Cerberus: Hound of the GOD Hades & Keeper of the DEAD – Greek Mythology Explained



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Hey everyone, welcome to Mythology Explained. In today’s video we’re going to discuss Cerberus, the Hound of Hades, the great beast that guarded the underworld.

Let’s get into it.

Cerberus was the son of Echidna and of Typhon. Echidna, known as “the Mother of Monsters, was half maiden and half serpent. There are many versions of her parentage, but perhaps the best known pairing is that of Phorcys and his sister Ceto, two primeval sea gods. Typhon was the son of Gaia, the personification of the earth and of Tartarus, the personification of the abyss beneath the earth. His appearance was so massive and monstrous that it almost defies description. He was the last real threat to Olympus, and in some versions, almost defeats Zeus in single combat. Sired by Typhon, Echidna spawned a brood of monsters. These included Cerberus, Geryon, a triple-bodied giant, Orthus, a huge two-headed dog, the Hydra of Lerna, and the dragon Ladon.

Called the “Hound of Hades” by the Greek poet Homer, Cerberus was a giant hound that guarded the gates of the underworld. At this post, his duties were twofold: preventing the living from entering and ensuring the spirits of the dead didn’t leave. Only a handful of mortals – the likes of Hercules, Theseus, Aenas, Orpheus, and a few others – are known to have made it past Cerberus and plunged into the dark beneath the earth, and we’ll cover a couple of these instances later on in the video.

In appearance, Cerberus had the likeness of a giant hound, but with the addition of many monstrous characteristics. Today, people mostly know him to have three heads, but other accounts paint more multitudinous pictures, describing clusters of 50 and even 100 heads, each one equipped with a snapping, frothing maw ready to feast on raw flesh. Other characteristics that drastically veer away from the image of your standard canine include: the tail of a dragon, sinuous snake heads sprouting from and squirming on his back, and a bark that shatters silence like the clashing of bronze weapons.

Watch the video for the rest!

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19 thoughts on “Cerberus: Hound of the GOD Hades & Keeper of the DEAD – Greek Mythology Explained”

  1. I was desired by Hera, Persephone, Athena, and Demeter. I tried to escape them, but I ended up falling into their sexy embraced. We made love, And from our union, A great warrior who love battle was born.

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  2. Done subscribed kinda funny tho I had thought I was already subscribed yet when I looked I wasn’t. I’ve been watching this feed for about 4-5 months now. YouTube better stop messing w the uploads especially the ones I like.

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  3. "Hey, Uncle Hades. May I take your dog for a walk?"
    "Um… sure? As long as you don't hurt him and make sure to bring him back by supper."

    (there are two things Hades loves the most: his wife, and his dog)

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