Atlas mythology: Encyclopedia II - Atlas mythology - Mythology

Atlas mythology - Mythology

Atlas mythology - Kinship

Atlas was the son of the Titan Iapetos and the Oceanid Klymene. Atlas had three brothers — Prometheus, Epimetheus and Menoitios — and was the father of the Hesperides sisters, Maera, Hyas, the Hyades sisters, Kalypso and the Pleiades sisters.

Atlas mythology - Punishment

Atlas led the Titans in one of their wars against the Olympians. His brothers Prometheus, Epimetheus and Menoitios weighed the odds and betrayed the other Titans by an alliance with the Olympians. When the Titans were defeated, Zeus condemned Atlas to stand at the western edge of the earth and hold up the heavens on his shoulders, to prevent the two from resuming their primordial embrace.

Atlas mythology - Variations

In a late story, a giant named Atlas tried to drive a wandering Perseus from the place where the Atlas mountains now stand. Perseus revealed Medousa's head, turning Atlas to stone. As is not uncommon in myth, this account cannot be reconciled with the far more common stories of Atlas' dealings with Herakles, who was Perseus' great-grandson.

According to Plato, the first king of Atlantis was also named Atlas, but that Atlas was a mortal son of Poseidon. Another Atlas was said to have been a king of Mauretania and an expert astronomer.

Atlas mythology - Encounter with Herakles

One of the hero Herakles' Twelve Labors involved the acquisition of some of the golden apples which grow in Hera's garden, tended by the Hesperides and guarded by the dragon Ladon. Herakles went to Atlas, the father of the Hesperides, and offered to hold the heavens for a little while in exchange for the apples, to which Atlas agreed. Upon his return with the apples, however, Atlas attempted to trick Herakles into carrying the sky permanently by offering to deliver the apples himself. Herakles, suspecting Atlas didn't intend to return again, pretended to agree to Atlas' offer, asking only that Atlas take the sky again for a few minutes so Herakles could rearrange his cloak as padding on his shoulders. When Atlas set down the apples and took the heavens upon his shoulders again, Herakles took the apples and went on his way.

In some versions, Herakles instead built two great pillars to hold the sky away from the earth, liberating Atlas much as he liberated Prometheus.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Mythology", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki