The Tantalus is named after Tantalos, a character from Greek Mythology who offended the Gods and was condemned to eternal hunger and thirst in the afterlife. He was imprisoned in a pool of water surrounded by fruit trees. When he reached out to drink the water or eat the fruit, the water drained away and the branches of the trees moved out of his reach! It is from Tantalos’ punishment that the word tantalise originates. Tantalus is a decorative stand, case or box for glass or cut glass decanters. The first lockable Tantalus appeared around the mid 19th Century and was first seen in England around 1870.