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Apr 12, 2020 · As Atlas was punished to support the sky on his back, a celestial globe would be appropriate. It is a common misconception, however, that Atlas was punished to carry the earth on his back. This is evident in the fact that he is sometimes depicted carrying a terrestrial globe.
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- What Is Atlas The Greek God of?
- Who Were The Parents of Atlas in Greek Mythology?
- What Is The Myth of Atlas About?
- Why Did Atlas Fight in The Titanomachy?
- Why Did Atlas Give Hercules The Golden Apples?
- How Did Perseus Create The Atlas Mountains?
- Who Were The Children of The Titan Atlas?
- Is Atlas The Strongest Titan?
- Why Does Atlas Carry The World?
- Atlas: Greek Mythology Or Greek History?
Atlas was known as the god of endurance, “bearer of the heavens”, and teacher of astronomy to mankind. According to one myth, he literally became the Atlas Mountains, after being turned to stone, and was commemorated in the stars.
Atlas was the son of the Titan Iapetus, brother of Cronus. Iapetus, also known as “the piercer” was the god of Mortality. The mother of Atlas was Clymene, also known as Asia. Another of the elder Titans, Clymene would go on to become a handmaiden of the Olympian god, Hera, as well as personify the gift of fame. Iapetus and Clymene also had other ch...
The most famous myth involving Atlas would be the punishment given to him by Zeus for leading the Titanomachy. The entire story of Atlas, however, starts well before his punishment and continues for years afterward, even beyond the time when he is freed from his punishment and allowed to play other roles in Greek mythology.
Atlas was described as the “stout-hearted son” of Iapetus and it can be assumed his bravery and strength made him a natural choice. While Prometheuschose to fight on the side of the Olympians, Atlas stayed with his father and uncle. No ancient writer details any story about how Atlas was chosen as the leader of the war. Multiple sources contest tha...
Among Hercules’ famous labors, he was to retrieve the golden apples of the Hesperides. According to Pseudo-Apollodorus, the apples were to be found in the fabled gardens of Atlas (the Hyperboreans). The following tale is created from passages found in a range of classical literature, including Pseudo-Apollodorus, Pausanias, Philostratus the Elder, ...
As well as meeting Hercules, Atlas also interacts with the hero Perseus. Fearful that his apples will be stolen, Atlas is quite aggressive toward the adventurer. Atlas is turned to stone and becomes what is now known as the Atlas Mountain Range. Atlas plays a minor role in the Perseus myth in stories written during the Roman Empire, with the most w...
Atlas had several famous children in Greek mythology. Atlas’s daughters included the mountain nymphs known as the Pleiades, the famed Kalypso, and the Hesperides. These female deities played many roles in Greek mythology, often as antagonists to Greek heroes. The Hesperides also protected the golden apples at a time, while Calypso captured the grea...
While Atlas is not the most powerful of the Titans (that role would go to Cronus himself), he is known for his great strength. Atlas was powerful enough to hold up the sky with his own brute force, a feat only ever equaled by the great hero, Heracles. The ancient Titan was also seen as a great leader and was well respected by his elders, despite be...
Carrying the heavens on his shoulder was a punishment for the younger Titan for his leadership in the Titanomachy. You might think it was a horrible punishment, but it did allow the young god to escape the torments of Tartarus, where his father and uncle were kept instead. At least he was able to continue to play a role in the universe and could be...
Like many stories and characters in Greek mythology, some ancient writers believed there may have been a real history behind them. Specifically, Diodorus Siculus, in his “Library of History”, Atlas was a shepherd with great scientific prowess. The story, according to Diodorus Siculus, has been paraphrased below.
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Why is Atlas a celestial globe?
Is there a celestial globe in the Farnese Atlas?
What does Atlas symbolize?
Why was Atlas a god of astronomy?
A common misconception today is that Atlas was forced to hold the Earth on his shoulders, but Classical art shows Atlas holding the celestial spheres, not the terrestrial globe; the solidity of the marble globe borne by the renowned Farnese Atlas may have aided the conflation, reinforced in the 16th century by the developing usage of atlas to ...
- Atlas
- Western edge of Gaia (the Earth)
Atlas is credited with the invention of the first celestial sphere and is often associated with astronomy and navigation. This reflects both his roles as a symbol of endurance and stability, as well as his connection to the heavens.
The Farnese Atlas, a 2nd-century AD Roman marble sculpture of Atlas which probably copies an earlier work of the Hellenistic era, is holding a celestial globe 65 cm in diameter, which for many years was the only known celestial globe from the ancient world.
Apr 29, 2020 · Statue in Paphos, Cyprus, depicting Atlas bearing the celestial globe. Atlas was to play a very important role in the Titanomachy. This was a ten-year struggle between the old and the new gods in Greek mythology for the control of the cosmos.
According to Hesiod’s Theogony, Atlas was one of the Titans who took part in their war against Zeus, for which as a punishment he was condemned to hold aloft the heavens. 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).
