In
Greek mythology, the Hesperides are
nymphs who live in the
Arcadian Mountains[?] in
Greece, or near the
Atlas mountains. Either way, they are said to live in a beautifully tended garden. This garden is the source of the golden apples that
Gaia gave to
Hera on her wedding day. The tree is guarded by a hundred-headed dragon named
Ladon. Only one hero ever managed to get any apples:
Heracles. He tricked
Atlas, the Hesperides' father, into getting the apples for him as part of one of his
Twelve Labors.
There were four Hesperides: Aegle ("dazzling light"), Arethusa, Erytheia, and Hesperia. They are sometimes also called the African Sisters.
They are variously daughters of Phorcys or Nyx or Atlas and Hesperia.