Hesperides, << hehs PEHR uh deez >>, in Greek mythology, were the daughters of Hesperis (Evening) and Atlas, a member of a race of gods called Titans. The Hesperides were nymphs who lived at the western end of the world. There they guarded the golden apples that Gaea (Earth) had given to the goddess Hera when Hera married Zeus, king of the gods. A sleepless dragon helped the Hesperides guard the apples. As one of his 12 labors, the hero Hercules had to steal these apples (see Hercules).
