Atlas was forced by Zeus to hold up the sky.
Click on image for full size
Courtesy of the Nova Development and Corel Corporations

Atlas

In Greek mythology, the giant Atlas was the leader of the Titans who fought against the gods of the Mount Olympus. The head of the Olympian gods was Zeus, who was fighting against his father, the Titan Cronos, to gain control of the world. After a ten year struggle, Zeus defeated his despotic father, and assumed control of the world. Zeus imposed severe punishments on the Titans. Atlas, as the Titans' leader, received the exemplary punishment of carrying the vault of the sky on his shoulders.

Atlas had a wife, the nymph Pleione, who bore the Pleiades and the Hyades. He also was the father of the Hesperides, who were born from a liaison between Atlas with Hesperis. The Hesperides were the guardians of a tree of golden apples that the earth goddess Gaea gave Hera, Zeus' wife, as a wedding present. The tree had a secret location.

Nevertheless, Atlas was told by an oracle that a son of Zeus would one day steal the golden apples guarded by his daughters, the Hesperides. For this reason, he refused hospitality to anyone. Because of Atlas' inhospitality, Perseus showed him the Gorgon Medusa's head, which turned Atlas to stone. This myth was considered the origin of the formation of the Atlas mountains in Morocco.

In a different version of the story, Heracles was ordered to fetch the golden apples as one of his twelve labors. Heracles persuaded Atlas to take them on his behalf, while Heracles would support the sky instead of him. Atlas accepted thinking to leave Heracles supporting the heavens forever. When he returned with the apples, Atlas told Heracles that he himself would deliver the apples to the king Eurystheus. However, pretending to adjust the weight on his shoulders, Heracles tricked Atlas, who was left without the apples and with his duty resumed.

You might also be interested in:

Traveling Nitrogen Classroom Activity Kit

Check out our online store - minerals, fossils, books, activities, jewelry, and household items!...more

The Pleiades

In Greek mythology, the Pleiades were seven sisters. Their names were Maia, Electra, Alcyone, Taygete, Asterope, Celaeno, and Merope. Their parents were the Titan Atlas and the Oceanid, Pleione. One day...more

Hyades

For the ancient Greeks, the Hyades were daughters of Pleione and Atlas, a giant who carried the heavens on his shoulders. The Hyades were sisters of the Pleiades and the Hesperides. They were very attached...more

Ahsonnutli

Ahsonnutli was the sky father and chief deity of the Navajo Indians. He created heaven, Earth, and the sky. Each of the four cardinal directions was supported by a giant. Each direction was also associated...more

Amphitrite

Amphitrite was one of the fifty Nereids, the attendants of the sea-god Poseidon. Poseidon (Neptune) had fallen in love with Amphitrite after seeing her dancing on the island of Naxos. Amphitrite rejected...more

Aphrodite

Aphrodite was the Greek goddess of love and beauty. She was known to the Romans as Venus. There were actually two different Aphrodites, one was the daughter of Uranus, the other the daughter of Zeus and...more

Apollo

In Greek mythology, Apollo was the son of Jupiter(in Greek Zeus) and Leto (Letona). He was the god of the Sun, logic, and reason, and was also a fine musician and healer. Leto travelled all over Greece...more

Cancer

According to an ancient Greek legend, the figure of a gigantic crab was placed in the nighttime sky by the goddess Hera to form the constellation Cancer. Hera was the jealous wife of the sky god, Zeus....more

Windows to the Universe, a project of the National Earth Science Teachers Association, is sponsored in part is sponsored in part through grants from federal agencies (NASA and NOAA), and partnerships with affiliated organizations, including the American Geophysical Union, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Earth System Information Partnership, the American Meteorological Society, the National Center for Science Education, and TERC. The American Geophysical Union and the American Geosciences Institute are Windows to the Universe Founding Partners. NESTA welcomes new Institutional Affiliates in support of our ongoing programs, as well as collaborations on new projects. Contact NESTA for more information. NASA ESIP NCSE HHMI AGU AGI AMS NOAA