 And so Tantalus was one of the many sons of Zeus, and when he upset his father in one particular instance, he took it too far and was sentenced to a special prison where he was made to stand in a pool of water beneath a fruit tree. Whenever he would hunger and reach up for the fruit, the branches would rise, and whatever he would thirst and kneel to drink, the waters would recede. This is where we get today's word, tantalizing.