Why does cerberus guard hades

Others claim that Cerberus escaped and returned to the underworld on his own. Cerberus is featured in many different types of literature. There are a number of Roman works of literature where Cerberus is mentioned. In Norse mythology, there is a dog that is similar to Cerberus and is known as Garm. In Egypt, the dog that guards the tombs of the pharaohs, and guides the souls to the underworld is known as Anubis. Cerberus is also mentioned in popular culture.

It can be made to go to sleep with the sound of a flute. The capture of Cerberus by Heracles is a common theme in ancient Roman as well as Greek art. This theme was first seen on artwork at the beginning of the sixth century BC on a Laconian cup.

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The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". In the course of performing these feats, Heracles had become well-acquainted with the monstrous family of Cerberus. He had killed the Nemean Lion , the Hydra, and Orthrus. While not one of his assigned tasks, he had also killed the Caucasion Eagle and, in some versions of his eleventh labor, the dragon Ladron. Originally, Heracles had only been given ten impossible tasks. When he had completed them, however, Eurystheus determined that two of them had not counted.

In both killing the Hydra and cleaning the stables of Augeas, the hero had been given assistance. Although the tasks had been completed, he was given two more to prove that he could complete his duties on his own. The two additional labors of Heracles were designed to be his most impossible quests yet. Eurystheus and Hera were determined to see the hero fail. First, he was told to retrieve a golden apple of immortality from the garden of the Hesperides.

Although he got help in this task as well, in the form of the Titan Atlas , Eurystheus accepted its completion. His twelfth and final task would take him to the underworld. He was to go there and capture Cerberus. Hera and Eurystheus were thrilled when he accepted this challenge. They were certain the hero would not survive the dangers of the underworld or a fight against the Hound of Hades. As preparation, Heracles traveled to Eleusis and was inducted into the Eleusinian Mysteries.

This cult, dedicated to Persephone and Demeter , sought to understand the secrets of the afterlife. Although there were some missteps in his training, he was eventually accepted into the cult and learned all its secret wisdom. He now knew as much about the afterlife as any mortal man could hope to before death. In most versions of the story Heracles is accompanied by Hermes , who often acted as a guide to souls travelling to the underworld.

Some also have his patroness Athena making the journey alongside him. The first obstacle he faced was the boatman, Charon. As Heracles was not dead and did not have the necessary payment, Charon initially refused to let him pass. Heracles was able to get by without violence, though. One stern look from the formidable hero was all it took for Charon to change his mind.

As he travelled through the underworld, Heracles met many of the spirits contained there. He freed Theseus, his cousin, from the Chair of Forgetfulness he had been bound to for entering the underworld himself. Theseus was guilty only of entering the underworld without permission, but Pirithous had come with the intention of abducting Persephone, the queen of the realm. Heracles eventually made his way to the throne of Hades to stand before the god himself.

He asked Hades and Persephone for permission to take the dog out of the underworld. With the support of some of the spirits of the dead, he was able to convince the ruler of the underworld to grant him his request. There was one condition, though — Heracles would not be able to use any weapons. Hades was, after all, a dog owner. He made Heracles vow that his pet would not be injured in either the capture or the journey to the world above. Hades also asked to know who had demanded to see his dog.

He would undoubtedly remember the name Eurystheus. Heracles agreed to these conditions and prepared to overpower the dread dog of the underworld with his bare hands. Herakles asked Plouton [Haides] for Kerberos Cerberus , and was told to take the hound if he could overpower it without using any of the weapons he had brought with him.

Then, with it in tow, he made his ascent through Troizenos Troezen. Heracles had accomplished the most impossible task he could have been given. He had not only survived his trip to the underworld and won the favor of Hades, but had overpowered Cerberus using nothing but his own strength. In some stories, Hades was still not willing to let Heracles leave with the dog. He had given permission only to attempt to overpower Cerberus, not take him away. Eurystheus was amazed to see the hero returning with the hound of Hades in tow.

He, and Hera, had fully expected that the final task would kill the son of Zeus. Instead, Heracles proved himself and earned atonement.

Having completed his labors, he was offered a place among the gods of Olympus. Remembering the name of the man who demanded the removal of Cerberus from the underworld, he appeared before Eurystheus as a figure of dread. Hades warned his sister that if she ever required such a thing of Heracles again she would have to face his own wrath. Cerberus, meanwhile, enjoyed a much better fate than his siblings and the other monsters who had crossed paths with Heracles.

He was safely returned to the underworld to serve his master as the guardian of Acheron. Some stories said that he had one more encounter with Heracles, though. The hero distracted the dog while Dionysus slipped into the underworld to bring back his mother, Semele. The association between dogs and the underworld is common in world religions and creates an archetype that is familiar across several cultures. Often, these dogs are presented as guards or gatekeepers.

Like their real-world counterparts, these mythological gods are valued for their watchfulness and ability to defend their territories. In other cases, they are hunting dogs. As dogs in real life were used to chase down prey, so did these supernatural dogs stalk or chase after human lives and souls.

Dogs occupy a unique space in human life, particularly in antiquity. While they made for loyal companions, they could also be vicious and dangerous. Toledo According to Apollodorus, Cerberus was a strange mixture of creatures: he had three heads of wild dogs, a dragon or serpent for a tail, and heads of snakes all over his back. Hesiod, though, says that Cerberus had fifty heads and devoured raw flesh.

A monster not to be overcome and that may not be described, Cerberus who eats raw flesh, the brazen-voiced hound of Hades, fifty-headed, relentless and strong.