Cerberus is a multi-headed hound from Greek and Roman mythology that guards the gate to the underworld. He is placed sometimes at the gates leading into Hades and other times at the mouth of Acheron, the River of Pain and one of the five rivers of the underworld. Cerberus' task is to prevent those that do not belong in Hades from entering and those that have already entered from escaping.http://www.theoi.com/Ther/KuonKerberos.html

Cerberus is always described as savage and ruthless, the offspring of monster Echinda (half woman, half serpent) and Typhon (a fire breathing giant surrounded by serpents and dragons.), one of the most feared creatures by the Greek Gods. In his Theogeny Hesiod describes Cerberus as "A monster not to be overcome and that may not be described, Cerberus who eats raw flesh, the brazen-voiced hound of Hades, fifty-headed, relentless and strong."http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/Herakles/cerberus.html

Cerberus appears in many stories and myths throughout history. The creature is always depicted as a multi-headed beast who ravages its opponents with fangs and claws.

Cerberus and Hercules

Capturing Cerberus alive and without the use of weapons was the final of the 12 labors assigned to Heracles (Hercules). Heracles made his way to the underworld and asked Pluto if he could take Cerberus with him. Pluto replied that he would allow Cerberus to be taken if Heracles could overpower him with brute strength alone. Heracles encountered Cerberus and immediately wrestled him to the ground. A dragon living within Cerberus' tail bit Heracles, but he did not release Cerberus. Eventually Cerberus submitted to the strength of Hercules and was taken to Eurystheus, completing the 12 Labors of Heracles.http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/Herakles/cerberus.html Homer speaks of this trial in Book 8 of his Iliad.http://www.theoi.com/Ther/KuonKerberos.html

Cerberus in Dante's Inferno

In Dante Alighieri's first part of his trilogy The Inferno, Virgil guides the reader through the different levels or circles of Hell, each a place where specific sins are punished. In the third level of Hell Dante places the gluttons. The circle is wet and cold with unending rain and snow and foul smelling earth. Here the gluttons are punished by Cerberus, depicted as a dog-like worm, with three throats, a big belly and arms with claws. He uses his claws to grasp the surrounding spirits awaiting their punishment. He shreds them and eventually consumes the sinners by the fistful.http://pd.sparknotes.com/poetry/inferno/section7.html

Cerberus in the Aeneid

In Virgil's Aeneid, Cerberus is a three headed beast with a ferocious bark, snakes bristling upon its neck and almost rabid with hunger. The group needed to pass and the character Sibyl devises a plan to trick Cerberus into submission. In Book VI, Virgil describes the encounter:

In the third-person fighting game Dante's Inferno, released by Electronic Arts (EA Games) in 2010, Dante faces the "great worm" Cerberus. Cerberus is depicted as a three headed worm with two arms, ferocious teeth and bulging eyes. This is the final battle at the end of the 2nd circle of Hell. Dante must defeat Cerberus by decapitating all three heads in order to enter the 3rd circle, Gluttony.http://www.bukisa.com/.../239738_dantes-inferno-boss-walkthrough-guide-05-cerberus-of-gluttony