Background Information
Hercules, also known by his greek name, Heracles, who was the son of Zeus, or Jupiter, and the mortal Alcmene. Hercules is known for his many adventures, which have taken him all around the Greco-Roman world. One of these many adventures was called the Twelve Labours, in which Hercules was sent to complete many dangerous tasks in order to atone for killing his son, daughter, and wife. Hercules was given the tasks by King Eurystheus and if completed he would attain immortality.Of these tasks/labours, Hercules travels to the underworld in the 12th, and most difficult labor, in order to capture, and retrieve Cerberus, from the underworld.
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The final labor was the most difficult of all the labors. Eurystheus ordered Hercules to Journey to the underworld in order to defeat and capture the beast, Cerberus. Cerberus was a vicious beast that guarded the entrance to Hades and kept the living from entering the world of the dead. According to one source, Cerberus was a mixture of creatures: he had three heads of wild dogs, a dragon or serpent for a tail, and heads of snakes all over his back. Another source, Hesiod, however, says that Cerberus had fifty heads and devoured raw flesh. Regardless, Hercules had to complete the task of capturing this beast.
The 12th Labor
Hercules makes his way to the underworld, and comes across a fellow greek hero, Theseus, and another person named Pirithous, who are stuck to a bench. Theseus agreed to help Pirithous follow Persephone, Hades’ wife. As a punishment, Hades “glued” them to a bench. Hercules manages to pull Theseus from the bench, but when attempting to pull Pirithous, Hades calls down upon them, and he is not happy. Hercules and Theseus leave Pirithous where he is, and head on their way out of the underworld. On his way out, Hercules asks if he can take Cerberus, to show his validity to Eurystheus. Hades agrees, under the condition that Hercules can take down Cerberus without any weapons. After a fight, Hercules is victorious, and brings Cerberus to Eurystheus, and is forgiven for the sin of killing his children.
Video Resource
https://youtu.be/SpG9KWrlMi8