Geryon

The three-bodied warrior slain by Herakles (Heracles) in the course of his Tenth Labor (Taking the Cattle of Geryon).

Geryon was the son of the immortal Khrysaor (Chrysaor) and Kallirhoe (Callirhoe); he grazed his cattle in the far-western land of Erytheia; he was depicted in a variety of forms because the ancient artists weren’t quite sure how a three-bodied man might look; he is shown with three heads and six feet, one head with three faces and six feet, three winged bodies and other equally unlikely combinations; the written accounts go back as far as Hesiod (eighth century BCE) but the artistic record is much more extensive.

Upon arrival in Erytheia, Herakles promptly slew Geryon’s two-headed dog, Ortho, and after a fierce fight Geryon and his herdsman, Eurytion, were also killed; on the long journey to Erytheia, Herakles became so weary of the burning heat of Helios, he raised his bow and shot an arrow at the Sun; Helios was so amused at Herakles’ impudence that he gave the hero a golden bowl to traverse the western sea; after Herakles had killed Geryon, he put the cattle into the golden bowl and sailed back across the sea.