Geryon was the three-bodied giant whose red cattle Hercules had to bring back in the tenth labor.
Ancient Greek writers describe Geryon as a monster with three bodies joined at the waist, although artistic and literary details vary. He lived in Erytheia, an island at the far western edge of the known world, and owned a famous herd of red cattle. The herdsman Eurytion and the two-headed dog Orthrus guarded the animals.
Hercules crossed into the western regions, killed the guardians, and defeated Geryon before driving the cattle home. The episode helped ancient storytellers place Hercules at the geographical limits of the Mediterranean world. Because Geryon, Eurytion, and Orthrus all appear in the same episode, their names are often mixed up; Geryon is the giant, not the herdsman or watchdog.