Cerberus

Cerberus is the guardian of the underworld, usually shown as a many-headed dog. He does not so much hunt the living as prevent the dead from leaving and separate the human world from the realm of Hades.

Twelfth labour

In the final labour Heracles brings Cerberus out of the underworld. The story marks the limit of heroic strength: the hero must enter the realm of death and return alive.

Additional sources and visual checks

Cerberus belongs to the boundary between living and dead, not only to a labour of Heracles. The article is strengthened through katabasis, the underworld and images of the watchdog in Greek and Roman tradition.

For source checks: - Perseus Digital Library - LIMC online - Getty Museum collection

Related topics

• Labours of Heracles
• Lernaean Hydra
• Greco-Roman Mythology

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