The word tried it is easily recognized as a word derived from Latin. A common etymology, in fact, suggests that the word tried derived from latin tentatus, which the same etymology claims to be a variant of temptBoth are said to mean essentially the same thing: “feel, taste, or taste.” Note that tempt obviously it also seems to be the root of the English word temptation. However, it is quite difficult to imagine how the words temptation and tried It could possibly be interpreted as representative or derived from the same basic concept.

Another word that shares the same supposed Latin root as tried it is tentacle. In fact the word tentacle The dictionary states that it is derived from a so-called “diminutive” form of I will tempt. How a “diminutive” form of a verb meaning “to feel” evolved into the name of a limb / organ of a sea creature, a meaning that is much narrower than “small feeling”, is not readily apparent. But the answer seems to lie in the Greek story of Tantalus.

The story told of Tantalus is that he committed a heinous offense that angered the Olympian gods, who then banished him to Tartarus (the Greek equivalent of Christian hell). On Tartarus, Tanatalus was forced to stand in a waist-deep pool of water under low branches that bore fruit. Whenever Tantalus tried to drink the water, the water receded. Similarly, each time he reached for the fruit hanging from the branches above him, the branches would drift away. The result was that Tantalus was forced to endure perpetual hunger and thirst, as the objects of his desire were always out of reach.

A common word in English eventually derived from the name Tantalus: temptress. Temptress is, in fact, a frequently used synonym for tempting. Something that is tempting it is tempting. So after all, it is easy to discover a possible conceptual link between Latin tempt and the english word torment which eventually developed through the famous Tantalus story. However, despite such a link, it still seems unlikely that Latin I will temptgiven its supposed meaning, it could possibly have been derived from torment.

However, it is also possible to discern from the Greek myth two common elements that seem to possibly link the word tentacle (the name used for the appendix of a sea creature and which seems to derive clearly from the Latin I will tempt) a Tantalum: a place of water and an appendix that continually extends to catch food. Therefore, it seems possible that the word tentacle it was maybe once Tantacle and derived from the name Tantalus (or, perhaps, vice versa). After all, there are other facts that seem to link them as well. For example, it was said that Tantalus was the son of an Oceanid and therefore those who told his story understood him as a son of the ocean. And the names of the sons of Tantalus also seem to describe traits commonly associated with octopuses and squid.

Octopus and squid undoubtedly have three well-known traits in common. They are both invertebrates; in fact, due to their lack of bones, octopuses are known for their ability to squeeze into tiny spaces and through astonishingly small openings. Octopuses and squid have easily recognizable tentacles that they use to grab their prey. And they also have an unusual, and quite remarkable, defense mechanism that they employ when threatened: they expel, from a sac inside their bodies, an ink into the water that acts as a kind of smokescreen, helping them and their offspring. to evade predators. .

Interestingly, Tantalus was similarly said to have three sons. They were said to be Dione’s children, and they were called Pelops, Sprouts and Niobe. Niobe, whose name seems to describe the emission of ink, was famous for the tears she shed for her children, who were killed by a rival. Sprouts, whose name rhymes with Proteus, the name of the sea god whose ability to shapeshift was well known, was famous for its ugliness. And Pelops, whose name seems to derive from polyp gold polyp, another name for octopus meaning “many legs” – it is famous because its father cut it into pieces and tried to feed it to the gods (who, like little children fed squid tentacles, refused to eat it).

The Tantalus story could easily be perceived as a morality play on greed. Tantalus, after all, was born to an Oceanid whose name meant “rich.” His last punishment, which appears to be a direct consequence of desire, was that he was never satisfied. And the moral of the story seems, because of those facts, that greedy people are never satisfied and ultimately create their own personal hell.

But the original moral of the story may have been something more subtle and dark, maybe it was originally about a man who wanted to be selective about what he ate (like the gods) but couldn’t do so due to the very real threat of starvation. . And despite (or, perhaps, because of) obvious references to infanticide and cannibalism (which scholars have long been obsessed with and obsessed with), the story looks a lot like a bedtime story that a babysitter might. invent for your spoiled children.

While some have suggested that the name Tantalus belonged to a real person, perhaps a Phrygian or Lydian king who displayed enormous greed and barbarism, there is also the possibility that his name, like his story, was completely fictitious and was derived from the word tentacle, rather than the other way around. Squid and octopus are, after all, common staples in the Aegean and Mediterranean. It makes sense that if one were to make up a story about a man constantly searching for something, one could name the protagonist of his story after the appendages of a sea creature such as an octopus or a squid. And since squid and octopus were likely well-established parts of the Greek diet long before the Tantalus story unfolded, it makes sense that a common name for the rather remarkable appendages of such sea creatures predates history as well.

Those who question a potential link between Tantalus and squid and / or octopus should also consider the story of Medusa. Like Tantalus, Medusa was a daughter of the sea, being the daughter of the god of the sea. Forcis and the sea monster Keto. He had snakes for hair that, although attached to his severed head, surely looked a lot like the tentacles of another sea creature related to octopuses and squid: jellyfish. And just like jellyfish, which possess an extremely potent neurotoxin known to induce paralysis, Medusa also had the ability to turn people to stone.

Whereas, in English, we refer to jellyfish as jellyfish gold jellies, the name commonly used throughout Europe and the Mediterranean for the spineless invertebrate is jellyfish. Clearly, it is possible that the invertebrate’s name was derived from history. But it is equally possible (if not more likely) that, as the name Tantalus, the name of the gorgon and its history derives from the sea creature that was well known in the Aegean and Mediterranean regions and that often appeared on the top of the plate.

Consequently, I believe that there are ample reasons to believe that a link between the word tentacle and the name Tantalus exists. However, what is missing is a clear link between tentacle gold Tantalus and the word tried. And the answer, again, may lie, not in Tantalus, but rather in the eating habits of octopuses and squid (or, perhaps, jellyfish).

Octopuses and squid use their tentacles to grab potential food. But, unlike the arms and legs of humans, their tentacles also closely resemble tongues, allowing octopuses and squid to really get a taste of the thing their tentacles have attached to early on. Therefore, they sometimes release things that they have inadvertently taken over but that ultimately prove they do not appeal to their sense of what it tastes good. So when they spread their tentacles and grab something, it is always for a potential meal, but one that may ultimately be rejected as undesirable.

The fate of Tantalus does not convey the idea of accept something initially with the possibility of a later rejection. Tantalus’s destiny is to be perpetually denied what you desperately want. Therefore, Tantalus never gets a chance to take and taste the forbidden fruit and find out for himself whether the fruit is bitter or sweet. While it may be eternally spreading like an octopus, its hands clearly always remain visibly empty. Therefore, it seems to make little sense to derive the word tried of someone’s name that is effectively considered to symbolize the unfulfilled wish and therefore the logical inspiration of the word torment.

But the Tantalus story nevertheless conveys the idea of offering something with the possibility of a later rejection since Tantalus offers the gods his own offspring, Pelops, for dinner, but his offer is later rejected. Thus, the meaning of the word tried can be seen as an integral part of the story related Tantalum, but not Tantalus itself, suggesting that squid and octopus behavior may have helped inspire the story.

So to summarize, it would seem then that the words tried and tentacle are related to octopuses and squid, which the Tantalus story seems to have been similarly inspired by squid and octopus, from which Tantalus got its name tentacle, and that the word torment derived from the name Tantalus.

What remains then is the word tempting. Where did the word originate from? And how, if at all, does it relate to the Tantalus story?

Surprisingly, the word temptation to be integrally related also to the history of Tantalus in a way that is quite surprising. To be specific, Tantalus’ description of the rather curious fate seems to be linked specifically to a remarkable translation of the word. temptation.

But that strange story, I’m afraid, will just have to wait until you’ve mastered the Proodic 50-drachma course.