Atlas
the Titan who holds the world
Atlas was the four-armed General of the Titans, strongest of his kind, who hurled mountains in the great war. Condemned by Kratos to bear the world atop the Pillar of the World, he later aided the same Spartan against Zeus.
Atlas was one of the mighty Titans who once held dominion over the world, the four-armed General of the Titans and the strongest of his kind. He led the Titan armies in the great war against the Olympians, and after their fall he conspired with the goddess Persephone to destroy the world. Defeated by Kratos, he was condemned to bear the world atop the Pillar of the World, yet later lent the same Spartan his aid against Zeus.
The great war#
Atlas was the son of the Titan Iapetus and the Oceanid Clymene, brother to Epimetheus and Prometheus. The strongest of the Titans, he could hurl mountains at the younger gods like pebbles and wielded a great war hammer. During the war he served as the Titans' General. When Hades sought to absorb the soul of Cronos, Atlas saved his king by pounding the ground into a massive earthquake, but he was then targeted by Hades and, with the aid of Poseidon, his soul was absorbed. The weakened Titan awoke in the deepest pits of the Underworld, where his fellow Titans would join him at the war's end.
The Pillar of the World#
Thousands of years after the war, Persephone freed Atlas from his torment in Tartarus to destroy the Pillar of the World, which would end all life in Greece, mortal and god alike. Atlas tore Helios from the sky, plunging the world into darkness, and used the power of the sun to begin breaking the Pillar. Kratos, the Champion of the Gods, confronted Persephone and Atlas, struck down the goddess, and then chained Atlas into upholding the space between the Pillar and the world, forcing him to bear its weight on his shoulders. Atlas warned the Spartan that they would meet again, as the Sisters of Fate had deemed it, and vowed never to forget that a mere mortal had cursed him so.
Aiding Kratos#
When Kratos later traversed the Island of Creation during his own war on the gods, a struggle with the crazed Icarus sent him falling onto Atlas, the Titan he had once chained. Enraged, Atlas tried to crush him, but Kratos fended off the attacks and told the Titan that Zeus had betrayed him and stripped away most of his power. Intrigued by Kratos's change of allegiance, Atlas told him of the great war and of how the Titans had sought to defend humanity from the power-crazed gods, then tested him by summoning a host of enemies. Impressed when Kratos prevailed, Atlas bestowed on him the last of his magic, the power of the Atlas Quake, and lifted him back to the surface as a true ally of the Titans.
The last living Titan#
Through the second war on Olympus, Atlas was presumed to still bear Greece upon his shoulders, and he was remembered when Helios reminded Kratos of the debt he owed for his rescue. Unlike his fellow Titans, Atlas never fell in the final war, and so he remained the last living Titan, holding up the world, for had he died the whole of Greece would have collapsed.
Frequently asked questions
- Who is Atlas in God of War?
- Atlas was one of the mighty Titans, the four-armed General of the Titans and the strongest of his kind. The son of Iapetus and the Oceanid Clymene, he could hurl mountains like pebbles and wielded a great war hammer.
- What happened to Atlas during the great war?
- Atlas saved his king Cronos by pounding the ground into a massive earthquake when Hades sought to absorb Cronos' soul. Hades then targeted Atlas and, with the aid of Poseidon, absorbed his soul, leaving the weakened Titan to awaken in the deepest pits of the Underworld.
- Why does Atlas hold up the world?
- Persephone freed Atlas to destroy the Pillar of the World, and he tore Helios from the sky and began breaking the Pillar. Kratos struck down Persephone and chained Atlas into upholding the space between the Pillar and the world, forcing him to bear its weight on his shoulders.
- How did Atlas help Kratos?
- When Kratos fell onto Atlas during his own war on the gods, the Titan first tried to crush him, but learning that Zeus had betrayed Kratos, Atlas tested him by summoning a host of enemies. Impressed when Kratos prevailed, Atlas bestowed on him the power of the Atlas Quake and lifted him back to the surface.
- Is Atlas still alive in God of War?
- Unlike his fellow Titans, Atlas never fell in the final war and remained the last living Titan, still holding up the world. Had he died, the whole of Greece would have collapsed.
Gallery
Images via God of War Wiki
Sources
- WikiAtlas — God of War Wiki entry
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Related entries
Cronos
Cronos was the Titan of Time and Harvest, last and mightiest of the Titans born to Gaia and Ouranos. He overthrew his own father, was overthrown by his son Zeus, and was condemned to bear Pandora's Temple before dying at the hands of Kratos.
Hades
Hades was the Olympian God of the Dead and ruler of the Underworld, the eldest son of Cronos and brother of Zeus and Poseidon. He kept the balance of life and death over the Greek world until Kratos turned his own Claws against him and tore out his soul, loosing chaos upon the realm of the dead.
Helios
Helios was the God of the Sun and Guardian of Oaths, second only to the greatest Olympians in might. Once saved by Kratos from the Titan Atlas, he later fell to the same Spartan, who tore off his head and used it as a lantern through Olympus.
Iapetus
Iapetus was a Titan of the first generation, son of Ouranos and Gaia, and the father of Atlas, Prometheus and Epimetheus. He fought against Zeus in the war of the Titans and was cast into Tartarus when the Olympians prevailed.
Olympians
The Olympians were the third and final generation of gods to rule over Greece, led by Zeus after they overthrew the Titans in the Titanomachy. First the allies of Kratos and then his enemies, they were slain almost to the last across his years of vengeance, their fall bringing ruin upon all of Greece.
Persephone
Persephone was the Goddess of Spring and Queen of the Underworld, embittered by a marriage she never wanted. She conspired to destroy the world and herself with it, freeing Atlas to shatter the Pillar of the World before Kratos struck her down.
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Blade of Olympus
The Blade of Olympus was the sword Zeus forged from the heavens and the earth to banish the Titans to Tartarus and end the Great War. Capable of slaying gods and Titans alike, it later held the godly power of Kratos and became one of the most powerful weapons in the world.
Blades of Chaos
The Blades of Chaos were a pair of fire-imbued chained blades forged in the Underworld for Ares and bound to the arms of Kratos. They became the signature weapons of his Greek era and the symbol of the bloodshed that earned him the name Ghost of Sparta, returning years later in the Norse realms.
Calliope
Calliope was the beloved daughter of Kratos and Lysandra, a gentle and innocent child of Sparta. Killed by her father during a frenzy contrived by Ares, she found rest in the Elysium Fields, only for Kratos to be forced to abandon her there to save the world.
Claws of Hades
The Claws of Hades were chained weapons wielded by Hades, god of the Underworld, who used their magic to tear the souls from his enemies. Kratos stole them in battle, claimed the god's own soul with them, and carried them as a means of ripping and summoning the souls of the dead.
Cronos
Cronos was the Titan of Time and Harvest, last and mightiest of the Titans born to Gaia and Ouranos. He overthrew his own father, was overthrown by his son Zeus, and was condemned to bear Pandora's Temple before dying at the hands of Kratos.
Gaia
Gaia was the Primordial Goddess of the Earth, mother of the Titans and grandmother of the Olympians. She raised the infant Zeus, mourned the fall of her children, and bound her fate to Kratos in a war of vengeance that ended with both betrayed.
Gauntlet of Zeus
The Gauntlet of Zeus was a colossal gauntlet forged by Hephaestus and used by Zeus to chain the Titans in the depths of Tartarus. Recovered by Kratos from the Temple of Zeus, it became the weapon with which he slew Persephone.
Greek Gods
The Greek Gods were the pantheon that ruled over Greece across three generations, the Primordials, the Titans, and the Olympians. Once the masters of mortals, monsters, and the natural world, they were brought to near extinction by Kratos in his war of vengeance against Olympus.
Hades
Hades was the Olympian God of the Dead and ruler of the Underworld, the eldest son of Cronos and brother of Zeus and Poseidon. He kept the balance of life and death over the Greek world until Kratos turned his own Claws against him and tore out his soul, loosing chaos upon the realm of the dead.
Helios
Helios was the God of the Sun and Guardian of Oaths, second only to the greatest Olympians in might. Once saved by Kratos from the Titan Atlas, he later fell to the same Spartan, who tore off his head and used it as a lantern through Olympus.
Hercules
Hercules was a son of Zeus and the mortal Alcmene, a demigod raised to godhood after completing twelve labors. Consumed by jealousy of his half-brother Kratos, he named the killing of the Ghost of Sparta his unofficial thirteenth labor and died for it in the Forum of Olympus.
Iapetus
Iapetus was a Titan of the first generation, son of Ouranos and Gaia, and the father of Atlas, Prometheus and Epimetheus. He fought against Zeus in the war of the Titans and was cast into Tartarus when the Olympians prevailed.
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