In Greek and Roman mythology often found such a character as Cerberus.This three-headed dog with a tail and a body writhing snakes.The encyclopaedia allegorical expressions and words indicate that this name implies vigilant and ferocious guard.What is so vigilantly guarded by Cerberus?What is this character?Where did he come to ancient mythology?Why is it a household name?To understand this, you need not delve into that mythology of ancient Greece, and in the cosmogony of the ancient civilization.What we will do in this article.
Origin uranidov
On the genesis of the Olympian gods can be learned from the Greek poet Hesiod.By the way, in his work "Theogony" the first time and referred to the dog Cerberus.God of the sky Uranus and Gaia the Earth's mistress gave birth to the first of supernatural beings.They were immortal.God Kronos time learned that his eternal existence interrupts own son, so he killed all his children.However, one of them, Zeus, managed to escape.He killed his father and began to gain power by overthrowing uranidov to Hades.There, these creatures have acquired kind of monsters.Mother Cerberus Echidna was prekrasnolikoy Virgin with the body of a snake.She lured travelers and killed them.A Cerberus father was Typhon, Echidna brother.Both parents, in turn, were the children of Tartarus (the god of the underworld) and Gaia.So says Hesiod.According to other sources, she was the daughter of Echidna Keto and fork or the Styx and Peranta or PHANES.All agree that this giant poluzhenschina-poluzmeya combines the beauty and cruelty.
«Wonderful" little family
Cerberus - it's not the only son of Echidna.She also gave to her husband and brother at the same time two-headed dog Orff, the Nemean lion, Lernaean Hydra, Chimera, Colchis Dragon Sfingu and Effon.This last character is the myths of ancient Greece eagle was in the service of Zeus, was he pecked liver titan Prometheus.As you can see, the beautiful serpentine uranida was a real mother-heroine.But her children were monsters, trapped in the pit.Therefore, Jesus Christ, who lived in the Hellenistic period, and well informed about the myths, says to the Pharisees, "You - brood of vipers" - hinting that they are - evil fiends.However, almost the entire family destroyed the hero Heracles.He killed the two-headed dog Orff to steal the herd of Geryon, which he was guarding.He decapitated the Hydra, and killed the Chimera, which had three heads: the snake, goat, and a lioness.According to one version, Hercules killed herself and echidnas.
Hero history and Cerberus
Hesiod - is not the only writer who describes Cerberus.Other poets, too, are his monster, but disagree about the more precise will.According to some sources, the dog had three heads, but of different ages.He had a long tail lizard, and grew on the back of the head of snakes.With language dripping poisonous saliva.According to other sources, Cerberus - a stogolovoe monster.They sleep in shifts.Always one of the goals is awake.But other myths depict this beast man with the face of a ferocious dog.What Cerberus guarding?The gates of the kingdom of the dead, Hades.Inside the entrance was open to all, but the back was not allowed to go to anyone.King Eurystheus ordered Hercules to bring him to the guardian of the underworld.What character did.How?The myths in this respect as there is no consensus.According to one version, simply by using their physical strength.According to another - in this he was helped by the gods Athena and Hermes.On the third - the priestess gave him a cake with sleeping pills.But just then the labors of Hercules was released.
modern meaning of the word "Cerberus»
image infernal dog was so strong that struck the imagination of the people of other civilizations.In the Middle Ages, the myth of Cerberus has not disappeared, as the belief in the Olympian gods.This monster dog with three heads and a long tail guards the entrance to hell in "The Divine Comedy" by Dante Alighieri.Not forgotten humanity and poisonous saliva of Cerberus.Carl Linnaeus, revealing extremely toxic genus of flowering plants in the tropics, called him by the name of a mythical character Cerbera.Astronomers Cerberus - a satellite of the planet Pluto.In today's world the image of the vigilant guardian actively being discussed.So, in the sensational epic George. Rowling's "Harry Potter" in a terrible dog named Fluffy guessed none other than Cerberus.And finally, it must be said that the very name has become allegorical.If someone wants to call evil watchdog true servant to his master, then talk about it "Cerberus".
