Atlas (mythology) facts for kids

Atlas is a powerful Titan from ancient Greek mythology. He is famous for holding up the sky or the entire world. The huge Atlantic Ocean is even named after him, meaning "Sea of Atlas."

Atlas was the son of Iapetos. He had seven daughters with the Oceanid Pleione, and they were known as the Pleiades.

After a big war between the Titans and the Olympians, Atlas was given a special punishment by Zeus, the king of the gods. Zeus made him stand at the western edge of the world and hold up the heavens. Over time, the story changed, and people started saying he held the whole world on his shoulders. Today, you often see pictures of him holding a globe.

Atlas and Heracles

The famous hero Heracles once visited Atlas. Heracles needed help with one of his difficult tasks, called his Labours. He wanted Atlas to get some special "Golden Apples" because only an immortal being could pick them. Atlas agreed to help, but only if Heracles would hold up the sky for him. Atlas was very happy to be free from the heavy weight for a while! But Heracles was clever and tricked Atlas into taking the sky back onto his shoulders.

Atlas and Perseus

Another hero, Perseus, also met Atlas after he had defeated the monster Medusa. Perseus asked Atlas for food, but Atlas refused to help him. Perseus became angry and showed Atlas Medusa's head. Medusa's head had the power to turn anyone who looked at it into stone. When Atlas saw it, he was instantly turned into a giant mountain range, which we now call the Atlas Mountains.

The name Atlas means "Hard and Enduring," which perfectly describes his strength and his long-lasting punishment.

King of Mauretania

Atlas was also known as a legendary king of Mauretania. This was an ancient land in Northwest Africa, roughly where modern-day Northern Morocco and western Algeria are today. In the 1500s, a mapmaker named Gerardus Mercator created the first collection of maps to be called an "Atlas" and dedicated his book to this King of Mauretania.

Over time, Atlas became strongly linked with Northwest Africa. He was connected to the Hesperides, who were nymphs guarding the golden apples, and the Gorgons. Both of these groups were said to live far to the west. Ancient writers like Diodorus even mentioned that the Gorgons lived on islands near Africa. By the time of the Roman Empire, it was common to connect Atlas's home to the Atlas Mountains, which are located near Mauretania.

Cultural influence

Atlas holds up the celestial sphere, in Naples

Atlas is most famous in our culture for his connection to cartography, which is the art of making maps. The first person to put maps together and call the collection an "Atlas" was Gerardus Mercator. He honored Atlas, the King of Mauretania, who was thought to be a wise philosopher, mathematician, and astronomer.

In psychology, the idea of Atlas is used to describe someone who had too many responsibilities as a child. They might feel like they are carrying a huge weight, just like Atlas. The famous book Atlas Shrugged (1957) also uses Atlas as a symbol. It compares people who are very important to society, like business leaders, to "modern Atlases" who carry the world on their backs.

Images for kids

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  Atlas and Hercules

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  Atlas supports the terrestrial globe on a building in Collins Street, Melbourne, Australia.

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  Nautilus Cup. This drinking vessel, for court feasts, depicts Atlas holding the shell on his back. The Walters Art Museum

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  Sculpture of Atlas, Praza do Toural, Santiago de Compostela

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  Lee Lawrie's colossal bronze Atlas, Rockefeller Center, New York

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  Greco-Buddhist (c. AD 100) Atlas, supporting a Buddhist monument, Hadda, Afghanistan

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  Atlas inside the Royal Palace, Amsterdam, Netherlands

See also

In Spanish: Atlas (mitología) para niños