In Greek mythology, Helios lent Hercules a golden cup for the voyage to Geryon’s island.
During the tenth labor, Hercules had to travel to the far west to obtain Geryon’s red cattle. The journey crossed waters that Greek storytellers imagined as difficult and remote. In a well-known version, Hercules asked the sun god Helios for help, and Helios lent him the golden cup or bowl in which the sun traveled across the sea at night.
Hercules used this magical vessel to cross the ocean and reach Erytheia. The episode links the hero’s labor cycle with ancient ideas about the sun’s daily movement from west to east.
Later summaries sometimes omit the cup entirely, which can make the story seem like an ordinary sea voyage. Poseidon, Hermes, and Apollo also appear elsewhere in Greek myths, but Helios is the god connected with this particular aid.