Atlas in Greek Mythology: The Titan Who Holds Up the Sky
Atlas in Greek mythology: the Titan who holds up the sky, not the earth. Why he bears it, how Heracles outwitted him and how Perseus turned him to stone.
Mythology collection
The Greek pantheon, in depth. Olympians, Titans, and heroes — their powers, symbols, and the myths that made them.
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Atlas in Greek mythology: the Titan who holds up the sky, not the earth. Why he bears it, how Heracles outwitted him and how Perseus turned him to stone.
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Atlas in Greek mythology: the Titan who holds up the sky, not the earth. Why he bears it, how Heracles outwitted him and how Perseus turned him to stone.
Cerberus in Greek mythology: hound of Hades, child of Typhon and Echidna. Fifty heads in Hesiod, three in later poets, and how Heracles and Orpheus beat him.
Charon, the ferryman of the dead in Greek mythology: the coin for his fare, which river he really crossed, the heroes who rode alive, and what the sources say.
Hestia in Greek mythology: goddess of the hearth and eldest child of Cronus and Rhea. Her powers, her suitors, the Dionysus myth and what the sources say.
Prometheus in Greek mythology: the Titan who stole fire for humans, his punishment by the eagle, Pandora, Heracles, and how Hesiod and Aeschylus disagree.
Tartarus in Greek mythology: the prison of the Titans far below Hades and a primordial god. How deep it lies, who is locked inside and what the sources say.
The Titans in Greek mythology: the twelve children of Gaia and Ouranos, what each one ruled, the Titanomachy, and how the Titans differ from the Giants.
Who was Aphrodite in Greek mythology? The goddess of love and desire: her two birth stories, marriage to Hephaestus, the affair with Ares and the Trojan War.
Apollo in Greek mythology: the son of Zeus and Leto, god of prophecy, music, healing and plague, who seized Delphi from a serpent long before he became the sun.
Who was Ares in Greek mythology? The Olympian god of war and bloodlust, son of Zeus and Hera, lover of Aphrodite and a fighter who lost more fights than he won.
Artemis in Greek mythology: the virgin huntress, twin of Apollo and goddess of wild animals and childbirth, who punished Actaeon, Callisto and proud Niobe.
Athena in Greek mythology: the goddess of wisdom, war and crafts who sprang from the head of Zeus, won Athens from Poseidon and guided Odysseus home from Troy.
Demeter in Greek mythology: the harvest goddess who starved the world to get Persephone back. Her powers, symbols, Eleusis and where the sources disagree.
Dionysus in Greek mythology: the twice-born god of wine, theater and ecstatic madness. His birth from Zeus, the maenads, Ariadne, his powers and the sources.
Greek gods and their powers explained: what each of the 12 Olympians and Hades could do in myth, who was strongest, and where the ancient sources disagree.
Hades in Greek mythology: king of the dead, brother of Zeus and husband of Persephone. His powers, his realm and why he is not the god of death or the devil.
Hephaestus in Greek mythology: the lame smith god thrown from Olympus, who built Pandora and the shield of Achilles and caught Aphrodite and Ares in a net.
Hera in Greek mythology: queen of the gods, sister-wife of Zeus and goddess of marriage. Her powers, her jealousy, her war on Heracles and what the sources say.
Who was Hermes in Greek mythology? The messenger god of travelers, thieves and trade, who stole Apollo’s cattle on his first day and guided the dead to Hades.
Poseidon in Greek mythology: god of the sea, earthquakes and horses, brother of Zeus. His powers, his feud with Odysseus and what the ancient sources say.
Cronus in Greek mythology: the Titan king who overthrew Ouranos, swallowed his children, was defeated by Zeus, and ruled the Golden Age as Roman Saturn.
Hecate in Greek mythology: the torch-bearing goddess of crossroads, honored by Zeus in Hesiod, helper of Demeter, and later linked to Medea, dogs and magic.
Medusa in Greek mythology: the only mortal Gorgon, killed by Perseus. Why Athena cursed her, which sources say so and how the story changed from Hesiod to Ovid.
Persephone in Greek mythology: daughter of Demeter, taken by Hades to rule the dead. The pomegranate seeds, the seasons, and what each ancient source says.
Choose Greek mythology books for your interests: Stephen Fry’s retellings, Emily Wilson’s Homer translations, a clear reading order and free ancient sources.
Choose a Greek mythology movie: Jason and the Argonauts, Clash of the Titans or Troy. Find the right starting point and learn how each differs from the myths.
Who was Zeus? The Greek king of the gods explained: how he overthrew Cronus, his wives and children, his powers and symbols, and what the ancient sources say.