Greek Mythology - Atlas Mythology

Greek Mythology - Atlas

Mythology can be defined as the human attempt to explain the world. The earliest attempts at creating myths were generally based upon the fear of the unknown, according to Hamilton (15). The dark unknown was filled with danger and death, and both mythology and ancient religion reflect this.

Hamilton however notes that this changed with the advance of Greek civilization. Civilization at the time meant that the world was no longer mysterious or dark. Human beings gained the faculty of knowledge and the ability to explore and investigate. According to the author, this was a time during which human beings became the center of the world for the first time. The Greeks demonstrated this by creating gods and goddesses "in their own image" (Hamilton 15); something that had not been done in mythology before.

This idea reiterates Ken Dowden's (53) assertion that the purpose of myth is to establish "people, places and things." Investigating the mythology of ancient Greece therefore connects Western society not only to the cultural paradigms of that time and culture, but also how these impact society today. In this way, human beings can connect with the roots of the cultural paradigms within which we live today.

The story of the Titan Atlas is an example of Greek mythology that survives to date. According to Mike Dixon-Kennedy (58), Atlas was born as a second-generation Titan. He was the son of Iapetus and Clymene, and his brothers were Prometheus and Epimetheus. He was also the father of the Pleiades, Hyades and Hesperides. Atlas's name appropriately means "much enduring."

The myth behind Atlas dates from the war between the Titans and the gods. According the Greek mythology, the Titans were the first rulers of he earth. The Olympian Gods engaged in a battle with the Titans to take over the earth's rulership. While the gods banished most of the Titans after defeating them, a few remained. Atlas was one of them. For his leading role in helping the Titans in the war, Atlas was punished by the task of holding the sky on his shoulders. This task itself gave rise to several more myths. One such myth revolves around Atlas's attempt to trick Heracles into taking over his burden. Heracles however in turn tricked Atlas into returning to his position under his burden. Eventually, according to Dixon-Kennedy (59), Atlas grew so weary of his burden that he requested Perseus to use Medusa's head to turn him into stone. Mount Atlas in North Africa is then said to be the basis for this myth.

It is also interesting to note that the Atlas myth is not exclusive to ancient Greece. Dixon-Kennedy (58) notes that Hittite mythology includes a similar figure in the form of Upelluri. According to Homer's mythology on the other hand, Atlas was a marine figure with the task of supporting the pillars between heaven and earth.

The name of Atlas also has several manifestations in the Western culture of today. One of the creators on the upper western quadrant of the moon is for example named Atlas. According to the Myths-and-Mythology Website draws attention to the fact that the name is used for a collection of maps. This is perhaps the most common use of the name, and could be derived from the fact that the map is in effect the world seen as a whole, from the sky.