PRISONERS OF TARTARUS IN GREEK MYTHOLOGY
In the earliest Greek myths, Tartarus was considered to be a Protogenoi god, a god who was equated with a region of the cosmos, just as Aether, Gaia and Ouranos were.
Originally Tartarus was found as far below earth as heaven was found above it; a distance in which a bronze anvil could fall in ten days. Later on, Tartarus was more closely associated with a region of the Underworld, a region where punishment was handed out to those who had angered the gods and those who were judged as “sinners”.
Originally Tartarus was found as far below earth as heaven was found above it; a distance in which a bronze anvil could fall in ten days. Later on, Tartarus was more closely associated with a region of the Underworld, a region where punishment was handed out to those who had angered the gods and those who were judged as “sinners”.
The First Prisoners of Tartarus
The earliest prisoners of Tartarus were the Cyclopes and Hecatonchires, the two sets of gigantic sons of Ouranos and Gaia. The three Cyclopes and three Hecatonchires were imprisoned by their father, for Ouranos believed that their strength was a threat to his position as supreme deity.
Ouranos would be eventually overthrown, not by the Cyclopes and Hecatonchires but by his other children, the Titans, and Cronus would take up the mantle of supreme god, but he too was fearful of the Cyclopes and Hecatonchires, and so the giants remained imprisoned in Tartarus. Cronus even added a prison guard for Tartarus in the form of the dragon Campe.
Ouranos would be eventually overthrown, not by the Cyclopes and Hecatonchires but by his other children, the Titans, and Cronus would take up the mantle of supreme god, but he too was fearful of the Cyclopes and Hecatonchires, and so the giants remained imprisoned in Tartarus. Cronus even added a prison guard for Tartarus in the form of the dragon Campe.
The Titans in TartarusThe earliest prisoners of Tartarus were the Cyclopes and Hecatonchires, the two sets of gigantic sons of Ouranos and Gaia.
The three Cyclopes and three Hecatonchires were imprisoned by their father, for Ouranos believed that their strength was a threat to his position as supreme deity. |
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Ouranos would be eventually overthrown, not by the Cyclopes and Hecatonchires but by his other children, the Titans, and Cronus would take up the mantle of supreme god, but he too was fearful of the Cyclopes and Hecatonchires, and so the giants remained imprisoned in Tartarus. Cronus even added a prison guard for Tartarus in the form of the dragon Campe.
More Giants in Tartarus
The Titans were a threat to the rule of Zeus, and were thus imprisoned, and for the same reason, the two gigantic sons of Aloeus, Otus and Ephialtes, also became prisoners of Taratrus, for the Aloadae, attempted to storm Mount Olympus in order that they could take Hera and Artemis for their wives. The twin giants also managed to take Ares as their prisoner.
Otus and Ephialtes were subsequently bound to columns in Tartarus by snakes, at the command of Zeus, and so were perhaps the first prisoners of Tartarus to face some kind of torture.
Otus and Ephialtes were subsequently bound to columns in Tartarus by snakes, at the command of Zeus, and so were perhaps the first prisoners of Tartarus to face some kind of torture.
New Prisoners in Tartarus
The idea of torture, as punishment, being a feature of Tartarus would come later when Tartarus was reimagined as “hell”, the antipathy of the paradise that was Elysium.
New prisoners to Tartarus would face torture at the hands of the Erinyes, the Furies, and it was then that the most famous prisoners of Tartarus were named. Salmoneus – Salmoneus was the king of Elis who saw fit to elevate himself to god status, and thus demand worship, Zeus would strike down the impious king. The punishment of Salmoneus is not entirely clear, but some suggest he was positioned under a precariously hanging rock, always worried about being crushed. Tantalus – King Tantalus would sacrifice his own son Pelops, and then serve up Pelops as a meal for the gods who were dining with him. The slaying of one’s kin was a heinous crime to the Ancient Greeks, and as a result Tantalus would be tantalised in Tartarus, being unable to quite reach the food to sate his hunger, nor water to quench his thirst. Sisyphus – Sisyphus is amongst the most famous of prisoners of Tartarus, for the king of Corinth, having told Zeus’ secrets and then attempting to avoid death, would spend eternity pushing a boulder up a hill, only to see it roll back to the bottom before Sisyphus could complete his task. |
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Ixion – Ixion was the king of the Lapiths who killed his father-in-law, Ixion’s greatest crime was his attempt to sleep with Hera, the wife of Zeus, and for such an indiscretion Ixion would forever be tied to a fiery wheel.
Tityos – Tityos was the gigantic son of Zeus who attempted to rape Leto as she travelled to Delphi. Tityos would be killed by Apollo and Artemis before being sent to Tartarus for punishment, where the giant would suffer two vultures eating upon his rejuvenating liver.
The Danaids – The Danaids were the 50 daughters of Danaus who killed their 50 husbands on their wedding night, and the Danaids were thus said to have been faced with the eternal punishment of filling up a leaking storage vessel, a task which could never be completed.
The presence of the Danaids in Tartarus though, is never fully explained for it was commonly said that the daughters of Danaus were absolved of their crimes shortly after the murder of their husbands.
All these, bar perhaps the Danaids, avoided the three Judges of the Dead, but when Aeneas entered the Underworld with the Cumaean Sibyl, it was suggested that there were many hundreds more individuals being punished in Tartarus after being sent there by the Judges. The crimes of these prisoners of Tartarus were manifold, but crimes against family, crimes of people against their rulers, and the crimes of rulers against their people were all sufficient to result in punishment.
Tityos – Tityos was the gigantic son of Zeus who attempted to rape Leto as she travelled to Delphi. Tityos would be killed by Apollo and Artemis before being sent to Tartarus for punishment, where the giant would suffer two vultures eating upon his rejuvenating liver.
The Danaids – The Danaids were the 50 daughters of Danaus who killed their 50 husbands on their wedding night, and the Danaids were thus said to have been faced with the eternal punishment of filling up a leaking storage vessel, a task which could never be completed.
The presence of the Danaids in Tartarus though, is never fully explained for it was commonly said that the daughters of Danaus were absolved of their crimes shortly after the murder of their husbands.
All these, bar perhaps the Danaids, avoided the three Judges of the Dead, but when Aeneas entered the Underworld with the Cumaean Sibyl, it was suggested that there were many hundreds more individuals being punished in Tartarus after being sent there by the Judges. The crimes of these prisoners of Tartarus were manifold, but crimes against family, crimes of people against their rulers, and the crimes of rulers against their people were all sufficient to result in punishment.
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