Friday, 9 April 2021

THE LABORS OF HERACLES # 12: THE CAPTURE OF CERBERUS

 

Heracles when driven mad by the goddess Hera

Murdered his three children and his wife Megara

The Delphic oracle punished him for the murders

By ordering him to perform the Twelve Labors

The labors were set by his cousin king Eurystheus

Heracles final labor was the capture of Cerberus

He was instructed to bring the up the hellhound

From Hades the kingdom of the dead underground

You must first cross the river Styx to reach Hades

Which for the first problem for our hero Heracles

In order to cross the river, you must first be dead

If not, have a bribe for Charon the boatman instead

Heracles met neither condition aggravating Charon

But He simply glowered fiercely at the ferryman

And Charon meekly conveyed him across the river

The greater challenge was yet to come however

Cerberus had three heads, and all had razor teeth  

Covered with snakes on its back and underneath

It also had another great venomous snake for a tail

And over this hellhound Heracles had to prevail

The venomous snakes lashed out at Heracles wildly

While Cerberus lunged at the heroes’ throat directly

Fortunately, he was wearing his lion's skin cape

The impenetrable hide and helmet with jaws agape

He eventually choked Cerberus into submission

And dragged it to Tiryns for his due recognition

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