Tradition: Greek mythology
Alternative Names: Ladon, Dragon of the Hesperides
Category: Dragon
The Myth
Ladon was a great serpent-like dragon that coiled around the sacred tree in the Garden of the Hesperides, guarding its golden apples. In some traditions he was said to possess a hundred heads, each capable of speaking with a different voice.
Ladon was one of the final offspring of Phorcys and Ceto according to Hesiod, while other traditions made him the child of Typhon and Echidna, Typhon alone, or even said that he sprang from the earth. He was also described in one tradition as the brother of the Nemean Lion.
During the eleventh labour of Heracles, the hero was commanded to obtain the golden apples. He came to the Garden of the Hesperides and killed Ladon with his bow and arrows before taking the precious apples.
The dragon’s death was not the end of the tale. The following day, Jason and the Argonauts passed through the region on their return from Colchis. They heard the lament of Aegle, one of the Hesperides, and saw Ladon’s body still twitching after his death.
There was also another telling in which Ladon was never killed. Instead, Heracles persuaded the Titan Atlas to retrieve the golden apples for him while Heracles took Atlas’s place and held up the heavens.
Ladon was later associated with the constellation Draco. According to the tradition attributed to Hyginus, Zeus placed the slain dragon among the stars, where it remained as the celestial image of the guardian of the golden apples.
Sources
“Ladon (mythology).” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Accessed October 2, 2026. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ladon_(mythology)