Atlas

Atlas was forced by Zeus to hold up the sky. Click on image for full size (73K JPG) Courtesy of the Nova Development and Corel Corporations

When the Olympian gods won the war, Zeusseverely punished Atlas by making him carry the sky on his shoulders.

Atlas was forced by Zeus to hold up the sky. Click on image for full size (73K JPG) Courtesy of the Nova Development and Corel Corporations

Atlas was the father of the Pleiades, theHyades, and the Hesperides. The Hesperides were the guardians of a tree of golden apples. The earth goddess Gaea gave the tree to Hera, the wife of Zeus, as a wedding present. The tree was in a secret location. Nevertheless, an oracle told Atlas that a son of Zeus would one day steal the golden apples guarded by his daughters. For this reason, Atlas refused to let anyone visit his home.

One day, a famous Greek hero, Perseus passed by where Atlas was living. When Atlas denied hospitality to him, Perseus, showed Atlas the head of the Gorgon Medusa, which had the ability to turn anything into stone. The giant Atlas was immediately transformed into the homonymous mountains in northwest Africa.

Atlas was forced by Zeus to hold up the sky. Click on image for full size (73K JPG) Courtesy of the Nova Development and Corel Corporations

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.