Can you imagine caring for a three-headed dog? Or seeing one walk down the street? In Greek Mythology, there was such a dog. Its name was Cerberus. The dog had three snapping, snarling heads. The only people that the dog respected were Hades, Persephone, and Hercules. You might be wondering: What would anyone do with a dog like that? That was actually easy: The Gods would set the three headed dog to guard the gateway between the realm of the dead and the realm of the living.

Birth of Cerberus

Echidna was a half woman half serpent woman. Her human half was amazingly beautiful. However, she was evil, cruel, and generally avoided by the gods. Typhon (Typhoeus) was the last son of Tartarus and Gaia. He was a god of the wind. Most other gods avoided him at all costs. It is assumed that the other deities of the Greek pantheon were afraid of Typhon. Therefore, it was natural that Echidna and Typhon would meet and realize that they had things in common.

Echidna and her husband Typhon parented many of the beasts in the mythical world. This pair birthed creatures such as the Nemean Lion, the Hydra, and the Chimera. Of those beasts was the three-headed dog, Cerberus. The description does not stop at three heads either. The Cerberus was said to have a mane of snakes, reptilian tail, while the rest of the body remained like that of a dog.

Though the actual birth was not much of a story, the rest of the creature’s life is worth noting.

Cerberus and Hades

The three heads of Cerberus desired only live meat. The dog was uncontrollable around humans. Zeus could have stepped in and made the dog go to Hades, but there are actually no stories concerning how the dog and Hades met. However, they had to have met somehow and Hades saw the potential of such a beast.

The dog was charged as a guardian of the portal to the death realm. The dog did not attack the dead so they could pass him without trouble. However, if the living tried to get in, Cerberus was allowed to attack. If a soul tried to leave, Cerberus was to sound the alarm. However, spirits rarely tried to leave Hades.

Cerberus and Hercules

Hercules had been driven mad by Hera at one point, killed his wife and children, as well as many others. When he came to, he went immediately to receive absolution. The father of Hercules’ wife, King Eurystheus gave Hercules twelve labors to perform. One of those labors was the task of capturing Cerberus. Hercules was to do so without aid of man, weapons, or tools.

After learning how to enter and leave the underworld, Hercules asked Hades permission to take the dog above. Hades apparently thought that Hercules could not do it, so agreed, as long as the dog was not harmed. He also quoted the stipulations that king Eurystheus had made. After a fierce but short battle, Hercules was able to overcome the dog. He hefted the dog over his back and carried it out of the underworld.

Cerberus and Herbs

When Hercules pulled Cerberus from the cave of the underworld, it is said that Cerberus drooled. The drops of his slobber landed on some weeds around the cave, which were then watered. Because of being watered by the drool of Cerberus, a new plant formed and was called “Wolfsbane”. In later mythologies, this plant would be used as a ward for other mythical canines like werewolves.

The End of Cerberus

There is no end to the Cerberus legend. As far as anyone knows, it is very possible, mythically, that the dog is still guarding the underworld.