Heracles and the Golden Apples of the Hesperides

According to Pseudo-Apollodorus (Bibliotheca, 2.5.11) Heracles completed his ten labors in eight years and one month. However, Eurystheus refused to recognize two: the slaying of the Lernaean Hydra (since Hercules' nephew and charioteer Iolaus had helped him) and the cleansing of the Augean stables (because Hercules accepted payment for the labor). Eurystheus ordered an eleventh labor which consisted of fetching the Golden Apples of the Hesperides. The apples were not located in Libya, “as some have said” but they were on Mount Atlas in the land of the Hyperboreans. Gaia had given them as a wedding gift to Zeus when he married Hera. They were guarded by a serpent with one hundred heads and by the Hesperides: Aegle, Erythia, Hesperia and Arethusa. Heracles traveled through Libya, Egypt, Asia, Arabia and Libya again. He then reached Mount Caucasus where he shot the eagle that was devouring the liver of Prometheus and freed him. Prometheus then told him to let Atlas fetch the apples while holding the heavens for the Titan so Heracles went to the land of the Hyperboreans and offered to hold up the heavens while Atlas got the apples. Upon his return Atlas had three apples. However, Atlas attempted to trick Heracles into carrying the sky permanently by offering to deliver the apples himself, as anyone who purposely took the burden must carry it forever or until someone else took it away. Heracles, suspecting Atlas did not intend to return, pretended to agree to Atlas' offer, asking only that Atlas take the sky again for a few moments so Heracles could put a pad on his head. When Atlas set down the apples and took the heavens upon his shoulders again, Heracles took the apples and ran away. However, “some say” he did not get the apples from Atlas but he killed the serpent himself and then fetched the apples. Either way, the apples were presented to Eurystheus but then Athena eventually returned them.

A lost passage of Pindar quoted by Strabo says that Heracles instead built the two great Pillars of Hercules to hold the sky away from the Earth, liberating Atlas much as he liberated Prometheus.