The Hesperides guard the garden given to Hera, queen of the gods, by Gaia, Mother Earth, as a wedding present to Hera and Zeus.

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This early 1900s illustration shows the Garden of the Hesperides by the British artist and designer Sir Edward Burne-Jones (1833-1898). Hercules (Roman name; Heracles to the Greeks) was a major figure in Greek and Roman mythology. He was assigned 12 Labors by King Eurystheus. Securing three apples from the Hesperides was the 11th Labor. According to Greek mythology, the Hesperides were nymphs who cared for a garden in the far western area of the known world, said to be the Atlas Mountains in northwestern Africa. Most ancient accounts list the Hesperides as being three in number. The garden was that given to Hera, the queen of the gods, by Gaia, Mother Earth, as a wedding present to Hera and Zeus. The ever-vigilant, hundred-headed dragon Ladon guarded the tree that produced golden apples, which were said to give immortality to whoever ate them.

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Size: 3751px × 4800px
Photo credit: © Ivy Close Images / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No

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