Cerberus: The Three-Headed Dog of Greek Mythology - Myth, Legends and Symbolism, Lecture notes of Literature

Download Cerberus: The Three-Headed Dog of Greek Mythology - Myth, Legends and Symbolism and more Lecture notes Literature in PDF only on Docsity! Cerberus: The Three Headed Dog of Greek Mythology There are many unique creatures mentioned in Greek mythology. One of the most well known may be the three-headed dog known as Cerberus. It was the job of Cerberus to guard the entrance to Hades. In Greek mythology, this was the underworld where spirits of the dead were the only ones allowed to enter. No one was permitted to leave. The Greeks had a deep respect as well as fear of wild dogs. The mythical dog Cerberus is an example of what the Greeks feared most in a dog. It also shows the respect they had for the abilities of dogs to be guardians. Parents According to Greek mythology, Typhon was the father of Cerberus. He was a large fire-breathing dragon who was also a god. He had large glowing red eyes, a hundred wings as well as a hundred heads. The gods who lived on Mount Olympus were very afraid of Typhon. The life mission of Typhon was to destroy the world as well as put obstacles in the path of Zeus who was trying to move toward the Kingdom of Heaven. Typhon was known for his ability to cause fear and spread disaster. The mother of Cerberus was Echidna. She was a creature that was half snake and half human woman. She had the head and torso of a beautiful woman. Echidna was known for her deep black eyes. The lower part of her body was that of a serpent. She lived in a cave and lured men there before she consumed them. Watchdog The primary job of Cerberus in Greek mythology was as a watchdog for the underworld. He was also a faithful servant to Hades, who was the god of the underworld. Cerberus is most often depicted moving along the banks of the river Styx. This river was the established boundary between the dead of the underworld and the living of the earth. Cerberus was responsible for guarding the gates to the underworld. The three-headed dog prevented those were dead from escaping, as well as kept the living from going there without the permission of Hades. Cerberus was very kinds and friendly to the dead, as well as any new spirits who entered the underworld. He would also become savage and would eat any of them who tried to get past him and go back to the land of the living. Cerberus And Heracles Heracles was sent by Euripides, who was the king of Tiryns, to capture Cerberus from the king of the underworld. He wanted the three-headed dog brought back. This is known as the twelfth and final labor of Heracles. The reason this was requested of Heracles by Euripides is that it was believed to be impossible. This is the main reason Heracles wanted to do it. During this task, Heracles had help from the guide of the underworld known as Hermes as well as the goddess Athena Cerberus, the three headed monster lay down meekly to the strains of Orpheus's lyre, after which Orpheus was able to gain passage. Hades and his wife Persephone, granted Eurydice back to Orpheus under one condition: Eurydice must walk behind him as they ascended back to the upper world, and Orpheus was forbidden to look at her. Just before they reached the surface, Orpheus was so overcome with passion that he turned around to look at Orpheus. She was immediately turned into a ghost and sent back to the Underworld forever. Orpheus' own fate was to be dismembered by Thracian maenads, the female worshipers of Dionysus. The Hell Hound Versus Hercules The most famous story of Cerberus involves the half-man, half-god Hercules (Heracles) . As the last of his twelve labors, Eurystheus, the king of Tiryns demanded that Hercules capture and bring Cerberus back alive. Eurystheus was certain that Hercules would fail in this impossible task. Hercules went to the Underworld, found Hades who told him that if could take Cerberus without the use of weapons, he would be allowed to leave the Underworld with the hell hound. When Hercules found Cerberus on the shore of Acheron, he began wrestling with the huge monsterusing only his bare hands. As the world's strongest man, it took all his power to subdue Cerberus. But the monster soon grew weary, and having run out of breath by the strongman's chokehold, finally yielded to Hercules. Cerberus is one of the few monsters who ever met Hercules and survived. Unlike other supernatural beasts that crossed his path, Cerberus was returned safely to Hades, where he resumed guarding the gateway to the Underworld. Cerberus is featured in many works of ancient literature, although the depiction surrounding the mythological creature often differs by authors and cultures. Cerberus appears in Dante's ‘Inferno’, guarding the third circle of Hell rather than the entire Underworld. This is the circle of gluttony, and Cerberus is used to personify uncontrollable appetite. Cerberus is also featured in many prominent works of Roman literature, most famously in Virgil’s ‘ Aeneid’, and the story of Orpheus in Plato’s ‘Symposium’, and in Homer’s ‘Iliad’, which is the only known reference to one of Heracles’ labors which first appeared in a literary source. Norse mythology has an equivalent of Cerberus where Hell is guarded by a four-eyed dog named Garm. In Egypt, his incarnation was Anubis, the dog that guarded tombs and conducted the souls to the Underworld. Some writers, such as the Greek poets Hesiod and Horace, claim Cerberus had as many as 50 or 100 heads and in other descriptions, they are in the shape of a lion, dog, and wolf, respectively. In popular culture, a character based on the beast appears in the Harry Potter film , The Philosopher’s Stone. Called Fluffy, he is lulled to sleep by a flute by Harry in a manner quite similar to the story of Orpheus and Eurydice. Citation Hill, Bryan. “Cerberus: Legendary Hell Hound of the Underworld.” Ancient Origins, Ancient Origins, 11 June 2019, www.ancient-origins.net/myths-legends-europe/cerberus-legendary-hell-hound- underworld-003142. i a away and came back with three golden apples. “Hang Heracles knew he couldn't find his way to the Underworld i | onto the sky a bit longer and I'll take them to King on his own. He again asked the goddess Athene for help hee i i Eurystheus for you,” said Atlas. Heracles suspected a trick; and she sent Hermes, the gods’ messenger, to guide him. he thought Atlas would never return and he’d have to hold | Together, they walked through tunnels to the black River f c | ae up the sky forever. Styx which you had to cross to get into the Underworld. ie | “Thank you,” said Heracles, “but, before you go, could you } There Charon, an old boatman, refused to take them : ' just help me to make the weight more comfortable. Take it | across. “You know | can only take dead people,” he said es | for a moment while | settle my cloak on my shoulders.” | grumpily. Heracles argued with him for so long that ee And he passed the sky to Atlas. When he was free, Charon agreed to ferry him across, but not Hermes. Heracles picked up the three golden apples, said goodbye to Atlas, and hurried back to King Eurystheus. On the other side of the river, Heracles walked through more misty tunnels, past drifting ghosts of the dead. At last, he saw Pluto, the King of the Underworld, and Persephone, siting on their misty thrones. “Please may | take Cerebus away with me?” he asked, Gu a rd Dog of € h e Un d erwo rl d@ “You may take the dog, but you must return it unharmed,” said Pluto. Heracles thanked Pluto and hurried to the Underworld's gates where Cerebus stood guard. The ay, “Your last task is the most i dog’s three heads barked and growled at him. difficult of all,” King Eurystheus said to Heracles. “Go to the Underworld and bring back Cerebus, the fierce three-headed dog which guards its gates.” ie eee ad onnomguns wna Heracles crouched, waiting. When Cerebus leapt at him, he wrestled with the dog until it lay still, exhausted. 2  Then he dragged the dog back to the River Styx, into the boat, and then all the way back to King Eurystheus’s palace. When the King saw the dog, growling and snarling, he screamed with fright and jumped into his pot again. “There,” shouted Heracles, “I've completed my tasks. I'm no longer your slave. | am free,” and he dragged Cerebus back to the Underworld. Then he went to the temple of the gods and knelt in front of the priestess. “Heracles,” she said, “you have proved you are strong and very brave. You are forgiven for killing your children.” Heracles thanked her and quietly left the temple. The gods and goddesses were so pleased with Heracles, they invited him to Mount Olympus. Zeus, his father, greeted him. “You have done well,” he thundered. Heracles stayed in his palace for a while before leaving for many more adventures. Echo and Narcissus Echo was a wood nymph who could never stop talking. She strolled through the forests, always chattering away and giggling very loudly. The goddess Hera was irritated by the noise and asked her to be quiet, but Echo couldn't stop. When Hera found out that, as well as always prattling on and on, Echo also told her lies, she was very angry. She pointed her finger at Echo and ordered, “Be silent. From now on, you will repeat only what other people Say fo you.” Echo opened her mouth to protest but no words came. She couldn't speak. “You may go now,” commanded Hera. “Go now,” repeated Echo. She tried to scream but couldn't make a sound. Horrified, she stumbled away through the woods, lonely and miserable. None of her friends wanted to be with her now. One day she saw Narcissus. Echo hid and watched him. She had never seen such a handsome young il*E E--o E.gre€ EE€E^AeP i sF€oE :^E;F:=5 35.3€s-: : g, E3=f#g E;gEE=5 EE€-;Eq.E B:3:: I E :-: q E E E E = . s = e = d =-€ e = ,E * =: E ,r r EE;*EEE E?E;i=a =E€E::I EE9iE5 !EFgESE EEgE!;* ,=3-:qE:E =s€EE'= FAEFaE* EEEEAEE A:E#E€3 E;EEEE ::fiEE== €-gtE_sE! 5i=_;as= E;r:gE E:.c*E#€_ €FEEE€€ E€FE;g; EE3=€; ,! €**E_€Et E#E_EE-3E E 3€=i= ; $ +E E Er= $E€€EE€€ EEEE€EiE EFEEE:€ 5E€EEj I IF:€=€EE gEEEEE€g ;€iAEF; gEEE3; S F=g==EE# #:E-g€EEE F=gE gE€ E =g E5€: €to^, d: O s: g s { E=-' g= ; G Er =N - ll = =.= = E= ..9Ee'Eb _Es= it- h eoSYbF 5:9P.6 E @ a o = c '= oc a cL= = j > EE ,E= .95 .E;E€ ie ,+€€ l'l\t Tur SEnpnur-WorrlaN's Pup into a new little horror, he would send rich gifts-something he could afford to do, for the treasures of the earth belonged to him. As our story begins, which is not long after thc world began, Hades was still organizing his kingdom. It must be undcr- stood that this realm was nor pure hell; it was also a placc of rewards for those who had pleased the gods. The Underworld also held a vast zone known as Limbo, where wandered the shades of those who had neither pleased nor displeased the gods. There were no torments here, nor pleasures either-just a faceless horde of gray, vaporous ghosts pressed so thickly together they seemed like a mist rolling over the plain. occasionally, a faint wailing sound arose, not weeping but a muted lament as if they rcaltzed that they had been condemned, not by Hades but by habit, to spend their deaths as they had spenr their lives. One day Echidne laid a curiously lumpy egg. It hatched into a three-headed dog. Its middle head was wolfish, with stand- up ears and great, glowing dark eyes. The right head was skull- like and popeyed, a bull terrier's head. And the left head was that of a hound with flap ears, mournful eyes, and quivering nose. All three heads had huge jaws with teeth like daggers. Though only a pup, it was already the size of a calf, and everyone looking upon it knew that, if allowed to live, it would grow as largc as a bull. The monster family was gathered in an enormous undersea cave. No water entered it, but it was part of thc sca and filled with wet, sapphire light. All who had been born there and drawn their first breath of its salt-strong air returned from time to time, no matter how far they roamed. The three-headed puppy stood blinking as he gazed about him. Newly hatched creatures always look about eagerly to see what kind of a world they have entered. And this pup had six, eyes to peer out with. The three heads turned, the six eyes rolled, searching every corner of the dark cavern, trying to read the shadows. 3 l. dt i\; ;.'1,&(g ,w :vT' laid a curiously It hatched into a ;-! ...''ta (6 * idne t , ,'r*..-i - _. tS?'" ' r'JilftE\',a.-i lumpy egg. three-headed dog. His middle eyes fixed on a pair of huge feet. Tall columns of muscle sprouted upward. . . up . . . up . . and the rest of the body was lost in darkness. The side heads swiveled to fix their eyes where the middle head was staring. The dog saw huge, bolsterlike toes planted too near his mother. Three necks felt hackles rising. Three muzzles wrinkled. The single, untried heart, already fearless, began to race with wild rage. With a triple snarl the pup flung himself on the foot. Each pair of jaws snapped off a toe. A tremendous yell split the shad- ows. The other foot swung in a savage kick. But the Puppy leaped out of the way. He scuttled off to a corner and began chewing on a toe. They were Typhon's toes he had bitten off. He didn't know that the giant was his father, didn't know what a father was, and wouldn't have cared if he had known. All he knew was hungcr and rage and a wild joyous curiosity about this place so much more exciting than the egg-this new place with its dancing shadows and sudden voices and flailing feet and tasty lumps of gristle. Hades, ruler of the hereafer and master of torment, was not easy to surPrise. Echidne liked to slide her long, serpentine body through such hoops when she performed her hunting dance before a shark chase. "You are generous, fly lord," said Echidne. "If these gorgeous hoops are meant as an- other birthing gift, then I accePt them with thanks. But if they are offered as a purchase price for this pup, I must refuse. I doubt that he'll go underground to scrvc you, Hades, or cver serve anyone anywhere. All my chil- drcn havc indcpcndcnt spirits, as you know. But none of them are as willful and stubborn as this one, young as he is." Before Hades had a chance to reply, Cerberus began to prove his mother's words. The pup had been seized by an irir- mediate loathing for the tall, black-caped figure standing before him. But he knew that his mother would be displeased if he attacked Hades while she was speaking to him, so he dashed at the horses instead. Instinctively cunning, Cerberus avoided being crushed un- der their great hooves. He sprang to the shafts of the chariot and, bit through the harness, then whirled faster and faster, his three pairs ofjaws becoming a circle of teeth. The sight was so ghastly that the stallions kicked themselves free of the shafts and bolted down the beach, trailing their reins behind them. Cerberus scampered after them, barking furiously. Hades, ruler of the hereafter and master of torment' was not easy to surprise. But now he stood stupefred, watching his gigantic black stallions being chased across the beach by " four- day-old puppy. The horses had disappeared in a cloud of sand, and thc pup came racing back, muzzles wrinkled, not barking now, but uttering a triple snarl. He charged over the sand and launched himself through the air, straight at Flades' throat. , lsiF .-r ffi1ffi HADps'Vrsrr It was only Echidne's swiftness that saved the god from an unspeakable affront. Quick as rhe flick of an eyelid, shc flipped her tail, catching the pup in mid-air and knocking hin-r to thc sand. Swiftly, she curled her serpenr's tail about him, binding him fast. "My lord, I beg your forgiveness," she said. "But hc's vcry young. Too young still to distinguish friend from foe. " "I bear no grudge, " said Hades coldly. "Let us hope that his judgment ripens with age." "In the days to come, " said Echidne, "I shall explain to him how much your favor has meant to our family. In the meantime, my lord, I observe that your demons have caught the horses. I think it best if I leave you now, and cool this young one off with a long swim. " "Take these golden baubles with you," said Hades. "They are yours. I shall leave it to you, Echidne, to convince the brave little fellow of the advantages that will accrue to anyone entering my employment at the highest level-and I mean highest. He would rank with Charon and Hecate as my chief aides. " Echidne reached down, lifted cerberus from her coils, and held him tightly in her arms as she wriggled through the golden hoops, and slithered into the water. "Farewell, " she cried. "Thank you again. " "Farewell to you," said Hades. "But I shall reserve my thanks until a later date. " "You're a wicked, wicked, reckless pup, " Echidne mur- mured to Cerberus, as she glided through the water. "But I love you more than all my other children combined. And you shall never go underground to work for that arrogant fiend as long as I live. Still, we must beware. His disappointment can''curdle into hatred-and his powers are vast. " cerberus did not answer. He was fast asleep in his mother's arms. 9 B Decoy ondDeoth t was a sunny morning. Cerberus was sullenly prowling the beach. Delia had gone to the tidal pool, bidding him not to come, fo. she knew he was jealous of the attention she paid her father's animal patients. The shadow of great wings glided over the beach; Cerberus crouched, hackles rising. He goggled in surprise at the creature hovering above him-a female figure with brass wings and a whip curled at her belt. She was tall and stern-looking, white-haired, but with a young face. She landed nearby and came striding toward him. "Greetings, Cerberus," she said. He had no way of knowing she was a Harpy; he didn't know there was such a thing. But he remembered something his mother had told him. "Are you one of my Gorgon aunts?" he asked. "'why, yes, " said the Harpy, who, like all those who work for the King of Hell, had been taught to lie very smoothly. "That's who I am, an aunt. But I come on a sad errand, dear nephew. Your mother is quite ill. " ,,TTI? HCr?" "Well, wounded. She chose. to take on a shark and octopus simultaneously, both the biggest of their kind. She was almost strangled, and lost much blood before she could dispose of them' " 39