Cerberus
In Greek and Roman mythology, Cerberus is Hades' three headed dog, and a protector of the underworld. He guarded the doors to the underworld so ruthlessly that anyone other than Hades who tried to enter through them was eaten by the dog, and any soul that tried to leave the underworld was consumed or destroyed by the hound as well.
↻ synthesized from 14 sources
When
- First attested
- 800 BCE
- Attested period
- -800 – 2020
- Historical notes
- Attested in Greek and Roman mythology.
Relationships
- co occurs with
- Camazotz, Cabeiri, Cailleach, Caipora, Camulatz, Candileja, Canaima, Canotila, Caoineag, Cat Sidhe, Ceasg, Ceffyl Dŵr, Cercopes, Chakora, Chamrosh, Chaneque, Čhápa, Chenoo, Chepi, Cherufe, Chibaiskweda, Chimimōryō, Chindi, Chinthe, Chonchon, Choorile, Chort, Echidna, Nemean lion, Agathyrsus, Gelonus, Scythes, Sucellus, Nantosuelta, Ogmios, Nehalennia, Arecurius, Cadmilos, Tinia, Turmś Aitaś, Fufluns, Apulu, Camillus, Mithrobarzanes, Apis, Userhapi, Charon, Adonis, Enodia, Alexiares, Anicetus, Iris, Leinth, Mean, Pluto, Acheron, Proserpina, Alecton, Helen, Nephytha, Prince Who Was a Thousand, Persephone, Hera, Athena, Demeter, Amphitrite, Hephaestus, Poseidon, Aglaia, chalkydri, Charybdis, sphinxes, Osiris, Hecate, Hermes, Dionysus, Heracles, Zeus, Artemis (Diana), Apollo, Ares, Aphrodite, Medusa
- sibling of
- Scylla, Caucasian Eagle, Lernaean Hydra, Ladon, Gorgons, Chimera, Colchian dragon, Orthrus
- enemy of
- Hercle
- served by
- Serapis
- syncretized with
- Anubis
Mentioned by
- chalkydri
- Charybdis
- sphinxes
- Osiris
- Hecate
- Hermes
- Dionysus
- Heracles
- Zeus
- Artemis (Diana)
- Apollo
- Ares
- Aphrodite
- Medusa
- Echidna
- Typhon
and 2 more
Sources
- peer reviewed
Source passages
“In Greek and Roman mythology, Hades' three headed dog, Cerberus, was a protector of the underworld. He guarded the doors to the underworld so ruthlessly that anyone other than Hades who tried to enter through them was eaten by the dog, and any soul that tried to leave the underworld was consumed or destroyed by the hound as well.”
#4039 · extracted by google/gemini-2.0-flash-001
“Cerberus (Greek) – Three-headed dog that guards the entrance to the underworld”
#4197 · extracted by anthropic/claude-sonnet-4.5
“First there was Orthrus, the two-headed dog who guarded the Cattle of Geryon, second Cerberus, the multiheaded dog who guarded the gates of Hades, and third the Lernaean Hydra, the many-headed serpent who, when one of its heads was cut off, grew two back.”
#6197 · extracted by google/gemini-2.0-flash-001
“She appears with Dis Pater in a statue found at Oberseebach, Switzerland, and in several magical texts from Austria, once in the company of Cerberus and once probably with Ogmios.”
#12477 · extracted by google/gemini-2.0-flash-001
“In this capacity he is sometimes shown on Etruscan sarcophagi—in one case side by side with Charun and Cerberus.”
#14696 · extracted by google/gemini-2.0-flash-001