The Hesperides in Greek Mythology and History

The Hesperides were the three nymphs, or minor goddesses, of sunsets and the evening whose names were Hespera, Aegle and Erytheis (although some sources state they numbered five sisters). They are most recognised as the daughters of the Titan Atlas and the goddess of the evening star, Hesperus, but they have also been said to be the daughters of Nyx, Erebos, Zeus or Phorcys.

The Hesperides were mostly known for their role in one of the Herculean tasks. Hercules had been given the task of collecting the golden apples of the goddess Hera to atone for his crimes. These apples had been given to Hera by the Titan goddess Gaia on her marriage to Zeus, the supreme god in the Greek pantheon.

This beautiful tree bore golden apples was planted in the middle of the Hesperides gardens and was guarded by a 100-headed dragon named Ladon (although it should be stressed that Hesiod himself does not use this name - the dragon's name was added at a later date).

Hercules was able to acquire these apples by tricking Atlas. Atlas had been sentenced to hold the world on his shoulders for standing against Zeus in the Titan Wars where the Olympians won. Hercules tricked Atlas into getting him the apples in exchange for holding up the world for the Titan.

In another version dating from the 5th century BCE, Hercules does not retrieve the apples himself or holds the heavens on his shoulders; instead, he charms the Hesperides into drugging Ladon and bringing the golden apples to him.

There is much symbolization in the Herculean task and in the Hesperides themselves. One scholar states that the visit of Hercules in the garden of the Hesperides to acquire the youth-giving apples "was originally regarded as the last of his exploits, after which he entered the blessed abodes, in possession of the Apples of Life". The myth seems to have originated in Minoan Crete.

The Hesperides are interesting characters in Greek myth and what they represent in ancient Greek society. In looking at this, it is clear that the Hesperides are themselves symbols of the gifts the apples embody.

Bibliography:

Griffiths, J. Gwen (1947) In Search for the Isles of the Blest, Greece & Rome, Cambridge University Press on behalf of the Classical Association.

Harrison, Evelyn B. (1964) Hesperides and Heroes: A Note on Three-Figure Reliefs, Hesperia, American School of Classical Studies at Athens.

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