Cerberus the three headed dog first appeared in Greek mythology as the guard to the underworld, set there by hades to prevent the living from entering and the dead from leaving. For a while he stayed in Greek mythology. However, Dante surprised everybody when he made Cerberus reappear in his book, The Inferno. Cerberus' role was similar to Greek mythology in The Inferno, except he was the guard of the third circle of hell, which held people guilty of gluttony.
So what did Cerberus do in the third circle of hell? Well, it was his job not to let anyone pass into the third circle of hell, and to torment anybody in their with his claws and deafening barks. However, he wasn't a very good guard. Since he was himself the epitome of gluttony, he'll eat anything and let you by while he's eating. So all you would have to do to get past him would be to throw mud in his mouth and walk by.
So, why did Dante bring up Cerberus in The Inferno? Well, he was likely giving us a good point of reference, and it was a good place for the plot to thicken. Also, how does want for empty goals lead people to make their own Hell? Well, If you spend too much dwelling on things that won’t happen, you might miss out on the important things in life. It was interesting to see where Dante applied Cerberus and what is said about his character.
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