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Heracles: Heads
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The eleventh labour, Heracles had to fetch the golden apples of Hesperides. The Hesperides ("Daughters of the Evening Star") were the daughters of the Titan Atlas and Hesperis (Evening Star). How many daughters there were, really depend on the authors. Some say three, four or seven. They cared for the grove of trees that bore the golden fruits. The trees were guarded by a serpent or dragon with a hundred heads, known as Ladon, offspring of Typhon and Echidna.
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It was on this occasion that Heracles 1, following Prometheus 1's instructions, asked Atlas to fetch the Golden Apples instead of fetching them himself. That is why for a short time the Pillars of Heaven were supported by Heracles 1, who relieved Atlas while he went to fetch the Golden Apples. Atlas soon returned carrying three Golden Apples, but was no longer willing to support the vault of the sky, declaring that he could deliver the fruits to Eurystheus himself. Seeing that Atlas could not be persuaded, Heracles 1 asked him to hold the sky just for a moment while he placed a pad on his head, and when Atlas held the sky again, Heracles 1 picked up the apples and left.
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The twelfth labour, Heracles needed to go to Hades and fetch the Cerberus. Cerberus was the three-headed hound with snake's head at the end of its tail. The dreaded hound guarded the gates of Hades, to keep the dead in the Underworld. Cerberus was an offspring of Typhon and Echidna.
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Heracles had to bring a number of animals to his cousin, Eurystheus. This black figure hydria from c. 530 BCE depicts Heracles bringing Cerberus, the three-headed dog from the Underworld, to Eurystheus.
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Heracles is vivid embodiment of the Cultural Hero’s type as a fighter against monsters. Duel between the hero and three-headed dragon is widely spread in the Indo-European traditions : Thraetaona won Aji dahaka: Zoroastrian mythology 2; Trita killed three-headed dragon Visvarupa: Indian mythology 2.; Ivan Trety (Third) of Russian tales, defeated Zmey Gorynich - Serpent burning.
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