The Hesperides

The **Hesperides** are the nymphs of evening and golden light of sunset, who were the "Daughters of the Evening" or "Nymphs of the West" and the "Spawn of the Morning Star". They tend a blissful garden in a far western corner of the world, located near the Atlas mountains in North Africa at the edge of the encircling Oceanus, the world-ocean.

## Overview

It was revealed that the Hesperides are in fact, the daughters of Lucifer, before his fall from Heaven and was masquerading as a deity known as Hesperus. As such, they are regarded as the first ever Theos Angelos in existence and the first ones to ever be conceived by an Archangel.

After Lucifer's fall from Heaven, the Hesperides were at first opted to be destroyed by the angels, however Yesh instead found use for them as He did not wish for them to fall down a dark path like their father. Yesh gave them the task of tending to the Gardens of Creation as well as harvesting the divine fruits of the Tree of Life. Given that the Garden is Asherah's abode, they tend to serve as her handmaidens in a sense. They have remained there ever since.

## Myths and Legends

In Greek mythology, according to scholars, since the Hesperides themselves are mere symbols of the gifts the apples embody, they cannot be actors in a human drama. Their abstract, interchangeable names are a symptom of their impersonality. Originally they were portrayed as the evening daughters of Nyx either alone, or with Erebus, in accord with the way Eos in the furthermost east, in Colchis, is the daughter of the titan Hyperion. Or they are listed as the daughters of Atlas, or of Zeus, and either Hesperis or Themis, or Phorcys and Ceto.

It was usually thought that there were three Hesperides, although some sources name four or seven. They were responsible of taking care of a garden in the western end of the world, near the Atlas mountains in Africa. The so called Garden of the Hesperides belonged to the goddess Hera, in which there was a grove of apple trees that bore golden apples. The golden apples were believed to give immortality to anyone who consumed them. Not trusting the Hesperides to guard the apple trees on their own, Hera also placed a hundred headed dragon named Ladon that never slept.

The Hesperides and their Garden were also one of the tasks that were given during the Labors of Heracles. Eurystheus, not counting the slaying of the Lernaean Hydra nor the cleaning of the Augean stables, gave two extra tasks to Heracles. One of them was to steal the apples from the Garden of Hesperides. Heracles successfully managed to get the apples from the garden and bring them back to Eurystheus.

## Powers and Abilities

**Directional Lordship:** The Hesperides have absolute control over any direction (west, east, north, south and center) and everything on and associated with that direction, such as entities, elements, colors, concepts, seasons, places, etc.

**Dusk Embodiment:** The Hesperides embody twilight. They have limitless control over the element they represent.

**Guardianship:** Guardians are often those who are of noble birth or a high position of great historical or legendary importance. They have taken/been given the responsibility to defend, protect and, if needed, avenge the focus of their protection, which can be an object, place, concept, or person (throne/crown, village/gate/country/planet, love/good/harmony, royal heir/chosen prophet, etc.) among other things.

**Lesser Divinity:** The Hesperides have a minor portion of divinity and divine powers granting them stronger amounts of power beyond the mundane but still weaker then those of full divinity, making the Hesperides a minor divine being by nature, a status which can be obtained a number of different ways. The Hesperides can gain this lower divinity by having a divine ancestry, transform into a minor deity or other divine being either by another god or by faith, channels, acts as a vessel for, the power/soul of a divine being, mimic/steal powers from a divine being, or be enhanced/evolved to the point of minor divinity.

**Nymph Physiology:** The Hesperides with this ability either is or can transform into a nymph (literally: young woman; bride, young wife), female nature spirit typically associated with a particular location or land-form or servants/retinue of more powerful being, often a deity. They dwell in mountains and groves, by springs and rivers, and also in trees and in valleys and cool grottoes. Although they would never die of old age nor illness, and could give birth to fully immortal children if mated to a god, they themselves were not necessarily immortal, and could be beholden to death in various forms.

**Song Augmentation:** The Hesperides can power up the abilities of themselves or others' using music/song so that they can reach high level mastery and control instantaneously, even reach a level of power that is usually beyond their limits alone.