Cerberus

The multi-headed hound of Hades that guards the gates of the underworld.

Cerberus, often referred to as the hound of Hades, is a multi-headed dog that guards the gates of the underworld to prevent the dead from leaving. He was the offspring of the monsters Echidna and Typhon, and was usually described as having three heads, a serpent for a tail, and snakes protruding from his body. Cerberus is primarily known for his capture by Heracles, the last of Heracles' twelve labours.

Quick Facts

Species: Mythical Beast

Lore & Background

Cerberus was the offspring of Echidna and Typhon, making him brother to other multi-headed monsters: the Lernaean Hydra, Orthrus (the two-headed dog guarding the Cattle of Geryon), and the Chimera (with heads of a lion, a goat, and a snake). Descriptions of his heads vary: Hesiod's Theogony (c. 8th–7th century BC) gives him fifty heads; Pindar (c. 522–c. 443 BC) gives him one hundred; later writers almost universally give him three. Horace describes a Cerberus with one dog head and one hundred snake heads.

Apollodorus gives him three dog heads and heads of 'all sorts of snakes' along his back. The earliest artistic depiction (c. 590–580 BC) shows a normal single-headed dog; the first three-headed Cerberus appears on a mid-sixth-century BC Laconian cup. Cerberus was also part snake: his mother Echidna was half-snake, his father Typhon snake-headed. Hecataeus of Miletus (fl. 500–494 BC) rationalized Cerberus as a large poisonous snake.

Virgil has snakes writhe around Cerberus' neck; Ovid describes a venomous mouth and necks 'vile with snakes'; Seneca gives him a mane of snakes and a single snake tail. Other traits: he ate raw flesh (Hesiod), had eyes that flashed fire (Euphorion), a three-tongued mouth (Horace), and acute hearing (Seneca).

Reader's Guide

Cerberus is the multi-headed dog that guards the gates of the underworld, preventing the dead from leaving. His capture by Heracles was the twelfth and final labour imposed by Eurystheus. Heracles descended into the underworld through an entrance at Tainaron, aided by his initiation into the Eleusinian Mysteries and by Hermes and Athena. While there, he encountered Theseus and Pirithous, who were being held prisoner by Hades; Heracles freed Theseus but could not free Pirithous.

To capture Cerberus, Heracles asked Hades for permission; Hades agreed only if Heracles mastered Cerberus without weapons. Heracles used his lion-skin as a shield and squeezed Cerberus around the head until he submitted. In some versions, Heracles also fought Hades, shooting him with an arrow when Hades opposed him. Cerberus' appearance varies: he is usually three-headed, but early sources give him fifty or one hundred heads; he has a serpent for a tail, snakes protruding from his body, and traits such as raw-flesh eating, flashing eyes, a three-tongued mouth, and acute hearing.

What players say: Player verdict on Hades — Rotten Tweets