Cerberus was the three-headed dog with a dragon's tail that guarded the Underworld. While he allowed spirits to enter, he did not allow any to leave. It is generally thought that Cerberus was born to Echidne, a half-woman, half-serpent, and Typhon, the most fierce of all creatures. Among the siblings of Cerberus were the Hydra, the Chimera, Orphus, and others. Cerberus' main haunt in the Underworld was on the banks of the river Styx, where he had the task of eating any mortals who attempted to enter and any spirits who attempted to escape.

Cerberus is best known for playing a part in Hercules' final labor. Hercules had to go to the Underworld and bring Cerberus back to the surface of the earth. Hercules had to do this without using arrows or his club. Hercules grabbed Cerberus by the throat and dragged him to Mycenae through a crack in the surface of the earth. having accomplished this, Hercules dispatched Cerberus to guard one of the secret groves of Demeter.

ACTIVITIES:
Cerberus activity

KEY TEST WORDS:
Cerberus was the three-headed watchdog of the Underworld, (Hades).

The Underworld

Creatures

Footnotes:Cerberus, although quite vicious, could be won over with a charmed piece of honey cake, as discovered by Psyche. Orpheus charmed his way passed Cerberus and through the Underworld with his music. The prophetic Sibyl of Cumae consented to guide Aeneas through the Underworld after he had found and plucked a magical golden bough in a nearby wood.

SOURCES:
Jane Smith
Edith Hamilton's Mythology
Bulfinch's Mythology
"Manual of Mythology" by Alexander S. Murray.