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The Titan Atlas punishment by the "Gods" |
(brother of Titan Atlas), tied to the Caucasus
From "Theogony" we learn that Zeus cruelly punished Atlas either because he fought with the Titans (against gods) in Titanomachy, or because he was with the Titans who mangled Dionysus because he and his brothers generally ignored Zeus and did not want to recognize him as chief.
When the Olympian gods beat their opponents (Titans), Zeus exiled Atlas in the west of earth, where Hesperides guard the gold apples. That is the end of earth in front of the house of Night or the border of Chaos where were the roots of Earth and Pontus (the ocean) and Uranus and Tartarus. In this world Atlas's heavy duty was to hold in his shoulders, forever, the sky above earth or the sky and earth together or the column on which the sky and earth stand or the axis of the world.
From this place Atlas knew as it was said the depth of the sea and all the secrets of the sky and he was the first who figured out that the whole world was a big sphere.
But Atlas's three brothers were punished as well by Zeus after "gods" victory in Titanomachy. Zeus crushed Menoetius and Epimetheus and Prometheus and sent them to Erebus while he put Prometheus in the east nailing him in the highest peak of Caucasus. Hephaestus tied him there on a rock with unbreakable bonds.
An eagle sent by Zeus went there every day to eat Prometheus's liver that was reformed the next day because Prometheus was an immortal Titan. After thirty years Hercules passed by chance through the region of Caucasus. He killed the eagle with his arrow and freed Prometheus's bonds. All these happened of course with Zeus's consent that became friend with Titan Prometheus. In fact Zeus accepts him in Olympus.
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