Ancient greece cerberus myths. Who is Cerberus in Greek mythology and what did he guard? Who could resist Cerberus

Cerberus (Κέρβερος), in Greek mythology, the dog, guardian of Hades (Hes. Theog. 769 774), a monster with three heads, a torso studded with snake heads, and a serpentine tail. K. spawn of Echidna and Typhus. Along with the Lernean hydra and the Nemean lion, he ... ... Encyclopedia of mythology

Cerberus Dictionary of Russian synonyms. kerber n., number of synonyms: 2 fictional creature (334) ... Synonym dictionary

KERBER, see Cerberus ... Modern encyclopedia

See Cerberus ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

Kerber - KERBER, see Cerberus. ... Illustrated Encyclopedic Dictionary

Leonid Lvovich Kerber (June 3 (17), 1903, St. Petersburg 1993, Moscow) is a major specialist in the field of aviation equipment. Doctor of Technical Sciences, Deputy General Designer. Contents 1 Biography 2 Famous works 3 ... ... Wikipedia

In Greek mythology, a dog guarding the gates of the underworld. Cerberus was usually depicted with three heads and a serpentine tail; according to Hesiod, he had fifty heads. One of the feats of Hercules was to deliver Kerberus from Hades ... ... Collier's Encyclopedia

Kerber - (gr. Kerberos) 1.Mit. in the grchkata mitologi :a: a trigly pile from the pile of a snake INTO THOUGHT to climb into the underground from the light 2. kerber fig. strict goalkeeper is severe dude ... Macedonian dictionary

KERBER - (CERBER) A monstrous dog, the offspring of an echidna, guarding the exit from Hades. Hesiod awards her with fifty heads, but in classical art and literature she has only three. Hercules managed to take him out of Hades, performing one of his twelve ... Dictionary-guide to Ancient Greece and Rome, mythology

Books

• Polymer processing technology. Physical and chemical processes. Textbook for universities, Kerber ML .. The textbook reveals the most important physical and chemical processes associated with the processing of various polymers. The processes of heat transfer, deformation in a wide range are considered ...

Ancient Greek myths surprise with the originality of the characters. However, with Cerberus, the inhabitants of Hellas did not become particularly wise, although they endowed the animal with frightening features. Who else will guard the approaches to the most terrible place on earth - the kingdom of the dead? Of course, a dog, albeit not quite an ordinary one.

Origin and image

Cerberus in ancient Greek mythology is perhaps the most terrible creature that can terrify even the most brave hero and warrior. IN latin the name of the hellish dog is listed as "Kerber", which means "souls of the dead" and "devourer". The ugly monster is the offspring of Typhon and Echidna.

The giant and the gigantic half-woman half-snake gave birth to two more children, brother and sister Cerberus. The no less monstrous dog Orff with two heads guarded the herd belonging to the giant Geryon, and the Lernaean hydra, a snake-like creature with a poisonous breath, guarded the underwater entrance to the kingdom of the dead.

Cerberus, of course, also inherited the fate of the watchman, but compared to his brother and sister, he was most respected for his nasty character and excessive aggressiveness.

The appearance of the mythological character makes the eerie image complete. The back is crowned with three heads with evil eyes, a long snake tail flaunts on the back of the body, and ominous snakes swarm around the neck and stomach. However, according to other sources, the creature is represented with fifty, or even a hundred heads. And in the Roman era, the middle head was a lion's. Sometimes Cerberus looks like a man with a dog's head.

The ancient Greeks depicted the jaws of Cerberus with sharp fangs. A poisonous mixture of white was dripping from the dog's tongue. According to legend, when Hercules pulled the monster out of the dungeon, Cerberus vomited from the sunlight on the ground. As a result, the herb aconite grew, from which Medea later prepared deadly potions.

The work of life dangerous dog service has become faithful to God. The duty of Cerberus is to guard the exit from the world of the dead, so that not a single soul who has departed "to the next world" is able to return back to people. And, as is known from myths, attempts to escape were not uncommon. At the same time, the dog greets new guests (necessarily dead) cordially, wagging its tail sweetly. An aggressive creature is not so hospitable to living souls, therefore, in legends, heroes try to bribe him in every possible way. For example, someone who came for a deceased beloved, delighted Cerberus's ear with the sounds of a lyre and eventually put the sinister dog to sleep.

Cerberus and Hercules

The three-headed dog is strong and fearsome. Attempts to defeat the guard of Hades were made more than once, but only a brave strongman managed to do this. The story of the pacification of a monster from the underworld became the 12th, final feat of the hero. The evil king Eurystheus, who wondered how to destroy Hercules, asked the ancient Greek hero to bring the legendary dog \u200b\u200bto the throne.

Hades just didn't want to give up the faithful guard - he made concessions only after the hero hit his shoulder with an arrow. The lord of the underworld allowed to take Cerberus, but with one condition - if Hercules overcomes him without weapons. The glorious warrior dressed in lion skins and attacked the fierce animal, trying to strangle it. Cerberus did not manage to fight off the intruder with a dragon's tail and fell at his feet.

At the sight of the monster, the cowardly king Eurystheus was seized with horror, and he freed Hercules from hard work. And the dog, by the way, ordered to return to its place in the underworld.

In literature and cinema

Cerberus often becomes a hero of literary works, and also appears on movie screens.

In ancient Greek and Roman literature, the character is found in, and. In The Divine Comedy, Cerberus is the guardian of the third circle of hell, where gluttons and gourmets suffer, who are destined to rot in the pouring rain and the merciless rays of the sun.

Writers sometimes use the image of a three-headed dog in an allegorical sense. in the work "Journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow", already in the epigraph, he began to criticize the autocracy with the words: "The monster was bastard, mischievous, huge, hundred-zeal and bark." The expression is mixed from two fragments of Virgil's Aeneid, which speaks of the Cyclops Polyphemus and Cerberus. Later, the line became a catch phrase used to describe any negative event that has a public resonance.

Modern literature also uses the image of this hellish monster. In the novel "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" Cerberus, although scary, is tender. A huge dog with three heads is grown, which named him Fluff. The dog guards the entrance to the dungeon where the philosopher's stone is kept. The hero is distinguished by one feature - he falls asleep at any sound of music. , and put the guard to sleep with a flute, as in the myth of Orpheus.

An interesting appearance in the movie of a fierce dog happened in 2005. In the film "Cerberus" directed by John Terlesky, the heroes hunt for a sword stored in the lost tomb of the great Hun Attila. The weapon gives the owner invulnerability and power over the whole world. However, the magic relic is jealously guarded by a monstrous dog. The film stars Greg Evigan, Garrett Sato, Bogdan Uritesku and other actors.

• Naturalist and physician Karl Linnaeus, who lived in the 18th century, gave the name of the ancient Greek monster to an amazing plant that is usually found in the lands of Africa, Australia and India. The poisonous flowering tree contains a powerful toxin that can kill humans. With the light hand of a botanist, the plant began to be called Cerbera (Cerberus).

• A scandal erupted ahead of the 2018 FIFA World Cup. A Cerberus sculpture created by artists Vladimir and Victoria Kirilenko was illegally installed in the Sochi city park. The monument was conceived as a symbol of the championship amulet: a mythical dog in bronze guards the ball. In the center of the city, a statue of two meters high and weighing a ton has grown, but the mayor's office ordered the dismantling of this object.

Cerberus - a terrible monster, instilling terror in its mere appearance. A powerful, sturdy, animal body with three dog heads, frightening with an eerie grin of sharp fangs. A poisonous liquid flows out of their mouths. On the back of the monster, instead of wool, poisonous snakes wriggle, ready to mortally sting at any moment. And to top it off - on the tail is the head of a monstrous dragon.

Cerberus owes its birth to a pair of some of the most disgusting creatures in history: Tefon (who had a hundred dragon heads, part of a human body and writhing rings of snake bodies instead of legs) and a half-woman, half-snake Echidna. Cerberus had brothers and sisters just as creepy as him: Orc - a dog with two heads and tails, Nemean lion, Lernaean hydra, etc. But it was the three-headed monster that was one of the most beloved by the mother of the cubs. A parent from an early age tempered the child in the unbearably blazing flame of a fire-breathing volcano, which was supposed to bring eternal life.

For the ancient Greeks, the name Kerberus was always associated with the word danger. Meeting with him initially meant grief and death. After all, it was this monster that was entrusted with the mission of protecting the entrance to the kingdom of eternal oblivion, the territory of the dead. It was not in vain that Hades set up just such a killer beast to meet the dead. When new arrivals appeared, the dog could happily wag its ugly tail, welcoming the new souls of the unfortunate. But until a certain moment no one managed to get out of the eternal darkness. The terrible dog mercilessly tore to shreds those who risked an escape.

Some sources say that even the new inhabitants of the kingdom of Cerberus tried to bite when they met. In order to somehow appease the impregnable guard, it was customary to put a honey delicacy - a gingerbread - in the coffin of the deceased.

By the way, in his Aeneid, Virgil mentions how Sibylla put Kerber to sleep by feeding him the same sweet treat, having previously impregnated him with sleeping pills, which put the animal into sleep and allowed Aeneas to enter the forbidden zone for the living.

In mythology, few cases are known when it was possible to break through such a powerful guard of a giant dog. One of the daredevils describes Orpheus, who desperately wanted to bring his beloved Eurydice back to life. Only thanks to his sweet-voiced singing did the young man manage to lull the guard and pass the barrier. Unfortunately, it was not possible to snatch the girl from Hades' captivity, but Orpheus was one of the few who successfully managed to leave the kingdom of the dead.

Another mythical hero who has visited the underworld is the famous Hercules. He promised King Eurystheus that he would bring Cerberus to him. The great son of Zeus managed to persuade Hades to set the dog free with him. To do this, Hercules had to cope with the evil guard with his bare hands, without using any weapons. The fight was not for life, but to the death: the head of the dragon, located on the tail of Cerberus, mercilessly bit the attacker, the snakes tried to sting with death-carrying stings. Hercules had to use all his remarkable strength in order to win. He did not unclench his hands, closed around the dog's neck, until he fell at his feet in exhaustion.

Once on the surface of the earth and falling under sun rays, the animal raged and raged, growling and wriggling. Saliva dripped from its mouths, which were opened in a terrible growl. A poisonous herb called aconite grew in these places. In spite of everything, the winner kept his promise and brought Cerberus to the gaze of King Eurystheus. He came into indescribable horror at the sight of a three-headed monster and ordered to send the monster back to the dark kingdom.

Mythological creatures are often distinguished by such a high level of elaboration and popularity that many perceive them as quite real creatures. This is Cerberus, one of the most terrifying monsters that human fantasy has ever spawned.

He is distinguished by special bloodthirstiness, as well as aggressiveness in the process of performing the task assigned to him by the gods. Its other name is Kerber, and in Latin it is assigned term devourer... He is presented as one of the many products of the union of Echidna and Typhon, perhaps the most terrifying of the brethren.

If you compare it with the Lernian hydra or the Nemean lion, it is not difficult to notice that Cerberus is superior in strength to both of them combined. He is faithful to Hades until his death, and also performs the most important task - he kills everyone who tries to penetrate afterworld.

What did Cerberus look like?

This creature was a terrifying wolfhound, which was distinguished by the presence of three heads at once with mouths studded with fangs. Some sources even indicate that this dog had five heads, but the story with a three-headed monster.

Cerberus's neck is dotted with snakes that constantly wriggle and hiss. It has a very long tail, the tip of which has a snake head instead of a pompom. The fur of this mythical creature is also filled with snakes that protect it, leaving almost no vulnerable spot on the body.

Huge paws are capable of tearing apart almost any opponent. Cerberus, as the legends that have come down to us paint it, is distinguished by a very evil and even terrible look, capable of horrify anyone and evoke primal fear.

The mouths of Cerberus are constantly ready to bite, and foam flows down the fangs, which is especially poisonous. According to one of the legends, while Cerberus was on the surface of the planet, poison covered a small area of \u200b\u200bthe earth on which the herb aconite began to grow, which was later used by Medea to create her poison.

Other sources indicate that Cerberus was able to transform into a man who had only one dog's head on his shoulders. His hand in this image was occupied by a severed bull's head, the stench of which made it possible to defeat enemies, crept very close. In the other hand, the creature held the head of a goat, the gaze of whose dead eyes killed enemies on the spot.

Cerberus is often portrayed as an ordinary dog, similar to a modern shepherd dog. She still guards the passage to the underworld, but instead of attacking, she simply meets travelers and warns them against a fatal journey. But if such a dog was kind to the living, then the dead could not get mercy from him.

He fell with his formidable power on anyone who tries to leave the realm of the dead without the permission of his master. He easily turns into a terrifying monster that literally devours anyone who tries to break into the realm of the living, violating the established laws of the universe. After all, everyone in ancient times knew that leave the realm of the dead impossible if you have already hit it.

Cerberus has the task of ensuring that the balance between the kingdom of Hades and Zeus is maintained fragile parity. Such a requirement was established by the ruler of the dead himself, when he and his brothers shared the kingdoms inherited after the Titans overthrown by them.

The monster remained undefeated, as it possessed supernatural strength and ferocity. He is also prescribed a special ability create fear in hearts those who bravely challenge him. Nevertheless, some heroes made attempts to overthrow the tyranny of Cerberus, and some of them managed to fight the monster quite effectively.

The first among the host of heroes was Hercules, who in Italy was called Hercules. He managed to defeat this terrible enemy due to the fact that he was the son of a god. To bring Cerberus to one of the Greek kings was a task that was included in the canon number of his great deeds.

After the king saw that Hercules was really capable of such a feat, the monster was brought back, and for his exploits the hero was awarded a wreath of silver poplar. It is at this moment that aconite appears on the ground, born from the foam of a monster.

Orpheus was also able to defeat Cerberus, who was able to play such a magnificent melody in front of him that it put the animal to sleep. Psyche got the monster drunk special broth, thanks to which he fell asleep. Despite these isolated cases, Cerberus always remained the most terrible monster in the memory of the ancient Greeks, so meeting with him meant an instant and terrible death.

In Greek mythology, Cerberus, or, as it was also called, Kerberus, is a terrible creature that guarded the entrance to the other world of Hades. Cerberus did not release from the realm of the dead into the world of the living and vice versa. He devoured those who tried to escape from the underworld.

Cerberus was a three-headed dog with the head of a dragon at the end of a serpentine tail. The fur on his back was replaced by poisonous snakes. Instead of drooling, poison flowed from his mouth.