Hesperides

Hesperides, the name of the sisters who, assisted by the dragon Ladon, guarded the golden apples which Hera had received, on her marriage with Zeus, from Gœa. Their genealogy and their number are variously given by mythologists. The gardens of the Hesperides were placed far in the west, on the verge of the ocean, or in the land of the Hyperboreans. The apples were stolen by Hercules (q.v.), but were afterwards restored by Athena. See ATLANTIS.