Which Titan general was punished by having to hold up the heavens?

• A. Atlas
• B. Prometheus
• C. Epimetheus
• D. Cronus

Answer: (A)

Atlas is the Titan punished to hold up the heavens. After the Titans were defeated by the Olympian gods in the Titanomachy, Atlas was condemned to bear the sky on his shoulders as punishment for leading the rebellion. This image of him supporting the celestial realm is a classic motif in myth, underscoring the idea of a mighty figure pressed into a huge, eternal burden.

By contrast, Prometheus is famed for stealing fire for humanity and suffers a punishment of being chained to a rock with an eagle eating his liver daily. Epimetheus is a less central Titan with no famous celestial punishment. Cronus, the ruler who was overthrown by Zeus, was imprisoned in Tartarus with the other Titans. So Atlas uniquely fits the description of the one condemned to hold up the heavens.