Cerberus

:This article is about the mythical 3-headed guard dog. For other uses, see Cerberus (disambiguation).

Related Topics:
Myth - Cerberus (disambiguation)

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In Greek mythology, Cerberus (Greek Κέρβερος, Kerberos, demon of the pit), was the hound of Hades—a monstrous three-headed dog (sometimes said to have 50 or 100 heads) with a snake for a tail and innumerable snake heads on his back.

Related Topics:
Greek mythology - Greek - Demon - Hound - Hades - Head - Dog - Snake - Tail - Back

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He guarded the gate to Hades (the Greek underworld) and ensured that the dead could not leave and the living could not enter. His brother was Orthrus. He is the offspring of Echidna and Typhon.

Related Topics:
Orthrus - Echidna - Typhon

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He was overcome several times:

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• Heracles' final labour was to capture Cerberus, which he did by treating it with the first kindness it had ever received.
• Orpheus used his musical skills to lull Cerberus to sleep.
• Hermes puts him to sleep with water from the river Lethe.
• In Roman mythology, Aeneas lulled Cerberus to sleep with drugged honeycakes.
• In a later Roman tale, Psyche also lulled Cerberus to sleep with drugged honeycakes.

He can be found also in Dante's Divine Comedy, in Canto VI of Inferno (third circle).

Related Topics:
Dante - Divine Comedy

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Cerberus: Heracles' capturing of Cerberus ►