84 THE MYTHS OF CREATION: THE GODS
Atlas and Prometheus. Laconian black-figure cup, ca. 560 B.c. The two Titans endure the
punishments of Zeus: Atlas holds up the star-studded heavens and helplessly watches
the vulture (or eagle) attack his brother, Prometheus, who is bound to a column. The mo-
tif of the column is repeated in the lower register, with lotus-leaf decoration, while the
snake on the left seems not to be part of the narrative. (Vatican Museums.)anger that he had held previously because Prometheus had matched his wits
against him.
For when the gods and mortals quarreled at Mecone,^10 then Prometheus
with quick intelligence divided up a great ox and set the pieces out in an at-
tempt to deceive the mind of Zeus. For the one group in the dispute he placed
flesh and the rich and fatty innards on the hide and wrapped them all up in the
ox's paunch; for the other group he arranged and set forth with devious art the
white bones of the ox, wrapping them up in white fat.
Then the father of gods and men spoke to him: "Son of Iapetus, most
renowned of all lords, my fine friend, how partisan has been your division of