What was Atlas's punishment?

In Greek mythology, Atlas's punishment was to hold up the sky or heavens on his shoulders for eternity, standing at the western edge of the world. After the Titanomachy, the great war between the Titans led by Cronus and the Olympian gods led by Zeus, the Titans were defeated. Atlas, who was a Titan and son of Iapetus and Clymene, had fought on the side of the Titans as their general and leader in battle. As punishment for his role in opposing the Olympians, Zeus condemned Atlas to a unique and eternal torture, to bear the weight of the celestial vault, the sky itself, preventing it from collapsing onto the earth. Unlike his brother Titans who were imprisoned in Tartarus, Atlas was given this solitary burden. Hesiod in Theogony describes Atlas holding the broad sky with his head and tireless hands at the ends of the earth near the Hesperides. In some later versions, it is described as holding the Earth itself, but the original Greek meaning is the sky. This punishment symbolizes endurance, strength, and bearing immense responsibility, and Atlas must stand forever, unable to rest, representing eternal suffering and perseverance, which is why his image is used today to symbolize someone carrying a heavy burden.