In Greek and Roman mythology, Tantalus, a lesser god, were, was guilty of a crime against the the gods themselves, and so was sentenced to eternal life in Tartarus, the one region of Hades where those guilty of the worst crimes are punished (Tartarus, not Hades,ican be equated to the Christian hell). Tartarus' punishment was eternal starvation - being bound in a location where overhanging fruit trees tempted him, but moved out of reach whenever he reached for fruit. From Tantalus, we get the word "tantalize".