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The Ministry Emblem, inspired by the Greek Mythology.

The main picture is a scene from the Garden of the Hesperides, showing three of the nymphs around Ladon and The Golden Apple Tree, taken from a ceramic of 400-410 b.C., now stored in the British Museum (along with other "legaly bought" antiquities from Greece).

The Hesperides were nymphs who lived in a beautiful garden, situated in the Arcadian Mountains (Greece) or,
alternatively, at the western extreme of
the Mediterranean, near Mt. Atlas
(hence they are sometimes considered daughters of Atlas).

The Hesperides were Aegle, Erytheia, Hesperia and Arethusa (Arethusa was well known in several different parts of Greece, usually the Pelopponnese and Sicily. The river-god Alpheus* fell madly in love with her, but she fled to Sicily. There she was changed into a fountain [the Fonte Aretusa, in Syracuse] by Artemis. Alpheus made his way beneath the sea, and united his waters with those of Arethusa).

In this garden grew the tree with the golden apples which Gaia had given as a present to Hera on her wedding to Zeus.

The garden was guarded by Ladon, a dragon with a hundred heads. The only one who succeeded in obtaining some of the apples was Heracles, who tricked Atlas to get them for him. Thus Heracles completed the eleventh of his Twelve Labors.

The word Ladon, is written in Greek at the right top of the emblem.

*Notice: Alpheus is the river that Ladon connects with near the borders of Arcadia and flows by the site of Ancient Olympia.