In Greek mythology, Atlas was the giant who carried the heavens after the Titan War.
Atlas was a Titan who fought against Zeus and the Olympians in the Titanomachy. After the Olympians won, Zeus punished Atlas by requiring him to hold the celestial heavens apart from the earth. This punishment is commonly shown as Atlas carrying a globe, but ancient descriptions more specifically concern the heavens or firmament.
Atlas was the son of the Titan Iapetus and the Oceanid Clymene or Asia, depending on the tradition. His family included Prometheus and Epimetheus. He was also associated with the western edge of the world and with the Atlas Mountains in North Africa.
Atlas is often confused with Heracles’ temporary burden during the eleventh labor. Heracles asked Atlas to retrieve the golden apples of the Hesperides while he held the heavens, then tricked him into taking the burden back. The familiar “world on his shoulders” image developed strongly in later art.