To Hell And Back: A Look At The Mythological Life Of Cerberus

To Hell and Back: A Look at the Mythological Life of Cerberus

There was a certain demon that patrolled the gates of Hades in classical Greek

mythology. Known and feared by many as Cerberus (Also known as Kerberos), this impeccable

canine-like monster was known to allow anyone to pass freely into the underworld, Hades, but

make it his mission to let none escape from inside, regardless of how they had entered. What

exactly is Cerberus, and where did he originate? What tales depict Cerberus as a character from

within them, and what were his roles in these myths? For what reasons would the cultures of

old come up with such a beast? One must research to find out all aspects of this mythological

beast, in character and in role, to compare and contrast the many stories and descriptions of

Cerberus. Only after can one come up with a legitimate response to such questions.

“Cerberus was the guardian of the Greek Underworld, and a faithful servant of Hades

(the god who ruled that gloomy realm). He was represented as a grotesque dog who

had three heads (although the poet Hesiod claims that Cerberus had fifty heads - quite

an extravagant number), all of which snarled at those foolish enough to attempt to

leave the Underworld; the dog also had the tail of a serpent.” (Loggia.com).

The beast was best known to be represented as a gruesome dog-like creature that had

three heads, a mane of snake heads (because of the snake heads, sometimes depicted as

having 50 heads) and the tail of a serpent. (Loggia.com). It is also a widespread theory that the

three heads may have consisted of the middle head being that of a lion, and the other two the

heads of a dog and wolf, respectively. According to Joel Levy, Cerberus was known to have the

disposition of a pit-bull Rottweiler in a butcher’s shop. He had bright, vicious eyes and a blood

red tongue. The beast was a slobbery one, with polished claws and a sleek, reptilian coat. The

serpentine tail was poisonous. “Like the Gorgons, Cerberus was so dreadful to behold that

anyone that looked upon him was turned to stone.”(Levy). Perhaps the Greeks and other

cultures came about the concept of a multi-headed beast to guard the way out of the

underworld, as more eyes are more watchful вЂ" meaning slipping past Cerberus or slipping past

death would be that much more difficult. The frightfully effective description of this gruesome

“watchdog” may be symbolic to its time period in history, to show that people were able to

escape neither the underworld, nor death. Myths and stories were passed down from

generation to generation, and for the most part many people believed in myths and gods,

making the “watchdog” an accurate conceptual symbol of the everlasting clutch of the after-

life.

The origins of Cerberus are mostly the same, regardless of what sources are accounted

for. “…the Hound of Hell is first explicitly called Cerberus. The offspring of Echidna and Typhon,

a brother of Geryon’s dog, Orthus, and the Hydra of Lerna.” (McKay 388). Echidna was a half

nymph, half speckled snake, while Typhoeus was a fire breathing dragon with one hundred

heads. According to J. M. Hunt, these two great beasts were known to mate often in Greek

mythology, birthing many terrifying beasts that are now scattered throughout the tales of

mythology. (Hunt). Some of these beasts worth noting are said to be Cerberus’ siblings, most

well known of these being the Chimera and Hydra, and his brother Orthrus, the two-headed

hellhound. (Loggia.com). It is likely that many of the terrifying creatures from mythology are

unable to have a realistic origin of parents, because, for the most part, the creatures are unlike

any creature known to exist in reality. Giving a realistic parent to an unrealistic creature that is

unlike nothing else would be conflicting with its credibility and may sunder their believability

when it came to storytelling, and so the creatures are unique in their own right. The Typhous вЂ"

Echidna theory of them parenting a vast majority of the monster population is perhaps just an

easy and convenient way to explain the origins of such things where the lack of a realistic

example would not be available to myth-tellers and the like.

The monster Cerberus plays a few roles in mythological stories. “…the role Cerberus

played in frightening shades and preventing egress from the underworldвЂ¦Ð²Ð‚Ñœ (Leary 314). The

main role of the beast was to guard the link between the living and the dead. Between Earth

and the Underworld, it was his duty to make sure that it was not breached from either side. It is

legitimately valid