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Cerberus
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Medieval manuscript illustration showing Hades and Persephone enthroned with the three-headed dog Cerberus at their feet, musicians playing instruments, and tortured souls in the background. Underworld of Greek mythology
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James Barry (1741-1806) painting title: The Education of Achilles, oil on canvas by James Barry, c. 1772; in the Yale Center for British Art, New Haven, Connecticut. 102.9 x 128.9 cm Alternate title: Chiron and Achilles
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Hades. Persephone. Hades (aka Pluto or Pluton)& Persephone enthroned. God&Goddess of underworld sit. 3 headed dog Cerberus at feet. Females on harp and rebec (L)men on harps or tortured. Les Echecs amoureux, Manuscript produced 4 Louise de Savoy,15th c.
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Medieval manuscript illustration showing Hades and Persephone enthroned with the three-headed dog Cerberus at their feet, musicians playing instruments, and tortured souls in the background.
Pluto and Persephone enthroned Pluto and Persephone enthroned, with Cerberus at their feet, from Les Echecs amoureux, a 15th-century manuscript produced for Louise de Savoy, the mother of King Francis I of France.

Cerberus

Greek mythology
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History

Cerberus, in Greek mythology, the monstrous watchdog of the underworld. He was usually said to have three heads, though the poet Hesiod (flourished 7th century bce) said he had 50. Heads of snakes grew from his back, and he had a serpentā€™s tail. He devoured anyone who tried to escape the kingdom of Hades, the lord of the underworld, and he refused entrance to living humans, though the mythic hero Orpheus gained passage by charming him with music. One of the labours of the warrior Heracles was to bring Cerberus up to the land of the living; after succeeding, he returned the creature to Hades.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia BritannicaThis article was most recently revised and updated by Adam Augustyn.