138 MYTHOLOGY AND RELIGIOUS RITES. 
of Hera’s renewed endeavor to frustrate his labor by enraging the animals 
on a wide plain, where he had the utmost difficulty in keeping them 
together. 
The eleventh labor was to fetch the Golden Apples of the Hesperides, the 
daughters of /Zesperos, who lived near Mount Atlas. But Heracles knew 
not where the apples were to be found. He first asked the nymphs of the 
Eridanus, who referred him to Wereus, who refused to answer. Heracles 
then fettered him and compelled him to tell what he knew. The way he 
indicated led through Lybia, Egypt, and Asia, to the Caucasus. Here 
Heracles found the fettered Prometheus, whom he liberated after slaying 
the torturing vulture, and the grateful Prometheus told him that he must 
apply to Atlas for the apples. Thither Heracles then went and asked him 
to procure him the apples, offering at the same time to support the heavens 
for hint during his absence. When Atlas returned with the apples he was 
little inclined to re-assume his office and its burden, but preferred himself to 
take the apples to Eurystheus. Heracles apparently consented, and only 
asked that he should hold the heavens until he could place a cushion on his 
own neck to make the weight less painful. But when Atlas had taken on 
himself the burden, Heracles took the golden apples and returned with them 
to his lord, who almost despairing at the invariable success of Heracles in 
all his undertakings, had in reserve a new task, the last he had authority 
from Zeus to impose, but which he was sure would accomplish the wish of 
his patroness Hera, and prove the destruction of the hero. 
This ¢welfth labor was to bring up Cerberos from the Lower World. Cerbe- 
ros was the three-headed dog guarding the shades in the realm of Hades, 
the monstrous son of Typhon and Echidna, and was covered with serpents 
instead of hair, had a dragon’s tail, and his breath and froth were poisonous. 
For this exploit Heracles had to prepare himself by being initiated into the 
mysteries by Humolpos of Eleusis. This initiation is symbolically repre- 
sented in pl. 25, jig. 18, by the myrtle twig in the hand of Heracles, and 
the scarf over his head, similar to that which is handed him by the 
priestess of Arete (virtue), who stands in front of him with an inverted 
spear. 
. going through the ceremonies of initiation he descended to the 
infernal regions. The shades took flight when he descended among them. 
Menctius alone, the cattle-keeper of Hades, dared to oppose his progress, 
when he undertook to kill some cattle in order to slake the thirst of the 
shades with their blood, but Heracles dashed him against a rock and broke 
his ribs. He then demanded of Hades his dog, which the latter consented 
to give up provided Heracles could secure him unarmed. The hero at 
once seized the monster, and pressing his three heads between his knees, 
fettered him (pl. 25, fig. 16). When he brought him up to Eurystheus, the 
affrighted king begged him to take him back to the lower world, which 
he did. 
Heracles was now free from his allegiance to Eurystheus; but still 
subject to the persecutions of Hera he continued his wanderings, in which 
he established altars in honor of Zeus and accomplished many a heroic 
358 
