Atlas, in Greek mythology, was one of a group of gods called Titans. He was the son of the Titan Iapetus and a sea nymph named Clymene, and the brother of Prometheus. Atlas and the other Titans fought an unsuccessful war against Zeus and the other Olympian gods. Zeus punished Atlas by forcing him to stand and support the sky on his shoulders forever.
The famous Greek hero Hercules asked Atlas for help in taking the apples of the Hesperides (see Hesperides). Atlas went to get the apples, leaving Hercules to hold up the sky. When he returned with the apples, Atlas refused to take back the sky, hoping to force Hercules to support it permanently. But Hercules outwitted Atlas and deceived him into taking up the sky again.
Atlas stood in the northwest region of what is now Africa. The Atlas Mountains, which are located in northwestern Africa, were named for him. Books of maps also are named for Atlas. Many works of art show Atlas supporting the Earth, rather than the sky, on his shoulders.
