Cerberus

** Cerberus ** Created By: Lance Wagner

 Cerberus the Guardian of Hades Cerberus is the more latinized form of the Greek form of //Kérberos. Cerberus// was a multi-headed canine that guarded the gates of Hades. He prevented those that crossed the river Styx from entering unless dead and prevented anyone from leaving. Cerberus is the son of the hybrid Echidna and Typhon. Echidna was a hybrid; half was a beautiful woman and the other half serpent, while Typhon was the god of wind and being the most grotesque of all creatures. Cerberus was said to the brother of the Lernaean Hydra, the Nemean Lion, Orthrus, and the Chimera. Cerberus has been more commonly described as a three - headed dog like creature with snakes along his back (like the picture to the right below) and having a serpent's tail. The Greek poet [|Hesiod] however stated that Cerberus had fifty heads.    
 * __**Ser**__-ber-uhs
 * Son of Echidna and Typhon
 * Guardian of the Underworld
 * Prevented anyone from entering and leaving
 * Guarded by the River Styx
 * Had 3 heads
 * Snakes along his back and had a serpent tail
 * Was Hercule's twelfth labor
 * A allusion is Fluffy in Harry Potter

<span style="font-size: 150%; color: rgb(252, 39, 39);">Hercules Twelfth Labor The twelfth and final labor Hercules had to complete was to capture Cerberus and return him to [|King Eurystheus]. After traveling through the Underworld, Hercules came upon Hades. He asked Hades if he could capture and take back Cerberus to King Eurystheus. Hades told Hercules that he could try as long as Hercules did not use any weapons to capture Cerberus. Near the gates of Acheron, Hercules encountered Cerberus. Hercules threw his arms around Cerberus, maybe all three of his heads at once. Hercules carried Cerberus on his back and returned him to King Eurystheus. The King was so scared of Cerberus that he jumped into a pithos, a large storage jar, and asked Hercules to return him to the Underworld and in return he released Hercules from his labors. Cerberus might have been able to kill Hercules if Hercules didn't have one big advantage. After Hercule's first labor, killing and deskinning the Nemean Lion, Hercules wore the lion's invunerable skin. This prevented Cerberus from biting Hercules and from Cerberus' poisonous saliva from touching him. Beside Hercules, there has only been one other person who has gotten pass Cerberus. The poet and singer [|Orpheus] charmed Cerberus to step aside and sleep so that he could pass and save his recently dead nymph Eurydice from Hades. <span style="font-size: 150%; color: rgb(240, 5, 5);">Allusions to Cerberus  <span style="display: block; font-size: 110%; color: rgb(19, 255, 0); text-align: center;">There is one allusion to Cerberus that most Harry Potter fans will know. The three-headed dog in Harry Potter is seen in the movie Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone and is nicknamed Fluffy. Fluffy guards the philosopher's stone, which is an allusion to Cerberus guarding Hades. Another allusion is Fluffy's greatest weakness is music which is the same for Cerberus who allowed Orpheus to pass, when Orpheus charmed Cerberus to sleep with his lyre.

Works Cited <span style="font-size: 150%; color: rgb(236, 4, 4);">