Origin of the word "Atlas"

Atlas was a Titan, a race of powerful beings who existed before the Olympian gods like Zeus. He was the son of the Titan Iapetus and the Oceanid Clymene. Atlas had several brothers, including Prometheus (who gave fire to humans) and Epimetheus.

The main event in Atlas's story is the Titanomachy, a huge war between the Titans and the Olympian gods. The Titans defeated by Cronus (Zeus's father). Later he  fought against Zeus and his siblings like Poseidon and Hades. After a long and fierce battle the Olympian gods won.

As punishment for fighting against Zeus, Atlas was given a unique and harsh sentence. Zeus condemned him to hold up the sky on his shoulders forever. Many people think Atlas was holding the Earth  but in the original myth  he was holding the sky to keep it separate from the Earth. This was seen as an eternal burden.

In the 16th century, a famous mapmaker named Gerardus Mercator published a book of maps and used an image of Atlas holding up the sky on the cover. Over the time, people started calling collections of maps "atlases" because of this image. So the name Atlas became associated with maps  even though the myth was originally about holding up the sky  not the Earth.

Atlas represents strength, endurance, and carrying heavy burdens. His story has become a symbol for people who bear great responsibilities. That’s why you’ll often see statues of Atlas holding a globe, symbolizing someone carrying the weight of the world.