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Tantalus: Thirst As Torture
- Robert Lamb read the Odyssey passage describing Tantalus standing in water he cannot drink.
- He found the image of water receding from the mouth worse than denied fruit.
Kuafu Chasing The Sun
- Joe McCormick told the Chinese myth of Kuafu, a giant who chases the sun until he dies of thirst.
- The tale explains geography and warns against overreaching ambition.
Thirst Shapes Civilizations And Law
- The archaeology of thirst is challenging because liquids leave few traces, limiting study of ancient drinking practices.
- Yet water infrastructure and sacred water rights shaped civilizations and legal traditions.