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hellhound
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Related Topics:
dog
legend
Cerberus
underworld
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hellhound

mythological creature
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Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
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History

hellhound, a dog represented in mythology (such as that of ancient Greece and Scandinavia) as standing guard in the underworld. In Greek mythology this was Cerberus, a three-headed, dragon-tailed dog.