In the Twelve Labors of Hercules, Hercules used the Cup of Helios to cross the sea to Geryon’s island.
Hercules’ tenth labor required him to reach the distant island of Erytheia, where Geryon kept his red cattle. The voyage westward was so difficult that Hercules threatened the sun with his bow because its heat obstructed him. Impressed by the hero’s boldness, Helios lent him a golden cup or vessel.
Hercules used this divine container to travel across the ocean and reach Erytheia. After completing the labor, he returned with the cattle in the same vessel in versions that include the episode. The story reflects ancient Greek ideas about the sun traveling across the sky by day and returning by a different route at night.
The vessel is sometimes described as a golden cup, bowl, or cauldron in translations. These terms refer to the same mythic object associated with Helios, not to the Argo or another famous ship.