DID YOU KNOW : ATLAS

 

Image generated by : Gencraft

 

When I started reading about Greek myths and legends, I always thought that these tales were and must have been specific to the people of that region. But with today’s story, neither my mind nor my heart were more moved than when I uncovered the fate of the Titan Atlas, as the events took place in a country rooted in my veins.

Any ideas?

It is said, that after defeating the Titans in the Titanomachy (the war between the Titans and the Olympians), Zeus condemned the defeated Titans to spend the rest of their existence in Tartarus, except Atlas who was sentenced to bear the weight of the sky on his shoulders for eternity.  A task that took place in the region of North Africa, that included modern-day Morocco. As the story goes, Atlas the mighty colossus was turned into a stone by Perseus who showed him the gorgon's head (long story), forming, from that moment on, the Atlas Mountains.

While going through these events, I couldn’t help but reflect on this common legacy that we unconsciously share and acknowledge. As the word “Atlas” in the mountain’s designation could be associated with the grandeur and magnificence of the Titan, it also hides the true meaning of the word, which, when translated signifies “suffering” and “endurance”, a necessary process and a tremendous quality behind every great achievement.

 Meryem !