[30] Both objects depict the encounter with Atlas of Hercle—the Etruscan Heracles—identified by the inscription; they represent rare instances where a figure from Greek mythology was imported into Etruscan mythology, but the name was not. Similarly in the case of Heracles, when he had brought to the Greeks the doctrine of the sphere, he gained great fame, as if he had taken over the burden of the firmament which Atlas had borne, since men intimated in this enigmatic way what had actually taken place. Atlas was one of the most famous Titans, the son of Iapetus and the Oceanid Asia (or, possibly, Clymene). [12], Atlas and his brother Menoetius sided with the Titans in their war against the Olympians, the Titanomachy. Others, however, are more merciful, claiming that Atlas actually holds the two pillars which keep the earth and the sky apart. Hyginus emphasises the primordial nature of Atlas by making him the son of Aether and Gaia.[39]. Since, obviously, Atlas wasn’t allowed to move one bit – and not many people knew where his dwelling place was – the only myths he’s in include two of Greek’s greatest heroes reaching him at the end of the earth. In the 16th century Gerardus Mercator put together the first collection of maps to be called an "Atlas" and devoted his book to the "King of Mauretania". [24][26], Atlas became associated with Northwest Africa over time. In some versions,[20] Heracles instead built the two great Pillars of Hercules to hold the sky away from the earth, liberating Atlas much as he liberated Prometheus. [16] In this account, Atlas is turned not just into stone by Perseus, but an entire mountain range: Atlas' head the peak, his shoulders ridges and his hair woods. Virgil took pleasure in translating etymologies of Greek names by combining them with adjectives that explained them: for Atlas his adjective is durus, "hard, enduring",[9] which suggested to George Doig[10] that Virgil was aware of the Greek τλῆναι "to endure"; Doig offers the further possibility that Virgil was aware of Strabo's remark that the native North African name for this mountain was Douris. Atlas was one of the most famous Titans, the son of Iapetus and the Oceanid Asia (or, possibly, Clymene). Passing by the Titan, Perseus asked him for hospitality, but Atlas, fearing some humiliating trick yet again, turned him down. Omissions? Namely, Atlas was condemned to hold up the heavens for all eternity, standing at the furthest west edges of the earth near the garden of his daughters, the Hesperides. In many works of art he was represented as carrying the heavens (in Classical art from the 6th century bce) or the celestial globe (in Hellenistic and Roman art). Many people will not realise though that Atlas was a god of the Greek pantheon, and the one time antagonist of Zeus. Atlas' consorts were Pleione, Aethra and Hesperis. Heracles, suspecting Atlas did not intend to return, pretended to agree to Atlas' offer, asking only that Atlas take the sky again for a few minutes so Heracles could rearrange his cloak as padding on his shoulders. Atlas' best-known cultural association is in cartography. The term Atlas has been used to describe a collection of maps since the 16th century when Flemish geographer Gerardus Mercator published his work in honor of the mythological Titan. Nautilus Cup. According to Hesiod, Atlas was the son of the Titan Iapetus and the Oceanid Clymene. However, some – disagreeing with him – say that his mother was another sea nymph named Asia. The etymology of the name Atlas is uncertain. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. So, Perseus showed him the head of Medusa and Atlas was turned into stone, i.e., the mountain range in North Africa which still bears his name. The parents of Atlas were Iapetus and Clymene. According to Hesiod, Atlas was the son of the Titan Iapetus and the Oceanid Clymene. Atlas, fearful of a prophecy which warned of a son of Zeus stealing his golden apples from his orchard, refuses Perseus hospitality. These were thought to rest in the sea immediately beyond the most western horizon, but later the name of Atlas was transferred to a range of mountains in northwestern Africa. He was the leader of the Titan rebellion against Zeus, and he got a fitting punishment after the end of the Titanomachy: he was condemned to eternally hold up the sky. Instead, Heracles just seized the golden apples and never looked back. [1] Later, he became commonly identified with the Atlas Mountains in northwest Africa and was said to be the first King of Mauretania. In time, Atlas even managed to become the leader of the rebellion, but that didn’t end up too well for him in the long run, since it got him the most severe punishment after the defeat of the Titans. Another Oceanid, Aethra, bore him few more daughters, the Hyades, and his only son, Hyas. There are few verses in Hesiod’s “Theogony” recounting the stories of Atlas and his brothers. In Homer’s Odyssey, Book I, Atlas seems to have been a marine creature who supported the pillars that held heaven and earth apart. Atlas had 3 siblings: Prometheus, Epimetheus and Menoetius. He was the leader of the Titan rebellion against Zeus, and he got a fitting punishment after the end of the Titanomachy: he was condemned to eternally hold up the sky. In particular, according to Ovid, after Perseus turns Atlas into a mountain range, he flies over Aethiopia, the blood of Medusa's head giving rise to Libyan snakes. The Etruscan name Aril is etymologically independent. [28] The Northwest Africa region emerged as the canonical home of the King via separate sources. [6] He had many children, mostly daughters, the Hesperides, the Hyades, the Pleiades, and the nymph Calypso who lived on the island Ogygia.[7]. Hyades, in Greek mythology, daughters of the Titan, Myth, a symbolic narrative, usually of unknown origin and at least partly traditional, that ostensibly relates actual events and that is especially associated with religious belief. Atlas, in Greek mythology, son of the Titan Iapetus and the Oceanid Clymene (or Asia) and brother of Prometheus (creator of humankind). Myths are…. [1] Thus, he was Atlas Telamon, "enduring Atlas," and became a doublet of Coeus, the embodiment of the celestial axis around which the heavens revolve.[13]. According to Robert Graves' The Greek Myths, the Pelasgians believed the creator goddess Eurynome assigned Atlas and Phoebe to govern the moon.[31]. Atlas had 5 children: The Pleiades, Calypso, The Hyades, Hyas and The Hesperides. Because of this, after the Gods beat the titans, they were all given a punishment (other than Prometheus and Epimetheus who sided with the Gods). Sources describe Atlas as the father, by different goddesses, of numerous children, mostly daughters. Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. This drinking vessel, for court feasts, depicts Atlas holding the shell on his back. The first of them was Heracles, who, after having two of his original ten labors invalidated, was tasked with bringing Eurystheus few of the Hesperidean golden apples. The main island was called Cerna and modern day arguments have been advanced that these islands may correspond to Cape Verde due to Phoenician exploration. The Greek poet Polyidus c. 398 BC[14] tells a tale of Atlas, then a shepherd, encountering Perseus who turned him to stone. Atlas: GreekMythology.com - Oct 26, 2020, Greek Mythology iOS Volume Purchase Program VPP for Education App. Some of these are assigned conflicting or overlapping identities or parentage in different sources. However, some – disagreeing with him – say that his mother was another sea nymph named Asia. Hyginus emphasises the primordial nature of Atlas by making him the son of Aether and Gaia. Atlas' symbols were the Globe and the Constellations. Since the Atlas mountains rise in the region inhabited by Berbers, it has been suggested that the name might be taken from one of the Berber, specifically ádrār 'mountain'. Heracles’ encounter with Atlas is retold in the fifth chapter of the second book of Apollodorus’ “Library,” while his transformation into a mountain range is narrated by Ovid in the fourth book of his “Metamorphoses.”, See Also: Twelve Labours of Heracles, Perseus, Iapetus, Clymene, Asia, Menoetius, Prometheus, Epimetheus. Ovid later gives a more detailed account of the incident, combining it with the myth of Heracles. "[8], The etymology of the name Atlas is uncertain. [3], Atlas was the son of the Titan Iapetus and the Oceanid Asia[4] or Clymene. Updates? When Atlas set down the apples and took the heavens upon his shoulders again, Heracles took the apples and ran away. [27] Diodorus and Palaephatus mention that the Gorgons lived in the Gorgades, islands in the Aethiopian Sea. It is distinguished from symbolic behaviour (cult, ritual) and symbolic places or objects (temples, icons). During the Titanomachy with the titans and Gods fighting against each other, Atlas sided with the titans and became the general of the titans. Heracles went to Atlas and offered to hold up the heavens while Atlas got the apples from his daughters.[18][19]. Some say that the sky was placed directly on his shoulders. [12] However, Robert S. P. Beekes argues that it cannot be expected that this ancient Titan carries an Indo-European name, and that the word is of Pre-Greek origin, and such words often end in -ant. Atlas was raised by his sister, Basilia. [2] Atlas was said to have been skilled in philosophy, mathematics, and astronomy. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. In Homer’s Odyssey, Book I, Atlas seems to have been a marine creature who supported the pillars that held heaven and earth apart. Virgil took pleasure in translating etymologies of Greek names by combining them with adjectives that explained them: for Atlas his adjective is durus, "hard, enduring", which suggested to George Doig that Virgil was aware of the Greek τλῆναι "to endure"; Doig offers the further possibility that Virgil was aware of Strabo's remark that the native North African name for this mountain was Douris. Heracles, however, outsmarted the gullible Titan, agreeing to the plan but asking him to hold for him the sky first so that he could adjust himself in a more comfortable position. For a collection of maps, see, Deity in Greek mythology who held up the heavens or sky, George Doig, "Vergil's Art and the Greek Language", The "testimony of Eusebius" was "drawn from the most ancient historians" according to Mercator. Heracles smartly offered Atlas to switch roles with him so that the Titan could fetch the apples from his daughters himself, causing no fuss or drawing unnecessary attention from Ladon, the dragon-guardian of the apples. For Atlas had worked out the science of astrology to a degree surpassing others and had ingeniously discovered the spherical nature of the stars, and for that reason was generally believed to be bearing the entire firmament upon his shoulders.

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