Brewer's: Atlantean Shoulders

Shoulders able to bear a great weight, like those of Atlas, which, according to heathen mythology, supported the whole world.

Sage he stood, With Atlantean shoulders fit to bear The weight of mightiest monarchies.

Milton: Paradise Lost, book ii. 305–7.

Related Content Allusions Foreign Words and Phrases Latin and Greek Word Elements Names: Their Origins and Meanings Old Testament Names Mythology Ancient Greek Literature & Mythology The Bible (King James version) The Koran (translation by J. M. Rodwell) Shakespeare's Plays Tales from Shakespeare (Charles and Mary Lamb) Frequently Misspelled Words Frequently Mispronounced Words Easily Confused Words Writing & Language