Cerberus the three-headed dog:

In ancient Greek and Roman mythology, Cerberus is the three-headed dog that guards the entrance into Hades (the underground realm of the dead, and also the name of the god that ruled it).

Cerberus was the kind of dog you would expect the God of hell to own. He had not only three heads but also a mane or snakes, dragon's or snake-like tail and the claws of a lion. (Some earlier description vary, such as Hesiods account of Cerberus as having 50 heads--and even few modern depictions--such as the Beatles Yellow Submarine--give the ultimate hell hound more than three heads). Some versions show Cerberus with three heads from different species: dog, wolf and lion. Also, some artists can't resist showing the snake tail as threefold also--for symmetry.

Cerberus would allow those who had died entry into Hades, but stop the living--and he would not let the dead leave. However he was not above occasional being bribed or charmed in the many tales of heroes going into Hades on their quests. Orpheus was able to get part Cerberus by using the power of music to enchant him. The twelfth and final labor of Hercules was to seize Cerberus from Hades and bring him to Eurystheus.

The jar shown above depicts the heads of Cerberus in three different colors. It shows Hercules presenting Cerberus to king Eurystheus. Hades allowed Hercules to borrow his dog, so long as he was returned unharmed. Upon seeing Cerberus, the alarmed king asked Hercules to return Cerberus to Hades forthwith, and freed him from his labors.

Also know as:

Kerberos, Cereberus

De Rola: Cupiditas

Cerberus in Symbollism

The name Cerberus translates roughly as 'demon of the pit'. Cerberus is naturally associated with death and the underworld, but also with the idea of a compulsive hoarder.

The three head of Cerberus are thought to refer to a number of different things with a threefold nature. For example:

the past, present and future,
birth, adulthood and old age,
or loyalty, obedience and courage.

Because of his three tongues (and implied glibness) Cerberus is sometimes considered symbolic of lawyers, or of being controlled by overwhelming desires (pictured right). Likewise his three heads are sometimes seen as a symbol of evil intelligence or genius. Modern art has created yet more interpretations for the meaning of the three-headed hell-beast.

Cerberus in Art

Cerberus is depicted as the companion of the god of the underworld, Hades. The statue shown right is on display in Museum of Archeology in Crete.Cerberus is often depicted in scultpure just as a three-headed hound, without the snake and serpent embellishments.

Cerberus also appear with Hercules on a vase held in the Louvre. And this 6th century depiction clearly shows a mane of snakes. (See also:200 BC burial caves at Marisa, 1stc Fresco, 2ndc bronze, 4thc AD painting,6thC plate, 6thc redware, On Notre Dame).

Cerberus continues to reappear throughout art history, such as in this fresco depicting the Last Judgement and this Pre-Raphaelite illustration.

One of the best modern two-dimensional depictions of Cerberus is an illustration for the Divine Comedy by William Blake (shown right). Completed around 1825 this work is currently held in the Tate Museum. Ancient depiction of Cerberus sow him as a hound but Blake probably influenced later art which tends to show him closer to a Rottweiler in shape.

A particularly striking recent interpretation is a semi-abstract sculpture by Seymour Lipton (1947). Other great modern Cerberus artworks include Josh Keyes' 2011 "Cerberus" depicts a three-headed tiger and Elizabeth McGrath's 'Cerberus' jeweled figurine.

Cerberus remains an inspiration for a diverse range of modern day for creative expressions including: prints, origami, jewelry, sand sculpture, T-shirts, tattoos, a crochet pattern and Halloween decorations. From high church to steampunk, the variations and reinterpretations are endless!

A particularly striking recent example is the recent 'Lady Gaga as Cerberus' cover of V magazine. I wonder which particular interpretation of the threefold heads was intended here?

Cerberus in Prose and poetry

Cerberus naturally appears in Greek classics such as Aeneid, The Labors of Hercules, Symposium and Iliad.

As a result of this established mythical role Cerberus also appears in literature such as Dante's Inferno.

More recently Cerberus appears in haiku and even comicbooks.

Cerberus in Computer Games

Cerberus is a "monster" in a range of games including: Final Fantasy, God of War, Kingdom Hearts and Mass Effect. Some of these are literally a three-headed dog and other merely namesakes.

Cerberus in Movies

Cerberus (2005) is one of the many low budget Sci Fi channel monster movies. Cerberus attack those who steal the a museum artifact. People run around, Cerberus kills them--not exactly Oscar material.

Character with the name Cerberus appear in shows including Caprica.

Cerberus also appears in:

Clash of the Titans (1981)--Although he was short changed a head and called "Dioskilos".
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001)--Going by the name of "fluffy".

...And the televsion series:

Hercules (1995)

Cerberus in Idiom

The saying "a sop to Cerberus" is used to refer to any concession or bribe given to pacify a difficult customer. It refers to the ancient Greek customer of burying a corpse with a coin to pay Charon and a cake to calm Cerberus so that they can safely enter Hades.

Both Aeneas and Psyche managed to get past Cerberus by bribing him with sweet honey-cakes. (Hermes put him to sleep with water from the river Lethe and Orpheus lulled him with music. All in all he seems to have been a less than a perfectly effective guard dog).

Namesakes

Cerberus supplied the name for:

Companies including Cerberus Capital Management and Cerberus Records
Predictably, a Metal band.
Cerberus Sciences (provider of pathology and other analytical services).
Cerberus the Aardvark--long running comic character created by Dave Sim, and a DC Comic villain (Superman)
The HMVS Cerberus, a steam powered Australian warship commissioned in 1866, and a British frigate sunk during the Revolutionary War.
Products including authentication software for computers and Flying Kerberos beer.