Heracles Labors: The Apples of the Hesperides
     The tree of golden apples that Gaia gave to Hera as a wedding present grew in a garden at the edge of the world. It was guarded by the Hesperides and by the dragon Ladon, who was coiled around the tree. For his eleventh labor, Heracles (Hercules) was ordered to bring the apples to Eurystheus. To do so he first had to find the garden. In some versions of the myth, he forced the information from the sea-god Nereus, who transformed himself into many shapes in a vain attempt to escape the hero’s grasp.
     Upon reaching the garden, Heracles killed Ladon and, according to Euripides, plucked the apples himself. According to other authors, the Titan Atlas obtained the apples while Heracles assumed his burden of shouldering the sky; Heracles then had to trick Atlas into resuming the irksome load. In some early tales, Heracles kept the apples, symbols of immortality, for himself instead of handing them to Eurystheus, but in later versions Athena eventually returned the sacred apples to the garden because it was forbidden for a mortal to possess them.
     The parergon in which Heracles killed the Libyan giant Antaeus is associated with this labor.

Further Reference:
Galinsky, G. Karl. 1972. The Herakles Theme: The Adaptations of the Hero in Literature from Homer to the Twentieth Century. Totowa, N.J., Rowman & Littlefield.


Listings for Heracles' Labors are arranged under the following headings:
Heracles Labors, General List
The Nemean Lion
The Lernean Hydra
The Erymanthian Boar
The Ceryneian Hind
The Stymphalian Birds
The Stables of Augeas
Heracles and Antaeus
The Cretan Bull
The Mares of Diomedes
The Girdle of Hippolyta
The Cattle of Geryon
The Apples of the Hesperides
Cerberus

For Heracles entries generally:
Heracles