|
|
Immortal Journey
The Tales of Heracles, Leo, Cancer,
Sagittarius, Centaurus, Draco, Sagitta and Cerberus
Chapter 12: The Golden Apples
of the Hesperides
"It's been eight years and one month since
you came into the service of Eurystheus," Copreus said. "I know
you have performed ten labors during this time, but, if you will
remember, two of them were not completed in an acceptable manner.
Therefore, you must complete two more." Heracles did not respond,
nor was he surprised. The herald continued, "Your eleventh labor
is to obtain the Golden Apples of the Hesperides.
"When Zeus and Hera were married, Ge, the goddess of the earth,
came to their wedding with branches of golden apples as her gift.
Hera thought these apples were so beautiful that she asked Ge to
plant them in her garden at world's end, near Mount Atlas.
"Atlas lived in the garden with his seven daughters. Their names
were Alcyone, Celaeno, Electra, Maia, Merope, Sterope and Taygete.
They were known as the Pleiades and, like Hera, they thought the
apples were lovely so they picked them. This made Hera very angry
for no matter what she said or did, the girls continued to pick
her apples. Finally she found a serpent named Draco to guard her
tree. Draco was born to Typhon and Echidna. He had a hundred heads
and each head spoke with a different voice. This dragon succeeded
in scaring Atlas' daughters away, as well as scaring anyone else
who might wish to pick Hera's wedding gift. Then Hera decided to
be doubly save and enlisted the aid of the Hesperides to also guard
her tree. The Hesperides are known by the names of Aegle, Erytheia,
Hesperia and Arethusea, and they are the daughters of Hesperus,
the Evening Star.
"Atlas, his daughters, and the garden of Hera are in the land of
the Hyperboreans. That is all I know of where you must go to fulfill
this labor, for I have never been there," Copreus said, finishing
his instructions as Heracles set out upon his newest task.
Heracles had only traveled as far as the Echedorus River when he
had his first interruption, for Cycnus, the son of Ares and Pyrene,
challenged him to a duel. Ares immediately came to the aid of his
son, and acted as his second, firing upon Heracles and starting
the fight. "Why must I defend myself against yet another attack?"
Heracles thought. "Why can't I just do my task?"
Zeus heard his son and agreed. Taking careful aim, he hurled a thunderbolt
which landed directly between Ares and Heracles, stopping the duel
and allowing Heracles to leave.
Heracles passed through the land of Illyria and crossed the Eridanus
River. There he came upon the daughters of Zeus and Themis, who
were known as the nymphs. "Do you know where the Golden Apples of
the Hesperides can be found?" he asked politely. They shook their
heads, but led him to Nereus, asleep along the river bank.
"Nereus is the old man of the sea," said the bravest of the nymphs.
"He knows everything, past or future," she said with complete conviction.
"Surely he will know, but he may not wish to tell you. He is old
and wise, but also old and cranky."
Heracles stepped gingerly around Nereus, careful not to wake him.
Identifying the proper angle, he grabbed Nereus in a wrestling hold
and announced that he would not let him go until Nereus told him
where the Hesperides and their Golden Apples could be found.
Nereus was old and crafty. No one had ever held him captive before,
and no one would now, the old sea god thought. He changed into a
lion, letting out an enormous growl and snapping his craterlike
jaw at Heracles head. Heracles did not flinch. Nereus took the shape
of a bull, hitting Heracles with his tail and hoofs, and shaking
his sharp horns near Heracles throat. Heracles held firm. Nereus
took the shape of a multi-headed serpent, biting at Heracles' arms
and chest. Heracles squeezed hard. It was becoming obvious to Nereus
that he could not escape for he was running out of strength. "All
right," Nereus said, "I'll tell you where to go." He gave directions
to world's edge and Heracles proceeded on his way.
While crossing Libya, Heracles was stopped by Poseidon and Ge's
son Antaeus. Antaeus had a most inhospitable habit of forcing strangers
to wrestle, and then killing them. His plan for Heracles was no
different than for the rest. Antaeus confronted Heracles, badgering
and shoving him, but Heracles did not react. Finally Antaeus grabbed
Heracles and pinned him to the floor. Heracles finally defended
himself, clasping Antaeus around the chest and lifting him into
the air. Although Heracles had not known it, Antaeus was stronger
when his feet touched the ground. Now that he was in the air, Antaeus
kicked and kicked, but he was so weak that he couldn't do anything
and Heracles crushed the bully to death, then continued on his way.
Passing through Egypt, Heracles was taken captive by yet another
son of Poseidon, King Busiris. For nine years a famine had plagued
Egypt. Finally a famed prophet named Phrasius arrived from Cyprus.
"How can we end this famine?" King Busiris asked Phrasius.
"Zeus is angry and you must appease him if you want the famine to
end," Phrasius said. "Beginning now and for each year after this,
you must sacrifice a male stranger to Zeus." Busiris immediately
sacrificed Phrasius.
Each year that followed, a male stranger was captured for the annual
sacrifice. This year, they thought Heracles would be their sacrifice,
but Heracles was never a willing victim. As his captors led him
to the altar, he broke his bonds and grabbed the executioner's axe.
Swinging the weapon wildly, he killed both King Busiris and his
son Amphidamas. This ended the annual sacrifice of male strangers
in Egypt.
Heracles continued on, passing through Asia. While in the Lindian
port of Thermydrae, he was very hungry and detached the harness
from the cart of a cattle drover, stealing an ox which he cooked
and ate. The drover figured out who had taken his ox, but as Heracles
was large and looked very fierce, he felt helpless to go after him.
Instead, he climbed to the top of the nearby mountain and screamed
curses at Heracles. After that, it became the custom to curse Heracles
whenever sacrifices were made.
Heracles passed through Arabia, where he killed a man named Emathion,
who also attacked him, then finally he came to the sea and called
to his old friend Helius for a loan of the golden goblet once again.
The water-lily shaped vessel carried him safely and comfortably
to the base of the Caucasus mountain in Scythia.
Heracles raised his eyes, thanking Helius for his help once again.
Squinting into the sun, he saw Mount Caucasus and noticed a helpless
old man chained to the mountain as an eagle mercilessly attacked
him. Heracles grabbed Apollo's bow and a golden arrow and, aiming
for the eagle's heart, killed it with a single shot. He climbed
up the mountainside to where the man was chained and there the eagle
lay dead at his feet. Heracles grabbed his sword and cut the chain
and the old man hurriedly slid the broken chain out from the spike
which held it. He stepped free.
"My thirty thousand years of torment have ended," the old man said.
"You look confused, kind sir. Let me tell you my story, then you
will understand the extent of my gratitude." The old man sat on
a rock and motioned for Heracles to join him.
"My name is Prometheus," he said. "Ah, I see a glimmer of recognition
in your eyes. Perhaps Chiron told you about me before he gave me
his immortality." Heracles nodded.
"Long ago I was one of Zeus' chosen. He bestowed on me many artistic
and mental talents and I used them well. First I fashioned man from
clay, and when these men came to me with problems (for they were
all very new to earth and inexperienced at knowing what to do) I
helped them find solutions.
"Although when I made these clay people I made them all equal, it
wasn't long before what they had and what they owned was not equal.
They had different skills, different amounts of ambition and different
amounts of wisdom. Also some were greedy and treacherous and others
were trusting and gullible. Too soon, the world was populated by
haves and have nots.
"Now in those days when sacrifices to the gods were made, whole
animals were burned in sacrifice. The poor, who had few cattle and
needed the little they had for food, were unable to sacrifice to
the gods. In turn, the gods did not respect them and heaped good
fortune on the rich alone, resulting in widening the chasm between
rich and poor. It was a sad situation. As they were all my clay
children, I had to intervene.
"I went to father Zeus and asked him if only a portion could be
given to the gods and the rest used by man. He agreed. Then I sacrificed
two bulls, placing the meat of both in one pile and all the bones
in another pile. I covered each pile with one of the hides. Then
I told Zeus to choose the pile that he wanted. Apparently Zeus thought
that each pile was the remains of one entire bull. I hadn't said
that, it was only his assumption. Without any thought, he selected
the pile of bones. All the men saw this and from that point sacrificed
only the entrails and bones, keeping the meat for themselves.
"But old Zeus was angry and claimed that he'd been tricked. Of course,
that wasn't my intention, but all the same he took revenge and stole
fire from the earth. 'Now,' he thought, 'the meat will not be of
any use to man because it cannot be cooked.' This made even more
hardship, and since I felt responsible I had to do something.
"In the night I went to Olympus to the fires of Zeus. Grabbing a
nearby fennel stalk I placed embers inside it and swiftly carried
my torch back to the gardens of earth where I re-lit the fires of
man. Old Zeus looked out from Olympus and saw the fires of earth
lit once again. He retaliated with two plans.
"First, he had Hephaestus form a woman out of clay. Athena gave
her life, Aphrodite gave her beauty, Hera gave her domesticity and
Hermes gave her curiosity. They named the woman Pandora for it meant
'All Gifts.' The gods came to my brother and I with their lovely
gift. My name, Prometheus, means 'Fore Thinker.' My brother's name
was Epimetheus and that means 'After Thinker,' which was very appropriate
for him as he always had acted without thinking, and only thought
when it was too late. Epimetheus was taken by Pandora's beauty.
I warned him, saying she was a trick and he would soon regret it.
But he was stubborn and ruled by his desires. He married Pandora
and soon her curiosity unleashed all manner of evils on the world,
for along with her, the gods had also delivered a box.
"It was a beautiful box designed by Hephaestus. It was inlaid with
jewels and covered in gold and ivory and it came with instructions
that it was never to be opened. Unfortunately it was in Epimetheus'
care and though he instructed her not to touch it, she wouldn't
listen to her husband. It didn't take long after their marriage
until, one night when she could stand the suspense no longer, she
opened the lid to 'just peek inside.' Out flew a swarm of evils,
blackening the sky. Famine escaped, as did disease, pain, cruelty
and death. They made their home with my clay men. That is when men
became mortal.
Epimetheus and Pandora gave birth to a daughter named Pyrrha, who
married Deucalion. When I learned that Zeus was still angry and
was sending a flood to drown everyone, I warned my niece and her
husband. They survived by building an ark, but all the rest of the
men were killed.
"That was Zeus' revenge on my clay men, his second revenge was on
me. He had Hephaestus forge a chain and a heavy iron spike to hold
it firm. Then he sent Hermes to fly, picking me up and carrying
me to the land of Scythia where he chained me to this cliff on Mount
Caucasus for all of eternity. Then, as if that weren't enough, he
took an eagle born to Typhon and Echidna and sent it every day to
eat my liver. He knew I could not survive without a liver, so he
made my liver grow back every night so he could torture me forever.
"I called to him many times asking how I could gain his forgiveness,
but he never answered. Then one day I heard some news I thought
Zeus would wish to know (for I could see and hear everything up
here on Mount Caucasus). I overheard a prophesy that Thetis' son
would be more powerful than his father.
"At that time Zeus was in love with Thetis and wanted to marry her.
Although she wouldn't consent, he kept trying to win her. I called
upon the King of Heaven and told him this prophesy. Zeus paled a
bit, remembering how he had deposed his own father. Wanting to keep
his throne, he gave up courting Thetis and he thanked me for the
valuable information. I had always thought that would have made
amends, and I guess it did for he sent you to free me, although
he waited a long time to do it. So, my friend, you see why I am
grateful. I know you're on a difficult mission to bring back the
Golden Apples of the Hesperides and I have a plan to help you.
"The apples can be found in the garden at the end of the earth.
That is where Atlas carries the celestial sphere upon his shoulders.
The dragon and the Hesperides know old Atlas well and would give
him apples if he wished them. Have Atlas pick the apples, then you
will have no problem."
"But how can Atlas pick the apples while he holds up the sky?" asked
Heracles.
"Obviously he can't do both," agreed Prometheus. "You will have
to hold up the sky while he picks them. You're strong enough to
do it."
"But why would he take the burden back if he finds someone else
stupid enough to take over the job?" Heracles asked. He didn't think
much of this plan as it seemed to put him at a greater risk than
if he faced the dragon himself.
"When he brings the apples back, he will say he is willing to carry
them back to Eurystheus. You will agree, but you will trick him.
You will say, 'Fine, but right now heaven is slipping. I need to
place a cushion on my head so I can hold it firmly.' He will put
down the apples and hold up the sky while you get a cushion. Then,
instead, you'll grab the apples and be on your way." Prometheus
smiled proudly as he finished his tricky plan. Heracles could see
how Prometheus had gotten himself into so much trouble.
"Now remember everything I said," Prometheus called out cheerfully
as Heracles started to walk away. Heracles shook his head in disbelief
and continued on his journey to the end of the world.
Meanwhile, from high on Mount Olympus, Zeus had been watching as
Prometheus was freed. He agreed that it was time to let the old
man go. The only problem with freeing him was that it contradicted
his earlier decree condemning him to everlasting punishment. Zeus
liked to be consistent. To compromise, he took a link from Prometheus'
old chain and a stone from the Caucasus Mountain and gave them to
Hephaestus to make a ring. Zeus made Prometheus wear the ring so
he would always appear to be a prisoner. From that time on men wore
rings to honor Prometheus, their maker.
With the ice cap of Mount Atlas as a marker towering higher at the
passing of each mile, Heracles approached world's end. There the
sky was ribboned with red and violet bands of light streaming against
a night bejeweled with the iridescent stars which marked the abyss
of eternity.
"What do you see when you gaze into the face of the void?" a voice
said from above.
Heracles looked up to see broad and rock hard shoulders supporting
the immensity of the universe. It was so high, he could see no face
connected to that voice.
"I have been eye to eye with Heaven forever," the voice said. "He
has shown me his secrets. Sit and rest. Relax beneath this canopy
for a while. As you can imagine, few ever venture here, and fewer
yet can support Heaven and what he so willingly bestows. Yes, it
is a burden, but a beautiful one. Let me give it to you."
Through the endless night that marks world's end, Atlas shared his
observations of the celestial sphere and the wisdom of Heaven that
reflected these movements. "As you watch the universe, you are witnessing
patterns of energy. These patterns are reflected at every level.
They are a continuum. There is no beginning and no end, there are
only phases and, with observation, you can predict these phases."
Heracles listened and watched in the laboratory of night, until
all that remained of his lessons were his own observations, and
those would continue throughout his time on earth.
He got up to finish his mission and as Draco, the dragon, lay coiled
about the golden apple tree, he shot an arrow into the dragon's
heart. The Hesperides stood back respectfully as Heracles silently
picked three apples and left the garden.
Heracles handed the apples to Copreus, and he presented them to
Eurystheus who returned them to Heracles as a gift. Then Athena
took the apples from Heracles and returned them to Hera's garden,
for divine law decreed that the garden was their rightful place
within the order of the universe. Hera placed Draco in the sky,
both to honor his faithful service, and to warn her if anyone tried
to steal her apples again. And Zeus placed in the sky Sagitta, the
arrow that slew the eagle that ate Prometheus' liver, to show that
Zeus was forgiving, after a while.
Tales of
the Immortal Night ©2003, J.J. Kuhl
|
|
