| Atlas | |
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| A
Titan that was the son of Iapetus and
the nymph Clymene and the father of the Hesperides, the
Hyades, and the Pleiades. He was doomed by Zeus to
support all heaven and earth atop his shoulders for
having warred against the gods with the other Titans.
Some accounts describe him as once being the king of the
Atlantis, and the Atlantic Ocean, thought to be the
location of the legendary continent, is named after him. In the eleventh of his Twelve Labors, Heracles was instructed to obtain the golden apples of the Hesperides. He appealed to Atlas for help since he was the father of the Hesperides, and the Titan agreed. The weight of the world was transferred to Heracles's shoulders as Atlas went to get the apples, though the Titan had no intention of taking back the burden. Atlas returned with the apples, and Heracles asked him to hold the world for a moment since it had slipped into an uncomfortable position. Atlas agreed, taking the world back on his shoulders. However, Heracles didn't take back the burden and merely took the apples and left. Perseus encountered Atlas in his journeys as well, appealing to the titan for shelter. However, Atlas refused, so Perseus withdrew from his pouch the head of Medusa and turned him to stone. Thus, Atlas transformed into the Atlas Mountains, found in western Africa. |