by Glenn “Maghnus” Wright
A figure often overlooked in Greek mythology is the, “…vigilant but formidable and surly dog which guarded the entrance of the Infernal Regions on the River Styx.” (Jobes, 304) Cerberus is often portrayed as a three-headed dog out of whose jaws poison drips, with hair formed of venomous snakes, and with a body which terminates in the tail of a dragon. Each of Cerberus’ heads is said to have an appetite only for live meat and thus allow the spirits of the dead to freely enter the underworld, but allow none to leave.
More is known about the Ferryman and the River Styx itself than about this daunting Gatekeeper. So why is Cerberus so important?
Cerberus featured in many prominent works of Greek and Roman literature, most famously in Virgil’s Aeneid, Peisandros of Rhodes’ epic poem the Labours of Hercules, the story of Orpheus in Plato’s Symposium, and in Homer’s Iliad. Numerous references to Cerberus have appeared in ancient Greek and Roman art. Images of him have been found in archaeological ruins and often including in statues and architecture, inspired by the mythology of the creature.
Every Gatekeeper in every Hearth Culture is considered important. Many PIE cultures regard the Gate to the Otherworld as a portal by which the dead acquired rebirth into a new form of existence. If one does not appease or honor the existence of the appropriate Gatekeeper than the deceased individual cannot pass. Cerberus was often bribed by the ancient Greeks as they placed cakes in the hands of the dead. These cakes were to enable the dead person to pass without molestation into Hades.
Cerberus is a Gatekeeper that should be invoked especially for Hellenic rituals that involve communication with the dead such as at Samhain, or rites for deceased persons. After all, if it was appropriate enough for our ancestors to acknowledge and gift Cerberus then we should concede the same honor today.
Bibliography
Jobes, Gertrude. Dictionary of Mythology Folklore and Symbols, Vol I. Print. New York 1962. The Scarecrow Press, Inc.
