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Cerberus Facts & Worksheets

Cerberus is known as the hound of Hades that guards the gates of the Underworld.

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Cerberus is known as the hound of Hades that guards the gates of the Underworld. Cerberus is primarily known for his involvement in the twelve labors of Hercules.

See the fact file below for more information on the Cerberus or alternatively, you can download our 22-page Cerberus worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

DESCRIPTION

  • Cerberus is usually portrayed as having three heads, although Hesiod mentioned in his Theogony that the hound had 50 heads.
  • Some of Cerberus’ relatives are multi-headed. His brothers, Lernaean Hydra, Orthrus, and Chimera also have multiple heads.
  • The ancient Greek lyrical poet, Pindar, describes Cerberus as having 100 heads.
  • Horace, a Latin poet, told of a Cerberus with one dog head and a hundred snakeheads.
  • In the Bibliotheca, Cerberus is characterized as having three dog heads with the heads of “all sorts of snakes” growing on his back.
  • John Tzetzes, a Byzantine poet, gave Cerberus a total of fifty heads. Three of these were dog heads, and the others were heads of all sorts of beasts.
  • Cerberus is often depicted in art as having two visible dog heads, occasionally with only one head, but never with more than three heads.
  • A Corinthian cup found in Argos depicts Cerberus as a normal single-headed dog. This is one of the two earliest depictions of Cerberus in art.
  • A Laconian cup from the mid-6th century BC, on the other hand, was the first known artifact to depict the three-headed Cerberus.
  • It was mentioned in Hesiod’s Theogony that the mother of Cerberus is Echidna and his father is Typhon.
  • Cerberus was also often shown in art to have snake-parts.
  • The first recorded indication of the serpentine nature of Cerberus comes from Hecataeus of Miletus, who described Cerberus to be a large poisonous snake.
  • Euphorion of Chalcis, from the 3rd century BC, gave Cerberus multiple snake tails. Euphorion also connected the creation of the aconite to Cerberus.
  • Other poets gave variations to Cerberus. Virgil had snakes writhing around the neck of Cerberus. Ovid gave the hound a venomous mouth, awful necks with snakes, and hair that was tangled with the snake. Seneca’s version has a single snake tail and a mane of snakes.
  • Cerberus’ main role was to prevent the living from entering the underworld without the permission of Hades and to stop the dead from escaping.
  • He is chained to the gates of the Acheron river and often patrols the banks of the river Styx.
  • Cerberus is often calm to the dead or new spirits entering the realm, but he would eat those that try to return to the land of the living.
  • The name Cerberus has no certain etymology, but according to Ogden, it was derived from “creoboros” which means “flesh-devouring”. Another possible etymology comes from the words “Ker berethrou”, which denotes “evil of the pit”.

MYTHOLOGY

  • Perhaps the most famous myth that involves Cerberus is the Twelve Labors of Hercules.
  • The labors were given as a way of atonement for Hercules’ crime.
  • Taking Cerberus captive was the last and most difficult of Hercules’ labors.
  • As with every myth, the tale of Hercules and Cerberus has many variations.
  • According to an account, Hercules was initiated by the Eleusinian Mysteries to help him in his mission of capturing Cerberus.
  • In Homer’s Odyssey, Hercules was guided in the underworld by Hermes and Athena. This is why Hercules is often shown with Athena and Hermes on vase paintings showing the capture of Cerberus.
  • According to Apollodorus, Hades told the hero that he would only be allowed to take Cerberus if he tamed the hound without using any weapons. Hercules used his lion-skin as a shield while squeezing Cerberus around his head until the hound submitted.
  • Homer told in his Iliad that Hercules should master Cerberus without using iron or a shield. He obliged by making arrowheads out of stone and using his lion-skin for a shield. Hades, however, still opposed the hero, and so out of anger, Hercules shot him with an arrow.
  • In Diodorus’ version, Cerberus was given “in chains” to Hercules by the goddess Persephone.
  • Seneca told that Hercules used his lion-skin and wooden club to defeat Cerberus.
  • Ovid states that Hercules used chains of adamant on Cerberus and dragged him out of the underworld.
  • Another myth that mentions Cerberus tells of his encounter with Orpheus, a famous musician in Greek mythology. Orpheus snuck into the underworld to rescue his wife Eurydice.
  • He used his lyre to lull and make Cerberus fall asleep as he passed through the gates of Acheron.
  • Hades allowed Orpheus to get his wife back on the condition that Orpheus should walk in front of Eurydice while they go back to the world of the living and that he should not look back at her.
  • When they were about to reach the surface, Orpheus, overcome with passion, turned to look at Eurydice. His wife was instantly turned back into a ghost and was taken back into the underworld.
  • Orpheus was later killed by the Thracian maenads.

Cerberus Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about the Cerberus across 22 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use Cerberus worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about the Cerberus which is known as the hound of Hades that guards the gates of the Underworld. Cerberus is primarily known for his involvement in the twelve labors of Hercules.

Complete List Of Included Worksheets

  • Cerberus Facts
  • Head Count
  • False Box of Truths
  • Cerberus in Books
  • Words of the Greeks
  • Monster Kids
  • Know Some More
  • Art Inspection
  • Poetic Personality
  • One Named Hesiod
  • A Man’s Tale

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Link will appear as Cerberus Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, November 26, 2020

Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.

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