorial the author Dmitry Gusev

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§ 40. Sisyphean labor, chalice of Danaids and tantalum flour (existentialism)

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From the book Encyclopedic Dictionary of Winged Words and Expressions the author Serov Vadim Vasilievich

Tantalum flour From ancient Greek mythology. Tantalus, king of Phrygia (sometimes poured by the king of Lydia), was a favorite of the gods, and they often invited him to their feasts. But King Tantalus was proud of such honors and was punished for it. As Homer writes in the Odyssey, his punishment

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The pangs of hell

From the book Foreign Literature of the XX century. Book 2 the author Vladimir Novikov

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A trap for the profane. What is journalistic talent? Misconceptions that often paved the road to a profession. What is heavier - "pangs of words" or "pangs of thought"? Being a journalist means living a special way

From the book Conversations on Journalism (second edition) the author Uchenova Victoria Vasilievna

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From the book The Black Book of Corporations by Werner Klaus

How did the expression "tantalum flour" come about?

From the book The newest book of facts. Volume 2 [Mythology. Religion] the author Kondrashov Anatoly Pavlovich

How did the expression "tantalum flour" come about? In Greek mythology, Tantalus is the son of Zeus and the Titanide Pluto, the king of Lydian Paphlagonia. Tantalus was famous for his wealth, as he was married to the nymph Euryanassa, daughter of the god of the golden river Pactola. Zeus was very good to

3. From this my loins tremble; torment seized me like torment giving birth. I'm thrilled by what I hear; I am confused by what I see. 4. My heart trembles; a shiver hits me; my joyous night turned into horror for me.

From the book Explanatory Bible. Volume 5 the author Lopukhin Alexander

3. From this my loins tremble; torment seized me like torment giving birth. I'm thrilled by what I hear; I am confused by what I see. 4. My heart trembles; a shiver hits me; my joyous night turned into horror for me. I'm excited ... - can be translated like this: "I'm so excited,

Ancient Greek mythology is extremely interesting and instructive. The pantheon of gods worshiped by the ancient Greeks is rich in characters. Legends store information about the relationship of immortals and people, show how those who attracted attention to themselves with good or terrible deeds were rewarded and punished. The children of gods and goddesses led an earthly existence, many of them became heroes of numerous legends.

Interestingly, some expressions have survived to this day - idioms that are associated with a particular myth. The phrases "Achilles' heel" (vulnerable point), "Sisyphean labor" (useless occupation) or "tantalum torment" (intolerable torment) are well known. But not everyone knows the primary sources themselves and do not always understand that each idiom has its own story. The Tantalus myth is instructive. He helps to understand the nature of unseemly human actions, which ultimately lead to harsh but fair punishment.

Legend of Tantalus

There are several myths about tantalum flour, a summary of the most common version will help you understand why the beloved of the gods was punished.

Son of Zeus

According to legend, Tantalus was the son of the supreme deity of Olympus, Zeus the Thunderer and an earthly woman named Pluto. The father took good care of his offspring: he made him the supreme ruler of the richest territory near Mount Sipila (Lydia). The city of the same name was ruled by Tantalus, he was given everything that a person could wish for. Abundant lands provided food, valuable fine-wool sheep and steep-horned bulls grazed on pastures, herds of fast horses frolicked in huge meadows. The bowels of Sipila abounded in jewels, and gold could be scooped up in handfuls directly from the river bed, Pactola flowed through the possessions and was gold-bearing.

But earthly wealth is not the only thing that the son of Zeus was gifted with. The celestials themselves took the mortal for an equal. We went down to his chic, gold-encrusted palace, and feasted there. And sometimes the king was given the opportunity to visit the divine Olympus, where he not only feasted, but also attended important meetings where human destinies were decided.

Such a life can only be envied. Tantalus received great honors, he had everything in abundance, life could become an endless holiday and a source of pleasure. But the proud man, spoiled by divine attention and patronage, imagines himself equal to the deities. He had little attention from above, he still decided to enjoy his superiority over mortals. He began to steal nectar and ragweed from Olympus, treat his friends, disclose secrets heard at meetings, brag about his connections with the inhabitants of heaven.

Zeus was dissatisfied with such behavior, was angry, but forgave the son of his beloved. To show his love even more, he once offered to fulfill any desire. The father was struck by the stupid and proud answer of the offspring, he refused the favors offered, and even with offensive words. So he answered: “I do not need your favors, I am happy without that, and immensely rich. The lot that fell to my lot is better and more beautiful than those that fell to the lot of the immortal gods. " Zeus was offended, offended, but found the strength to forgive a stupid son, once again showed his paternal love.

Only such forgiveness did not go to the benefit. King Sipila was completely forgotten. He began to show disrespect to other inhabitants of Olympus, insult and deceive them. The next offense was unprecedented. He hid the Golden Dog guarding the temple of Zeus on the island of Crete. The dog guarded the once sacred goat Amalthea, who nurtured Zeus himself, and the Thunderer himself in infancy was under the protection of the Golden Dog.

According to one of the versions, Tantalus himself stole it, according to another, he simply hid it at home, and the abductor was Pandareus, the king of Ephesus.

Zeus the Thunderer instantly found out where the Golden Dog was hidden and sent to the son of Hermes with a demand to return the Golden Dog to its owner. But the words of the messenger did not enlighten the proud man. He replied that the gods are wrong, he has no dog. And he swore this terrible oath. Once again, the Thunderer forgave the offense and left the impudent behavior without punishment.

The last crime against the celestials

The last straw that overflowed the cup of patience was the terrible crime of King Sipil. He decided to prove that the gods are not all-seeing, and he chose a terrible way for this. He invited all the celestials to the feast and presented a dish of meat as a treat. The horror was that for his cooking, he stabbed his own son Pelops. The inhabitants of Olympus refused such a treat, they realized what kind of meat was in front of them. Only Demeter, who did not notice anything around because of the disappearance of her daughter Persephone, mechanically ate a piece of the scapula.

The inhabitants of Olympus could not endure such a cruel act and insult. Pelops was immediately revived, and in place of the scapula eaten by Demeter, they put a new one, which Hephaestus immediately made of ivory. The criminal was immediately sent to the kingdom of Hades, where they put him in the river, up to his throat in water, without the ability to budge.

This is the summary of the myth. What was the punishment and why did the expression "tantalum flour" appear? The fact is that the water reaches the chin of the overthrown king. He wants to drink, but as soon as he bends down, the water disappears completely, in its place is only dry earth. And over the very head of the proud man there are fruits. But it is also impossible to get them: it will reach for the branch for the fruit, and it is carried to the side by the wind. So the punished one stands in one place, food and water are nearby, but he can not get either one or the other. And he is tormented by eternal hunger and thirst. And a huge rock hangs over him, ready to collapse on his head at any moment. And fear constantly squeezes the heart, because every moment can be the last.

What the Tantalus myth teaches

After a brief summary of the ancient Greek mythology about Tantalus, it becomes clear that pride, stupidity and ingratitude will sooner or later lead to trouble. King Sipil had everything: the favor of Zeus the Thunderer, the most supreme ruler of Olympus. All immortals accepted the mortal as an equal. In the land of wealth, there was incalculable power and prosperity. But the proud man did not appreciate all this, he decided to go against the will of the gods, to prove that they were not all-seeing, he doubted his power. And he was punished, doomed to eternal torment.