Cerberus

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).

In Their Own Story

Cerberus' only mythology concerns his capture by Heracles. As early as Homer, Heracles was sent by Eurystheus, king of Tiryns, to bring back Cerberus from Hades, the king of the underworld. According to Apollodorus, this was the twelfth and final labour. In a fragment from the lost play Pirithous (attributed to Euripides or Critias), Heracles says Eurystheus commanded him to bring back Cerberus not from any desire to see him, but because Eurystheus thought the task impossible. Heracles was aided by being an initiate of the Eleusinian Mysteries: Euripides calls his initiation 'lucky' for capturing Cerberus; Diodorus Siculus and Apollodorus say he was initiated in preparation for his descent. He also had help from Hermes and Athena. By most accounts, Heracles descended through an entrance at Tainaron, first mentioned in connection with the Cerberus story by Hecataeus of Miletus. While in the underworld, Heracles met Theseus and Pirithous, held prisoner by Hades for attempting to carry off Persephone. According to Apollodorus, Heracles freed Theseus, but when he tried to raise Pirithous, 'the earth quaked and he let go.' The earliest evidence for Theseus and Pirithous in the Cerberus story is a shield-band relief (c. 560 BC) from Olympia. For the capture itself, Apollodorus says Heracles asked Hades for Cerberus; Hades allowed it only if Heracles 'mastered him without the use of the weapons which he carried.' Using his lion-skin as a shield, Heracles squeezed Cerberus around the head until he submitted. In some early sources, the capture involved Heracles fighting Hades: Homer (Iliad 5.395–397) has Hades injured by an arrow from Heracles; a scholium explains Hades commanded Heracles to 'master Cerberus without shield or Iron,' and when Hades still opposed him, Heracles shot Hades in anger.

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.

Did You Know?

• Hesiod's Theogony (c. 8th–7th century BC) describes Cerberus as having fifty heads, while Pindar (c. 522–c. 443 BC) gives him one hundred heads.
• The earliest artistic depiction of Cerberus (c. 590–580 BC) shows him as a normal single-headed dog; the first three-headed Cerberus appears on a mid-sixth-century BC Laconian cup.
• Cerberus was the brother of three other multi-headed monsters: the Lernaean Hydra, Orthrus (the two-headed dog), and the Chimera (with heads of a lion, a goat, and a snake).
• In the rationalized account of Hecataeus of Miletus (fl. 500–494 BC), Cerberus is described as a large poisonous snake.
• According to Apollodorus, Heracles captured Cerberus by squeezing him around the head until he submitted, using his lion-skin as a shield because Hades forbade the use of weapons.