The Garden of the Hesperides Myth

## Introduction

The Garden of Hesperides was a garden in Greek mythology that was home to a tree with golden fruit that granted immortality. It was a gift to Venus from Gaia.

Although not meant to be correlated nor derived from this myth, many of the elements in the God saga relating to Stacey's story, as well as motifs in the Earth part of the story, can be compared to elements of this myth; such as nymps, fair haired companions like Ellelondis and Terelondis, horticulture related ideas (Stacey grows plants) and more.

## Short Summary of Myth

The Garden had three dryads, or tree nymphs that were tasked with guarding the tree of special fruits. Some accounts state there were four or more, however three is also in account(s). There is also a dragon that helps them guard it, as well as stops the nymphs from eating the fruit themselves, which they often would.

The nymphs would water and tend to the garden as well.

Hercules at one time comes to the garden to get some of the Golden Fruit as apart of a quest, and accounts also vary here, but he either fights the dragon or finds it dead.

## Connections to FoG

First off, one plot idea in place for the God Saga includes Stacey having two assistants if you will, who are basically "tall humans," by description that have blonde hair, in part to signify their diety like nature. Similar to the myth, you could imagine these three--Stacey, Ellelondis, and Terelondis--as the three dryads. One or more paintings from history imagine the three with blonde hair, robes garments, and shoeless feet, which is similar to how these character look.

Of course there is the Earth like City of Heart as it's called, which is similar to a garden.

In the draft for Heart, there is a section about a nymph which Stacey sees in a vision or daydream that tells her about a tree of knowledge at which she sits. Although not a tree of knowledge in the myth, the tree gifted by Gaia calls upon such motifs in myths across various religions and times in history: a tree in a garden, with divine fruit, guarded by a serpent.

Another interesting connection, although less narrative centric, is the character who has the Breath of God traits who comes to help guard the city at times; although not cannon, the author imagines this character as himself. The author's real last name, Drake, is a derivative of Draco, meaning Dragon, and you can imagine the connection.

## Note About Intention

Author Notes: I actually didn't know about the Garden of Hesperides Myth, or rather didn't remember. I had read about it in high school I'm sure. So it's weird all the connections I can find between it and Stacey's story. Even small things like when her counselor puts an orange in front of her and asks, "What is this?" She says orange, tangerine, and the counselor says "a fruit," which is a ridiculous answer, then he says it depends on your perspective.

Some historians think the golden apples in the garden were figs or other things, and some say it was an orange. Obviously if Stacey doesn't know an orange, or it's "just a fruit," almost like it could be anything, this part in the story almost points to this idea of the apples being an orange or maybe just some fruit. Again, I didn't put this here intentionally I'm just making connections afterward.

Then there's the fact that the apple tree was a tree of immortality, and Stacey has the power to resurrect.

In a graphic painting I had made of Stacey, of which the bust can be seen on the Stacey page on this wiki, the artists asked how I wanted the lighting and I choose a sunset lighting, where Stacey is in a forest. Interestingly, some accounts call the nymphs daughters of evening, in which they were personifications of the sunset and it's colors.