Definition: The three-headed, serpent-tailed dog Cerberus was the offspring of Echidna and Typhon. In Hesiod's Theogony, Cerberus had not three, but fifty heads.
Cerberus was a fierce, pitiless, flesh-eating watchdog, stationed by the River Styx, from which post he would keep the living from entering the land of the dead. Even the gods feared Cerberus, but Hercules (Heracles), for his 12th Labor, had to kidnap the three headed dog and bring him to King Eurystheus. Vergil included in his Aeneid a trip to the Underworld, in which it was necessary for the Roman hero, Aeneas, to get past Cerberus. In Book VI of the Aeneid, the Sibyl threw tranquilizers to each of the three heads of Cerberus so Aeneas could pass in safety.
Orpheus and Psyche were two other mortals who managed to get by Cerberus.
Also Known As: Hell Hound, Hound of Hades
Alternate Spellings: Cerberos, Kerberos
