Most people think of Greek mythology simply in terms of heroes and Olympian gods. 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. In the stories of Ancient Greece there were said to be thousands of immortals, including the female nymphs, the Hesperides.

Birth of the Hesperides

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.

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. Hyginus would add a father, Erebus, alongside Nyx, whilst Virgil would name Zeus and Themis as parents.

Famously, Diodorus of Sicily, would name the Titan Atlas, along with Hesperus (the northern star), as parents to the Hesperides.

As well as confusing parentage, there is no real consensus about how many and who the Hesperides were. There are generally considered to be three Hesperides; three being the common figure amongst groupings of sisters like the Moirai or Graeae. At other times four or seven sisters might be counted.

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.

The role of the Hesperides

The Hesperides were said to be goddesses of the evening, and were particularly associated with the sunset.

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 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. From these original apples grew the ‘Trees of the Golden Apples’, and their fruit were the apples of immortality.  

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. The Garden of Hera was considered so secure that other gods also placed valuable items in the garden, including powerful weapons.

The location of the Garden of the Hesperides

Any potential thief would first have to locate the garden of the Hesperides, and the precise location was a well-guarded secret, known only to the various deities. The general location for the Garden of Hera was thought to be in the Western Mediterranean, in the region of Mount Olympus. This location also allowed other names to be linked to the Hesperides, including the “African Sisters”. There were plenty of other locations given for the Hesperides though, including further out into the realm of Oceanus.

Entering the Garden of the Hesperides

Entering the Garden of the Hesperides was no easy task, and there are only three famous tales of those who managed to gain access.

Eris - Eris, the goddess of Discord, was said to have entered and taken a golden apple, an apple that would start an argument amongst the goddesses about who was the most beautiful. This argument would be one of the starting points for the Trojan War. Eris, as a goddess, would know the location of the garden, and no details are given about how she actually took an apple without the guardians stopping her.

Perseus – Another visitor to the Garden of the Hesperides was said to be Perseus, although it is generally said he came not for apples, but for the weapons needed in his quest. Athena and Hermes were aiding his quest, and so it could be assumed that they accompanied the hero into the garden, to give him access to their own property.

Heracles – The Garden of the Hesperides though is most famous for appearing in the adventures of Heracles, and most notably the Eleventh Labour.

Heracles was not being aided by any deity at that time, and so had to find the location for himself; something he did by wrestling with Nereus, or by asking Prometheus for the information.

Knowing the location of the Garden of the Hesperides was only one issue though, entering it was a different problem. The most famous tale tells of how Heracles gained the assistance of Atlas, by holding up the heavens, whilst the Titan went and retrieved the apples. The task was thought to be easier for Atlas, as the Hesperides were his offspring. Atlas of course completed the task for Heracles, although the hero had to trick the god into taking the heavens back on his shoulders.

An alternative version of the story has Heracles himself enter the garden, kill Ladon, and retrieve the apples himself. Ultimately though, the apples would be returned by Athena after the task was completed.

In Greek mythology the apples that the Hesperides were guardians of were more important than the deities themselves.