Atlas held up the sky while Hercules obtained the golden apples.
Atlas was a Titan condemned to support the heavens after the Titans lost their war against Zeus and the Olympian gods. Because he knew the location of the Hesperides’ garden, Hercules asked him to retrieve the apples during the eleventh labor.
In the best-known version, Atlas agreed on the condition that Hercules temporarily take his place beneath the sky. Atlas returned with the apples but then attempted to leave Hercules holding the burden. Hercules used a verbal trick, asking Atlas to take the sky back briefly while he adjusted his position. Once Atlas resumed the load, Hercules took the apples and departed.
This episode is often simplified into the phrase “Atlas held the world,” but ancient mythology more specifically says that he held up the sky or heavens. The apples were Hera’s, and Atlas was their knowledgeable intermediary rather than their owner.