Ladon

Ladon was a legendary dragon who guarded the golden apples in the Garden of the Hesperides. In one version of the myth, Heracles slew the serpent with his arrows during his eleventh labor, leaving the Hesperid nymph Aegle to mourn its death. In another telling, Heracles avoided confronting Ladon by convincing Atlas to retrieve the apples while he held up the sky.

Often depicted in Greek art coiled around the sacred tree, Ladon was sometimes described as having a hundred speaking heads. Though some ancient writers rationalized the tale - suggesting Ladon was merely a shepherd guarding golden-fleeced sheep - the dragon's legend likely had deeper roots in ancient Near Eastern mythology. Zeus eventually Legendary Placed Ladon among the stars as the constellation Draco.