Cerberus is a dog in Greek and Roman mythology who had many heads and guarded
gate of Hades, the Underworld, on the other side of the Styx to prevent the residents of the Underworld escaping.
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Origin and meaning of Cerberus
Cerberus is Latinized from Greek «Kerberos» meaning «spotted» coming from Sanskrit «sarvara.»
The term «Kerberos» indicates an Proto-Indo-European origin although it has Slavic, British and Lithuanian cognates.
The dog’s use is uncertain but mythologists have associated its first usage to the city of Trikarenos in Phliasia.
Pronunciation
The English pronunciation of Cerberus is with a soft «c». But in both Greek and Latin it is pronounced with a hard «c» as in «cat.»
Cerberus was the offspring of Echidna, a half-woman and half-serpent creature, and Typhon, a fire-eating giant whom the Olympian gods even feared.
His brother Orthrus was depicted as a two-headed hellhound.
Three heads
In Greek mythology Cerberus is commonly portrayed as having three heads, a mane of live serpents, and a snake tail. Commonly the heads have represented (Cerberus’ psychic ability to see into) the past, present, and future or birth, life, and death. Each head has an appetite for raw meal. He is the loyal watchdog of Hades preventing the dead from escaping the Underworld, also called Hades.
In Greek mythology Cerberus is commonly remembered as being one of the labors of Hercules, to retrieve him from Hades for Eucystheus. Before beginning this task Hercules enters the Mysteries
of Eleusis if he can master him the dog with his own hands which he does.
When returning Eucystheus is fearful of the dog, and Hercules not knowing what to do with the beast throws him back into hell.
In Dark Witchcraft
In Dark Witchcraft Cerberus seems an ideal ego representation. He is a perfect antiauthoritarian especially within the religious sense being a hybrid born of a half woman and serpent, and a fire-eating giant; the latter, his father, feared by the Olympian gods, and his mother representing two less favored creatures of Christianity.
Cerberus honestly inherited his ferocious nature. Any person typifying him would have little to fear and most likely be feared.
Typically he would have a Christian counterpart the «hound of heaven.» More metamorphic ally this would be his brother’s, Orthrus, the hellhound, counterpart but they both would oppose the heavenly hound.
Cerberus possesses a religious fervor since he originated in the Proto-Indo-European era. As the guardian of the gates of hell Cerberus also keeps spirits from entering hell.
In this sense he protects those striving to deify themselves from influences that want to degrade them, make sacrificial lambs of them.
Cerberus, with his brother, safe guard the fortitude of the ancient gods.
Cerberus’ three heads symbolizing the past, present, and future represent his psychic seeing ability, a very prominent occult aspect and powerful tool in Dark Witchcraft. The individual possessing such ability most certainly achieve his potential, and goal, and make himself feared.
He/she would be an oppositionist of Christianity. It vigorously oppose soothsayers although in the Old Testament Joseph was praised for his gifted abilities.
The dark witch knows and relies on his developed abilities.
Relationship with Hercules
This is the path of the Dark Witch to make everything work for him, surrender to no one, champion every obstacle, and win.
Conquering Cerberus, the dog or symbolized obsticle, advances the Witch along the path toward self-achievement and deification. A.G.H.
Sources:
Cerberus.<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cerberus>