#The hesperides greek mythology how to

The Garden of Hera was considered so secure that other gods also placed valuable items in the garden, including powerful weapons. The fruit would be tempting prizes for any thief, and so Hera also placed Ladon, the hundred-headed dragon that never slept, in the garden with the Hesperides. From these original apples grew the ‘Trees of the Golden Apples’, and their fruit were the apples of immortality. The garden was sacred to the goddess, and the orchard within it, was grown from the apples presented to Zeus and Hera by Gaia on their wedding day. The Hesperides were given a specific role to play in Greek mythology, because the sisters were the guardians and the tenders of the Garden of Hera, also known as the Garden of the Hesperides. The Hesperides were said to be goddesses of the evening, and were particularly associated with the sunset.

The Garden of the Hesperides - Ricciardo Meacci (Italy, 1856 - 1900) - PD-art-100 In one possible ancient source, Hesiod would name the three sisters as Aigle, Erytheis and Hesperethoosa, but other sources would name Arethousa, Hesperie, Aerika, Asterope, Chrysothemis and Lipara as Hesperides. At other times four or seven sisters might be counted. There are generally considered to be three Hesperides three being the common figure amongst groupings of sisters like the Moirai or Graeae. Hyginus would add a father, Erebus, alongside Nyx, whilst Virgil would name Zeus and Themis as parents.įamously, Diodorus of Sicily, would name the Titan Atlas, along with Hesperus (the northern star), as parents to the Hesperides.Īs well as confusing parentage, there is no real consensus about how many and who the Hesperides were. Hesiod is normally considered to be the first point to look when it comes to the genealogy of the gods, and in the Theogony, Hesiod names Nyx (night) as mother alone to the sisters. The genealogy of the Hesperides is one of the most confusing in Greek mythology, and almost every ancient writer who spoke on the matter, told of different parentage. In the stories of Ancient Greece there were said to be thousands of immortals, including the female nymphs, the Hesperides. There was though a wider world in which heroes and gods lived, and it was a world inhabited by man, mythical creatures, monsters and other immortal figures. All Rights Reserved.Most people think of Greek mythology simply in terms of heroes and Olympian gods. Original content Copyright 1996–2005 Michael Stewart. Gadfly to Golden Girdle of Ares Gordian Knot to GyroĪ B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P R S T U–Z Return to Garden of the Hesperides in the Dictionary 'People, Places & Things: Garden of the Hesperides', Greek Mythology: From the Iliad to the Fall of the Last Tyrant. This format will link back to this page, which may be useful but may not be required.

Ĭut and paste the following html for use in a web report. 'People, Places & Things: Garden of the Hesperides', Greek Mythology: From the Iliad to the Fall of the Last Tyrant.

#The hesperides greek mythology how to

Return to Garden of the Hesperides in the Dictionary How to Cite this PageĬut and paste the following text for use in a paper or electronic document report. The Hesperides live in a garden in the far west across the waters of Okeanos (Ocean) the Hesperides guarded the Golden Apples with the help of the dragon, Ladon the Golden Apples were the object of the Eleventh Labor of Herakles (Heracles). The Hesperides are the daughters of Nyx (Night) who were set to guard the Golden Apples that were a wedding gift to Hera from Gaia (Earth) upon her wedding to Zeus their names are: Aegle, Eretheis and Hespere.