You can see an image of The Golden Apples card to the right. Notice the name of the card and the image depicted in said card.
The name is plural and yet the picture only shows one single apple. This can actually be related to the apples of the Hesperides.
But, first, what are the Hesperides? The Hesperides appear in Greek Mythology and they pertain to two things. First, they can refer to nymphs, commonly thought to be 3 in number.
Second, they can refer to a garden that is either filled with a single tree or with a multitude of trees. This can explain why there is a discrepancy in the name of the Yu-Gi-Oh! card and the picture shown on said card.
The goddess of the earth, Gaia, gave these apples to Hera as a wedding present when the latter got married to Zeus, the king of the gods.
The nymphs of the Hesperides were the ones tasked by Hera to tend to the garden. The garden itself was home to golden apples that some say can give one immortality and this can be likened to how powerful The Golden Apples trap card can be.
As long as you are able to fulfill the requirements of the card, you can get a high-powered Malus Token.
Ladon's job is to protect the golden apples. Some say that Hera added the dragon to prevent the nymphs from eating the golden apples.
The dragon can be likened to how the Yu-Gi-Oh! card in question has several requirements that you need to fulfill before you can activate it.
The Garden of the Hesperides is heavily protected by Ladon in the same way that The Golden Apples card is protected by the requirements and conditions that you need to fulfill before you can activate said card.
So if your side of the field isn't empty and you still control even just one monster, then you can't activate this trap card even if you take battle damage.
If you manage to get past Ladon, then you can have a taste of the Golden Apples of the Hesperides in the Garden of the Hesperides.
This will allow you to gain the life points that you lost, making it seem as if you didn't lose any life points in the first place.
In addition to that, you can also special summon a Malus token whose attack and defense are equal to the amount of life points that you just gained.
With that, wouldn't you say that The Golden Apples Yu-Gi-Oh! trap card can be as cool and awesome as the Golden Apples of the Hesperides that can give you immortality?
*Notes:
- Image with added text was modified by Freya Yuki based on the image by Edward Burne-Jones (Public Domain) from Wikimedia Commons
- Pic depicts the Garden of the Hesperides, the nymphs, Ladon and the Golden Apples of the Hesperides
- The rest of the pics are enlarged product images from Amazon.com; links shown above via Amazon's Native Shopping Ads widget
