Cerberus – Guardian of the Underworld

Cerberus, the three-headed dog, has its origin in Greek mythology. The monstrous creature was the offspring of Typhon and Echidna, therefore the dog was the brother of the Lernaean Hydra, the Nemean Lion and Chimera.

The name Cerberus derives from the Greek, which can mean meat eater or demon of the pit. Besides having 3 heads, Cerberus also had a serpent tail and, in some depictions, also had a mane made of snakes.

The dog lived in the underworld and was responsible for protecting the gates which gave access to the kingdom of Hades. The Tartarus was found in the underworld, as well as the Asphodel Meadows and the Elysian Fields,

The three-headed dog had, as one of his roles, the responsibility to welcome the soul of the dead, often showing his friendly manners, particularly if the cadaver of the dead had been buried with an offering to the dog.

But everything changed if the spirit wanted to walk back. Cerberus presented himself as a horrible creature, preventing the souls to return to the world of the living.

But some mortal beings managed to deceive Cerberus with some artifacts. One of them was Orpheus, who descended to the underworld in search of his beloved Eurydice. Cerberus was enchanted by Orpheus’ lyre and fell asleep.

Another hero who managed to surpass the hellish dog was the Trojan Aeneas, who escaped the monster after throwing him a honey cake with a stupefying substance.

One day, an unexpected daring man entered the underworld, his name was Hercules, the greatest of all the heroes. The last of his renowned 12 works was to capture the underworld’s guardian dog. Hercules asked Hades to allow him to take the dog to the king Eurystheus. The God of the underworld allowed Hercules to try to capture the animal, as long as he did not use any weapon.

Read about Hercules encounter with Cerberus here!

The Hero fought the animal with his own hands. Hercules managed to defeat the animal and took him to Eurystheus, who, frightened, hid in a barrel.

After completing his last task, Hercules was free from his obligation and the dog was able to return to the world of the dead. Back in hell, Cerberus had ahead of him what would be a delicious task, to devour a mortal being. Pirithous dared to kidnap Persephone, Hades’ wife. As punishment he ended up as a meal for Cerberus.

The figure of the three-headed dog head became quite popular, it is possible to find it in games, in comics and movies like Harry Potter. Despite being a fascinating figure, we all want to avoid the inevitable encounter with the guardian of the underworld as much as we can.