The Titan Atlas in Greek mythology

For over two millennia the stories of Greek mythology have been used to educate and entertain. The daring acts of Greek heroes, and the adventures of the Olympian gods, have fulfilled the dreams of many a reader.

Every hero though needs an antagonist to fight, and as such there are many villains that are also written about. Atlas is one of these villains, Atlas was neither a mortal nor an Olympian god; in fact he was a Titan and an enemy of Zeus.

Atlas - BellaMatt91 - BB-BY-SA-3.0

Atlas was a second-generation Titan; as such he was the son of the Titans Iapetus and Clymene, (or sometimes the Oceanid Asia), and had three brothers, Menoetius, Prometheus, and Epimetheus.
In the Golden Age, twelve original Titans, under Kronos, had ruled the heavens as Elder Gods. Zeus though sought to usurp his father’s power. Firstly Zeus freed his siblings, including Hades and Poseidon, from the stomach of Kronos and then commanded the Olympians in war against the Titans.
It was during this rebellion that the name of Atlas first emerged.

Atlas, along with Menoetius, sided with Kronos, whilst his other brothers, Prometheus and Epimetheus, allied themselves with Zeus. Atlas was widely recognised as being the strongest of the Titans, and with Kronos being of advanced age, Atlas was given the role of battlefield leader.

The Titanomachy, the war against the Olympians, did not go well and the Titans were ultimately defeated after ten years of fighting. Most of the male Titans were confined by Zeus to the depths of Tartarus, but because of his prominent role in the fighting, Atlas was singled out for special punishment. Zeus condemned Atlas to stand on the western edges of the earth, to hold the heavens on his shoulders and to ensure that the stars turned on their axis for all eternity.

From this point of rough agreement there follows a series of stories involving Atlas in Greek mythology that diverge in such a way that they cannot all stand side by side.

Atlas and Heracles - Anon. C1550 - PD-art-100

The most famous story involves the meeting of Heracles and Atlas.

As one of Heracles’ Twelve Labours, Heracles needed to get the Golden Apples that grew in the garden of Hera. Heracles was advised by Prometheus to send Atlas to retrieve the apples, as the garden was tended by Atlas’ daughters the Hesperides. To allow this to occur, Heracles offered to hold the heavens.

Atlas collected the apples, then saw Heracles as a ready-made substitute for himself for eternity, and therefore offered to deliver the apples himself. Heracles saw through the lie, and tricked Atlas to take the heavens again, claiming he needed to adjust his cloak as padding.

Even with this popular story there are different versions, and in one, Heracles is credited for releasing Atlas, and then building the Pillars of Heracles to hold the heavens in the Titan’s place.

The second most popular story containing Atlas, concerns Perseus, and is a tale that could not have occurred if the adventure of Heracles had done so.

Perseus, was the great-grandfather of Heracles, and had encountered Atlas in his wanderings. Atlas annoyed Perseus by attempting to drive him off and refused him hospitality, at which point Perseus revealed the head of Medusa causing Atlas to turn to stone. Of course Atlas was not stone by the time Heracles came along.

Atlas and the Celestial Sphere - Guercino (1591–1666) - PD-art-100

The multitude of stories involving Atlas makes it appear that there may be more than one Atlas, Plato names the first king of Atlantis as a mortal Atlas. Whilst in other stories there is a mythical king of Mauretania, who was also called Atlas. The Titan Atlas can though be reconciled as the god who gave the gift of astronomy to man, as the king of Arcadia and also of a kingdom in North-west Africa.

The stories though give rise to a number of offspring from Atlas, mothered by different goddesses. The Trojans are said to have been descendant of the Titan, from the Pleiadas, through the lineage of Dardanus. Other notable children included the Hesperidas and Calypso.

In addition to being intertwined in many Greek stories, the name of Atlas has transferred through to modern day.

Atlas is often depicted as a symbol of strength, kneeling on one knee with a globe on his back and shoulders. Over time the image may have been misinterpreted to show the globe as the earth, rather than a Celestial Sphere.

The name Atlas has now become interlinked with that of a book of maps, this though is another misconception. Gerardus Mercator, the 16th Century Flemish cartographer, named his book of maps after King Atlas, the mythical king of Mauretania, although it is the image of the Greek Atlas that is linked with the book.

Atlas has passed from myth into modern day symbolism for strength, within Greek mythology though he played a surprisingly prominent role for a non-Olympian, especially for one who was never in favour with Zeus.

Copyright - First Published 21st February 2008