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In Greek mythology, Cerberus (; ''Kerberos'' (:ˈkerberos)), often called the "hound of Hades", is a monstrous multi-headed dog, who guards the gates of the underworld, preventing the dead from leaving. He was the offspring of the monsters Echidna and Typhon, and is usually described as having three heads, a serpent for a tail, with snakes protruding from various parts of his body. Cerberus is primarily known for his capture by Heracles, one of Heracles' twelve labours. ==Descriptions== Descriptions of Cerberus vary, including the number of his heads. Cerberus was usually three-headed, though not always. Cerberus had a multi-headed heritage. His father was the multi snake-headed Typhon,〔Hesiod, ''Theogony'' (300–314 ), Acusilaus, fragment 6 (Freeman, (p. 15 )), Hyginus, ''Fabulae'' (Preface ), (151 ), and Quintus Smyrnaeus, ''Posthomerica'' (or ''Fall of Troy'') (6.260–268 (pp. 272–275) ) all have Cerberus as the offspring of Typhon and Echidna, while Bacchylides, Ode (5.56–62 ), Sophocles, ''Women of Trachis'' (1097–1099 ), Callimachus, fragment 515 Pfeiffer (Trypanis, (pp. 258–259 )), and Ovid, ''Metamorphoses'' (4.500–501 ), (7.406–409 ) all have Cerberus as the offspring of Echidna without naming a father.〕 and Cerberus was the brother of three other multi-headed monsters, the multi-snake-headed Lernaean Hydra; Orthrus, the two-headed dog who guarded the Cattle of Geryon; and the Chimera, who had three heads, that of a lion, a goat, and a snake.〔Hesiod, ''Theogony'' (309–324 ) (although it is not certain whom Hesiod meant as the mother of the Chimera: Echidna, the Hydra, or Ceto); Apollodorus, (2.5.10 ), (2.3.1 ); Hyginus, ''Fabulae'' (Preface ).〕 And, like these close relatives, Cerberus was, with only the rare iconographic exception, multi-headed. In the earliest description of Cerberus, Hesiod's ''Theogony'' (c. 8th – 7th century BC), Cerberus has fifty heads, while Pindar (c. 522 – c. 443 BC) gave him one hundred heads.〔Gantz p. 22; Ogden 2013a, p. 105, with n. 182; Hesiod, ''Theogony'' (311–312 ); Pindar, fragment F249a/b SM, from a lost Pindar poem on Heracles in the underworld, according to a scholia on the ''Iliad''.〕 However, later writers almost universally give Cerberus three heads.〔Ogden 2013a, pp. 105–106, with n. 183; Sophocles, ''Women of Trachis'' (22–25 ) ("three-bodied"), (1097–1099 ); Euripides, ''Heracles'' (610–611 ), (1276–1278 ); Virgil, ''Aeneid'' (6.417–421 ) ("triple-throated", "three fierce mouths"), ''Georgics'' (4.483 ) ("triple jaws"); Ovid, ''Metamorphoses'' (4.449–451 ) ("three-visaged mouths", "triple-barking"), (9.185 ) ("triple form"), (10.21–22 ) ("three necks"), (10.65–66 ) ("triple necks"), ''Heroides'' (9.93–94 (pp. 114–115) ) ("three-fold"); Seneca, ''Agamemnon'' (859–862 (pp. 198–199) ) ("triple chains"), ''Hercules Furens'' (60–62 (pp. 52–53) ) ("triple necks"), (782–784 (pp. 110–111) ); Statius, ''Silvae'' (2.1.183–184 (I pp. 90–91) ) ("triple jaws"), (3.3.27 (I pp. 168–169) ) ("threefold"), ''Thebaid'', (2.31 (I pp. 396–397) ), ("threefold"), (2.53 (I pp. 398–399) ) ("tri-formed"); Propertius, ''Elegies'' (3.5.44 (pp. 234–237) ) ("three throats"), (3.18.23 (pp. 284–285) ) ("three heads") Apollodorus, (2.5.12 ) ("three heads of dogs").〕 An exception is the Latin poet Horace's Cerberus which has a single dog head, and one hundred snake heads.〔West, (p. 108 ); Ogden 2013a, p. 107; Horace, ''Odes'' 3.11.17–20 (West, (pp. 101–103 )) ("a hundred snakes ... triple-tongued"), ''Odes'' (2.13.33–36 ) ("hundred-headed"), ''Odes'' (2.19.29–32 ) ("triple tongue").〕 In art Cerberus is most commonly depicted with two heads (visible), never more than three, and occasionally only one.〔Gantz, p. 22; Ogden 2013a, p. 106. According to Gantz, "Presumably the frequent variant of two heads arose from logistical problems in draftmanship," and Ogden wonders if "such images salute or establish a tradition of a two-headed Cerberus, or are we to imagine a third head concealed behind the two that can be seen?"〕 On one of his two earliest depictions (c. 590–580 BC), a cup from Argos, now lost, Cerberus is shown as a normal single-headed dog.〔Gantz, p. 22; Ogden 2013a, p. 106, with n. 184 (which also mentions a relief ''pithos'' fragment (c. 590–570) which seems to show a single lion-headed Cerberus); ''LIMC'' (Herakles 2553 ).〕 The first appearance of a three-headed Cerberus occurs on a mid sixth century BC cup from Laconia.〔Gantz, p. 22; Ogden 2013a, p. 106, with n. 185; ''LIMC'' (Herakles 2605 ).〕 Horace's many snake-headed Cerberus followed a long tradition of Cerberus being part snake. This is perhaps already implied as early as in Hesiod's ''Theogony'', where Cerberus' mother is the half-snake Echidna, and his father the snake-headed Typhon. The lost Argos cup shows snakes protruding from Cerberus' body, while the mid sixth-century BC Laconian cup gives Cerberus a snake for a tail. In the literary record, the first certain indication of Cerberus' serpentine nature comes from the rationalized account of Hecataeus of Miletus (fl. 500–494 BC), who makes Cerberus a large poisonous snake.〔Hecataeus of Miletus, ''FGrH'' 1 F27 (''apud'' Pausanias, (3.25.5 )); Ogden 2013a, p. 107.〕 Plato refers to Cerberus' composite nature,〔Plato ''Republic'' (588c ).〕 and Euphorion of Chalcis (3rd century BC) describes Cerberus as having multiple snake tails, and presumably in connection to his serpentine nature, associates Cerberus with the creation of the poisonous aconite plant.〔Euphorian, fragment 71 Lightfoot (Lightfoot, (pp. 300–303 )); Ogden 2013b, (pp. 69–70 ); Ogden 2013a, p. 107.〕 Virgil has snakes writhe around Cerberus' neck,〔Virgil, ''Aeneid'' (6.419 ),〕 Ovid's Cerberus has a venomous mouth,〔Ovid, ''Metamorphoses'' (4.500–501 ).〕 necks "vile with snakes",〔Ovid, ''Metamorphoses'' (10.22–24 )〕 and "hair inwoven with the threatening snake",〔Ovid, ''Heroides'' (9.93–94 (pp. 114–115) ).〕 while Seneca gives Cerberus a mane consisting of snakes, and a single snake tail.〔Seneca, ''Hercules Furens'' (785–812 (pp. 112–113) ). See also Lucan, ''Pharsalia'' (6.664–665 ), which has Cerberus' heads "bristling" with snakes; and Apollodorus, (2.5.12 ) whose Cerberus is snake-tailed and has "on his back the heads of all sorts of snakes".〕 Cerberus was given various other traits. According to Euripides, Cerberus not only had three heads but three bodies,〔Euripides ''Heracles'' (22–25 ).〕 and according to Virgil he had multiple backs.〔Virgil, ''Aeneid'' (6.422 ).〕 Cerberus ate raw flesh (according to Hesiod),〔Hesiod, ''Theogony'' (311 ).〕 had eyes which flashed fire (according to Euphorion), a three-tongued mouth (according to Horace) and acute hearing (according to Seneca).〔Seneca, ''Hercules Furens'' (788–791 (pp. 112–113) ).〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Cerberus」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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