In classical mythology, the Garden of the Hesperides was Hera's orchard in the west. It was there that the apple tree grew—bearing golden fruit and originating from a fruit-bearing branch given to Hera by the Titaness Gaia as a wedding gift. The Hesperides were the three daughters of Hesperus (the Evening) and Atlas; they were charged with guarding the golden apples—symbols of immortality—and tending to the dragon Ladon, who also protected Hera's fruit.