Hesperides
The evening goddesses associated with guarding the divine golden apples at the world’s edge.
Overview
The Hesperides are consistently associated with the divine apples, but the garden’s location and the means of acquisition vary. Pseudo-Apollodorus first places them with Atlas in the far north, then records an alternative in which Heracles goes directly to a Libyan garden and kills its guardian.
Key facts
Guardians of the divine apples
The Hesperides guard the gods’ golden apples, which the command requires Heracles to bring back.
The garden’s location varies
Alternative within the BibliothecaThe same source preserves both a far-northern Atlas route and a direct Libyan garden route.
Relationships
- Golden Apples of the Hesperidesguard the divine fruit
The Hesperides guard the gods’ golden apples.
Story appearances
- The Labours of HeraclesHesperides in the Labours
Hesperides enters this story through Heracles' labours; when other stories return to the figure, they follow that later setting.
Ancient sources
MythWeave distinguishes ancient-source evidence from later adaptations and modern interpretation.