Apples And The Wedding Of Hera

According to Greek mythology, the first apple trees were created by Gaia (also Ge), the Earth, as a wedding present for Hera. The first apples were golden, and the tree was put under the care of three minor goddesses called the Hesperides and a hundred headed dragon named Ladon. Fairly well known is the story of the 12 labors of Hercules, one of which was to steal the golden apples. He did, of course, killing Ladon in the process.Perhaps less well known is what the golden apples did. Kept in a garden in the West, the golden apples were said to cast their radiant glow across the sky as the Sun traveled below the horizon, creating the beautiful colors of the sunset.