THE THREE GOLDEN APPLES - A Legend of Hercules

Baba Indaba’s Children's Stories - Issue 347

ISSN: 2397-9607 Issue 347
In this 347th issue of the Baba Indaba’s Children's Stories series, Baba Indaba narrates the Greek Fairy Tale "THE THREE GOLDEN APPLES”.

Have you ever hear of the golden apples, that grew in the garden of the Hesperides? Ah, those were such apples as would bring a great price, by the bushel, if any of them could be found growing in the orchards of nowadays! But there is not, I suppose, a graft of that wonderful fruit on a single tree in the wide world. Not so much as a seed of those apples exists any longer.
And, even in the old, old, half-forgotten times, before the garden of the Hesperides was overrun with weeds, a great many people doubted whether there could be real trees that bore apples of solid gold upon their branches. All had heard of them, but nobody remembered to have seen any. Children, nevertheless, used to listen, open-mouthed, to stories of the golden apple-tree, and resolved to discover it, when they should be big enough. Adventurous young men, who desired to do a braver thing than any of their fellows, set out in quest of this fruit. Many of them returned no more; none of them brought back the apples. No wonder that they found it impossible to gather them! It is said that there was a dragon beneath the tree, with a hundred terrible heads, fifty of which were always on the watch, while the other fifty slept.
But then the adventure was undertaken by a hero who had enjoyed very little peace or rest since he came into the world. At the time he was wandering through the land with a mighty club in his hand, and a bow and quiver slung across his shoulders. He was dressed in the skin of the biggest and fiercest lion that had ever been seen, and which he himself had killed; although, on the whole, he was kind, generous and noble. Even so, there was a good deal of the lion's fierceness in his heart for his name was Hercules (also known as Heracles).
Everywhere he went he asked if anyone had news of the garden or if they could give directions to it.
Did Hercules ever get directions to the garden of the Hesperides? Did he ever find his way there, when so many before him had failed? If he did get to the garden was he able to gain entry and did he get to pick a golden apple? So many questions……..
To find the answers to these questions, and others you may have, you will have to download and read this story to find out!

Baba Indaba is a fictitious Zulu storyteller who narrates children's stories from around the world. Baba Indaba translates as "Father of Stories".

Each issue also has a "WHERE IN THE WORLD - LOOK IT UP" section, where young readers are challenged to look up a place on a map somewhere in the world. The place, town or city is relevant to the story. HINT - use Google maps.

33% of the profit from the sale of this book will be donated to charities.
INCLUDES LINKS TO DOWNLOAD 8 FREE STORIES