Cerberus

Greek The hound of Hades, guardian of the Underworld (1). Cerberus was the offspring of Typhon and Echidna. In some accounts, Cerberus had three heads; in others, as many as 50. He was a fearsome creature, but music and offerings of food calmed him. For Heracles, bringing Cerberus from Hades to the upper world was his 12th and most difficult labor. When he was captured, the monstrous dog dripped venom from his fangs and thus infected certain herbs, A female centaur decorates this first century A.D. metal cup which is in the National Library of France in Paris. (Photograph by Marie-Lan Nguyen. Used under a Creative Commons license.) including aconite, called wolfsbane. Evil magicians then used these herbs to prepare poisonous brews. The idea of a fearsome guardian dog probably had its origin in the custom of the Egyptians, who guarded the graves of the dead with large, dangerous dogs. Cerberus is associated with Hecate, an ancient goddess of death.