King Tantalus - 1 Text Read the Greek Myth

King Tantalus - 1 Text Read the Greek myth.

As the favoured son of the Greek god, Zeus, King Tantalus was given privileges not available to any other earthly mortal. One very special privilege bestowed on him by his father on a number of occasions, was an invitation to a banquet that was normally reserved for only gods.

But rather than appreciating this great honour, King Tantalus had abused it by trying to steal some of the special nectar drunk by only gods and the ambrosia only they ate. Both these substances had a unique power, the gift of endless life. As a mortal he desired this for himself and he wanted to be able to share some of it with a carefully selected group of people, who would then forever be in his debt.

Tantalus believed himself to be the smartest man in the world, smarter than any other man and even smarter than all the gods. So he devised a devious plan to trick the gods into doing something they would never do and something so embarrassing and terrible, that they could never allow anyone to ever find out about it. By tricking them, he would be able to prove how clever he was and would also hold some power over the gods themselves so they would give him anything he wanted.

Taking the first step in his horrifying plan, he cruelly killed his own son and cut up his body, using parts of it in a dish he was preparing for a feast. He then sent invitations to the gods to attend a magnificent dinner he was hosting the next day in their honour. His invitation was accepted by every one of the gods.

But … as everyone else in the world, even those who weren’t very clever, realised, the gods were all-knowing and there was no way they could be tricked. As soon as they sat down to dine, they were of course, immediately able to see through his treacherous plan to blackmail them. Every one of them declined this terrible dish … except for Demeter. This poor goddess was so distracted by her concern for her daughter who had been hidden away by Hades, that she ate a little of the revolting dish before realising what she had done. She was horrified! But the fury of the other gods was terrifying to behold.

Fortunately, their first action was to use their enormous powers to restore Tantalus’s son Pelops’s body and to bring him back to life, stronger and more handsome than ever. A small piece of ivory supplied and shaped by Demeter was used to replace the missing part of the boy’s shoulder.

Tantalus, however, did not fare so well.

The gods exacted a horrific revenge on the treacherous, ungrateful king in order to punish him for his outrageous behaviour.

Tantalus descended into the underworld where as a prisoner he was destined to stand chin deep in a lake. But whenever he bent his head down to take a sip of the refreshing water, it receded, leaving him thirsty and frustrated. All of the beautiful trees that surrounded him in the orchard were laden with a variety of delicious, ripe fruit. However, when he stretched his arm out to pick a tantalising piece of fruit, a wind would blow and move the branch so it was just beyond his reach.

King Tantalus slowly withered away.

My learning log When I read this myth, I could read: all of it. most of it. parts of it. www.prim-ed.com Prim-Ed Publishing® Reading – Comprehension and Word Reading 103 King Tantalus - 2 Comprehension 1. Explain what is meant by the phrase:

(a) ‘did not fare so well’.

(b) ‘exacted a horrific evenge’.r

2. (a) This story is called a myth because

(b) Do you usually enjoy reading myths? Why/Why not?

3. Write a question to find out something extra you would like to know about King Tantalus.

4. (a) Which two paragraphs in the text are the shortest? Paragraphs and

(b) What effect do you think the writer wanted to achieve by writing these two really short paragraphs?

better? Explain your answer.

5. Which sentence has all the key details and is the best summary of paragraph 9?

(i) Tantalus was tantalised as a prisoner in the underworld by not being allowed to reach drinking water or fruit that were close to him.

(ii) There was lots of water in the lake but Tantalus couldn’t reach it by bending his head and he couldn’t reach out his hand and get himself a piece of fruit to eat.

6. Write Fact or Opinion after each statement.

(a) Tantalus was a selfish, cruel king.

(b) Pelops was the grandson of Zeus.

While doing these activities: My learning log I found Q easy. I found Q challenging. I found Q interesting.

104 Reading – Comprehension and Word Reading Prim-Ed Publishing® www.prim-ed.com King Tantalus - 3 Word Reading 1. (a) Find each word in a dictionary and write its meaning. • tantrum • tantalise (b) Which word was derived from King Tantalus’s name? 2. Mark the syllables in each word. (a) available (b) invitation (c) behold (d) goddess (e) ungrateful (f) themselves 3. Choose and circle the correct antonym. (a) He was punished after he ascended/descended to the underworld. (b) The trees were lacking/laden with fruit. (c) The gods were able to destroy/restore Pelops’s body. (d) The food he had prepared was accepted/declined by the gods. 4. Write two adjectives used in the text to describe: (a) Tantalus’s plan. (b) the dish he had prepared. (c) King Tantalus. (d) the fruit he couldn’t reach. 5. Read the words and circle the: (a) silent consonant. debt handsome descended (b) letter representing a ‘s’ sound. magnificent distracted piece (c) letters representing a ‘sh’ sound. delicious invitation share 6. Circle the correct homophone and use the incorrect one in a short sentence. (a) The horrifying dish was served as the main coarse/course.

(b) Tantalus attempted to steel/steal food and drink from the gods.

7. What does the pronoun ‘it’ refer to in the: (a) first line of paragraph 2? (b) fourth line of paragraph 9?

I can / can’t mark the syllables in words. My learning log Colour: I understand / need more practice on antonyms. I know / don’t know about adjectives. www.prim-ed.com Prim-Ed Publishing® Reading – Comprehension and Word Reading 105