If you ask someone about the creatures called the Atlanteans: “Who are they, where did they come from and where did they go?”, Most people will most likely recall the legend of the disappeared Atlantis. And in some respects they will be right, but not only this meaning is hidden behind the concept of “atlas”.
Atlanta: who they are, according to the majority
The word "atlas" itself has Greek roots and translates as "carry." Perhaps that is why most interpretations of this name are associated with the wearing of something heavy.
The first meaning of the word “atlas” is the name of one of the titans of the second generation, holding the vault of heaven on their shoulders. Sometimes this character of ancient Greek mythology is called the Atlas.
Also, Atlant, according to one of the works of the Greek philosopher Plato, was called the son of Poseidon. Subsequently, he became the first king of Atlantis, and the people began to be called Atlanteans.
The same Greeks, and after them the Romans introduced the concept of “telamon”, which means the use of sculptures instead of columns in the design of buildings. If the sculptures depicted women, they were called caryatids, if men depicted Atlanteans.
The mighty brother of Prometheus holding the sky on his shoulders
A titan named Atlas, or Atlas, appeared long before the ancient Greek deities. Like his free-thinking brother Prometheus, Atlas was doomed to constant suffering. After all, on his mighty shoulders both day and night rested the vault of heaven, according to mythology.
Only once was he granted a respite. Once the strongest of people came to him - the bastard of Zeus Hercules. Atlas asked him to hold his burden instead, until he obtained magic apples from his daughters. Later, the mighty titan intended to leave Hercules forever on the shoulders, but the epic hero was able to outwit him.
Origin and Native Atlas (Atlanta)
In addition to Prometheus, Atlas had two more titan brothers: Epimetheus (recklessly married Pandora) and Menethius.
The parents of three famous theologians were the titans Iapetus (son of Uranus and Gaia) and the oceanian Klymene (daughter of Oceanus and his sister Tethys).
Children of the mighty titan
In addition to the brothers, like other mythological characters, Atlas had a wife and daughters. The spouse of the courageous titan was the oceanion of Pleion, who was also the sister of his mother Klymena. Playona gave birth to Atlanta seven beautiful daughters - pleiades. The Greeks called them Atlantis, and the Romans - Vergil.
In addition, Atlanta had a daughter - rain nymphs - hyades. How many of them were exactly is not known (from 2 to 12). There are several versions of who their mother was: in some myths it is said that the ocean is Efra, in others - Pleion.
Also from Pleione, Atlas had a son, Giant, who died as a hunter in adulthood. The Hyades mourned the death of their brother so bitterly that Zeus took pity on them and turned them into stars in the sky. In turn, the Pleiades were also quite hard pressed for the death of their sisters and brother and committed suicide. Zeus also turned them into a constellation in the sky.
Further fate of the Atlas (Atlanta)
According to ancient Greek myths, another bastard of Zeus - Tsarevich Perseus - after the murder of the Gorgon Medusa took her head with him. When meeting with Atlanta, the prince directed the head of the gorgon at him, and the mighty titan was instantly turned into huge rocks, which were later called the Atlas Mountains.
It is also believed that the Atlantic Ocean was named after this titan.
Among other things, the ancient Greeks called Atlanta the father of astronomy. It was believed that it was he who taught Heracles the science of understanding the movement of celestial bodies, and also taught him the basics of philosophy.
The first king of Atlantis named Atlant
Another character in the mythology of the ancient Greeks bore the name Atlas. He was the son of the sea deity Poseidon and his wife Clito.
According to Plato, Clito's parents were the first inhabitants of an ancient land called Atlantis, Leucippus, and Evenor. Nothing is known about Leucippus's parents, but Evenor, like the other Atlanteans (mythology of Ancient Greece) on the island, was the son of the goddess of the land of Gaia. As Plato wrote, after marriage, the spouses Evenor and Leucippus had a very beautiful daughter, Clito (Cléito). Since the family lived near the sea, Poseidon once saw a beauty. However, during the life of her parents, he did not dare to introduce himself to the girl. But after Clito became an orphan, Poseidon married her.
From this marriage ten sons were born (five pairs of twins). Atlant and Gadir were the oldest. At the same time, his parents elected Atlanta and made him king of the land of Atlantis, named after him, and the people living there became known as the Atlanteans.
Who are they, soon learned all the surrounding nations. According to myths, this people possessed incredible power, and therefore many considered them equal to the gods. Atlas - the first king of Atlantis - ruled his land with the deities Zeus and father Poseidon. Under their strict guidance, the Atlanteans fought not only with ordinary warriors, but also with the Amazons, as well as the Gorgons.
The people of the Atlanteans
Thanks to numerous modern series and science fiction books, everyone knows that Atlantis existed several millennia ago. However, later she, together with her inhabitants, went under water and has not yet been found. There is still no unanimous opinion of what Atlantis was: a peninsula, an island, or even a whole continent. The same applies to its inhabitants, which were called "Atlanta". Who they are, what abilities they possessed, and whether all of them really died, is unknown.
Most atlantologists agree that atlantes are significantly larger than ordinary people. It is believed that representatives of this people were about 3-4 meters tall and had a huge chest, as well as membranes between the fingers. This helped them move perfectly in the water.
It is noteworthy that today in some African countries, not far from the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, archaeologists find giant skeletons of people. Many believe that they belong to the Atlanteans, but there are very few such finds.
According to the theory of Helena Blavatsky, on Earth there were several races. The first people were like angels, the second to ghosts, the third race was called Lemurians, and the fourth were Atlanteans. Modern humanity belongs to the fifth - Aryan race. Also, many atlantologists believe that Atlantes were divided into four types according to their skin color: blacks, redskins, yellows and tan. And wars often fought between these species.
Among other things, the Atlanteans are credited with possessing a spiritual third eye, the ability to communicate with the help of thought and many other supernatural abilities.
The reason for the death of this mythical people remains a mystery. Some say that using their superhuman powers and advanced technologies, they simply destroyed each other, and along with Atlantis. Other sources claim that the Atlanteans angered the ancient deities and they destroyed the race along with the continent. Others blame the earthquake or other natural disasters. Someone even calls them aliens who simply left Earth and returned to their homeland.
Some scholars associate the Atlanteans and the death of Atlantis with one of the biblical stories. So, after the overthrow of Satan, some of the angels went over to his side and were expelled by God. Once on the ground, they were fascinated by the beauty of human girls and, contrary to the Lord's prohibition, began to marry them. Unusual children were born from such marriages. In the Bible they are called "nephilim" ("giants"). In addition to enormous growth, they also had some unusual properties for people, but this is not specified. In the end, the Lord brought a flood to the earth, not only to destroy all sinners, but also to destroy the giants.
Many atlantologists believe that, like Noah, who survived the flood, some of the Atlanteans were able to escape and lived among people for centuries. However, due to the loss of contact with their homeland over the years, they have lost their distinctive features and assimilated among ordinary people.
Atlas and Atlas
Two characters of ancient Greek legends - Atlas (Atlas) and Atlas (son of Poseidon) - existed in parallel. So, one of the titanic daughters of the titans Atlas Keleno was the wife of the ruler of the seas and father of Atlant Poseidon. According to legend, she bore him a son, Lika. Thus, it can be considered that Atlas was the father of Atlanta's stepmother.
Atlanta in architecture
Columns in the form of sculptures were named in honor of the ancient titan, holding the firmament on his muscular shoulders.
Judging by the ruins of the ancient temple of Zeus in Sicily, the concept of "Atlas" in architecture appeared quite a long time ago. It is noteworthy that in the architecture of ancient Egyptian buildings Atlantes are also present.
With the advent of the Renaissance, when antiquity and all its attributes came into fashion, the Atlanteans and Caryatids again began to be actively used by architects in the design of buildings. True, during this period quite often, not the ancient Greek muscular Atlanteans “hold the sky” on stone hands, but humble Christian saints wrapped in cloaks.
If with the heroes of ancient Greek myths titan Atlas (Atlant) and the son of Poseidon - the first king of Atlantis - everything is more or less clear, then the question of Atlantes - the mythical race of the inhabitants of Atlantis - remains open. And while modern scientists are building abstruse theories, and directors are making films on this subject, the silent namesakes of the glorious people - marble columns of Atlanteans - "hold the sky" on stone hands and mysteriously look down at people, as if they know the answers to all these questions .