AION - Al Dixon's website

(Continued from Herakles' Eleventh Labour)

Herakles' Twelfth Labour - the Capture of Cerberus

Eurystheus must have realised that this was his last chance to do away with Herakles, and his last chance to make a big impression on Hera! He had to give Herakles a task that was completely impossible, so why not send him down to the Underworld? Yes, with any luck he would never be seen among the living again! And to make it just that bit more difficult, let’s make him get the most ferocious creature in Tartarus – none other than the Dog Cerberus!

So off Herakles set, but first he went to Eleusis where he asked to partake of the Mysteries. Then, cleansed and prepared, Herakles descended into Tartarus, guided by Athene and Hermes, his half-sister and brother. When they reached the Styx Athene and Hermes let him go on his way (presumably they, as gods, were barred from Hades’ territory – I can’t think of any stories where any of the gods went into the Underworld – unless you count Persephone and Demeter). Herakles just looked at Charon, and Charon ferried him over the Styx without demur (Hades punished him for this by fettering him for a year). As they reached the other side all the ghosts fled, except for the ghosts of Meleager and the Gorgon Medusa. At the sight of Medusa, Herakles nocked an arrow into his bow, ready to shoot, but Meleager laughed. ‘You have nothing to fear from the dead’, he said, and Herakles and he chatted for a while and became friends. Some say it was then that Herakles decided to marry Deianara, Meleager’s sister.

Going on his way, Herakles found his old friends Theseus and Perithous bonded by their flesh to stone chairs (Perithous was a bit of a madcap who was always leading Theseus into dodgy situations. This time he had persuaded Theseus to accompany him to Tartarus so they could steal Persephone away – needless to say, being stuck to stone chairs was an uncharacteristically mild punishment by Hades’ standards!). Herakles grasped Theseus by the hands and pulled with all his strength – eventually Theseus was freed (although minus a bit of skin from his buttocks), but Herakles was unable to do the same for Peristhous; perhaps Hades realised that Theseus was not the leader of this particular enterprise, and thought that he had suffered enough, nevertheless, poor old Peristhous had to stay in Tartarus.

Persephone greeted Herakles like a brother when they met, and when Herakles demanded Cerberus of Hades, she pleaded with her husband to grant Herakles’ request. Hades didn’t really like the idea of giving up the guardian of his gates, even for a short time, but he loved Persephone and, in the end, grudgingly gave in. ‘You mustn’t harm him, though, so you mustn’t use your club or your arrows! If you can get the better of him with your bare hands you’re welcome to him!’

Herakles found the three-headed dog chained by the gate of Acheron, and leaped upon him from behind, grappling him by the throat from which his three heads sprung. Cerberus twisted this way and that, and whipped at Herakles with his barbed tail, but Herakles was protected by his lionskin, and the barbs had no effect. Finally, Cerberus had to submit or be choked into oblivion. Then, half-carrying, half-dragging the reluctant beast, Herakles made his way back to the world of the living, but as they passed through the Elysian Fields he took the time to weave a wreath from the leaves of a tree which Hades had planted there in memory of the beautiful nymph Leuce. The outer leaves were black, because that is the colour of the Underworld, but those next to Herakles’ brow were bleached silver by his sweat. Hence the white poplar, or aspen, is sacred to him, its colour signifying that he has laboured in both worlds.

As they came into the sunlight Cerberus barked furiously with all three mouths, and saliva was thrown forth which grew into the plant aconite. Finally they arrived at Mycenae, and Eurystheus was obliged to make sacrifice. He couldn’t resist one final gibe at Herakles, however, and handed him the slave’s portion, reserving the best pieces for his kinsmen.

The story doesn’t tell what happened to Cerberus (who must have scared the pants off Eurystheus, if he’d been wearing pants), but I would assume that he was returned to his rightful place in Tartarus. 

So Herakles is at last free of his Labours and his bondage to Eurystheus, but that’s not the end of the story. I’m afraid his temper is going to get the better of him once again!

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