Tartarus
"The Gypsy Girl...might be Gaea, goddess of the Earth. Hesiod...says that in the beginning there was Chaos, which in Greek means "yawning." Into that yawning, or void, came Gaea (Earth), Tartarus (the lowest region of the underworld), Eros (Love)" NOVA - Photo by and text abridged from Becky Lai
Tartarus
In Greek myth Tartarus is a deity, son of Aither (Sky) and Gaia (Earth).
Additionally, the philosopher Plato wrote of Tartarus as a terrible place of afterlife punishment.
Over time Tartarus came to be spoken of as the lowest abyss in Hades.
The Greek poets say that Ixion and Tantalus were condemned to Tartarus for offending the gods. The evil Titans also were sent there for punishment.
Interestingly, Tantalus was the name of a Penal Colony in the original Star Trek TV series, where people’s minds were blanked out as part of their psychiatric treatment (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dagger_of_the_Mind).
Digital Dame adds:
Another ST tie-in for Tantalus: In the episode “Mirror, Mirror” where they transposed with their evil counterparts in an alternate universe, Mirror-Kirk’s girlfriend, Marlena, shows good Kirk the Tantalus Device, or Tantalus Field, that vaporizes his enemies. » See in context
Further Reading:
David Sacks, A Dictionary of the Ancient Greek World, Oxford 1995, pp. 8-9.
On the Web:
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Posted on March 4, 2009, in T and tagged greek, hell, myth, punishment, septic flesh, star trek. Bookmark the permalink. 4 Comments.
Another ST tie-in for Tantalus: In the episode “Mirror, Mirror” where they transposed with their evil counterparts in an alternate universe, Mirror-Kirk’s girlfriend, Marlena, shows good Kirk the Tantalus Device, or Tantalus Field, that vaporizes his enemies.
Thanks, I saw that episode but forgot!
That was one of my fav episodes. Spock is awesome in both universes.
Come to think of it, it was one of my favs too! I used to watch that show EVERY DAY after school in the 70s!