Cerberus: Dog of the Underworld Clay Craft
Clay Cerberus Craft
Hades–God of the Underworld, and his sidekick Kerberos–a multi-headed dog who roams the Underworld–, are some of the most notable characters in Greco-Roman myth. You probably recall Cerberus from his cameo appearances in many movies we know and love, from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone to Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief. He also happens to be the proto-type for Hell-hounds in any number of scary movies.
Hades is often shown together with Cerberus, as in this statue of Hades on his throne. If you want to learn more about Hades, check out our Staff of the Gods craft. You can make a staff that transforms from Zeus’s, to Hades’, to Poseidon’s Staff. Plus, find a cool coloring page of Hades and his faithful friend, Cerberus here.
The name Cerberus is a Roman version of the dog’s Greek name, Kerberos. It may mean “spotted”. Kinda funny to think that one of the most famous Hell-Hounds of all time is named Spot. It is only one of the most classic dog names of all time!
Another classic dog name, Fido, comes from ancient Latin and means “trusty”. It also happens to be the name of one of President Abraham Lincoln’s dogs.
The Origins of Cerberus
Cerberus is the son of Typhon and Echidna, two monsters which are parents of pretty much every beast in Greek Mythology, including Hydra, Chimera and the Sphinx. Typhon and Echidna are nicknamed the mother and father of monsters in Greek myth.
According to some myths, Cerberus has a dragon-like tail and is considered one of the most menacing beasts in Greek mythology. In some accounts, he has 50 heads! Most of think of him as having only three. So what do you imagine happened to the other 47?
Turns out Cerberus is an excellent guard dog. Only a few “living souls” have gotten past him including, Aeneas, Orpheus, and Hercules. Many depictions of Cerberus show a large black or brown dog that looks a lot like a modern Rottweiler. It might be because the Rottweiler is closely related to ancient Roman army dogs. They would guard the camps or the herd animals. In fact today, Rottweilers are often used as police dogs. So it only makes sense that over time we associate Cerberus with a keen watch-dog like the Rottweiler.
The Myth of Cerberus and Hercules
Most of us know something about the twelve labors of Hercules, but can you name them all? Well, his twelfth and final was to capture Cerberus from the Underworld. Knowing that the dog was very near and dear to Hades, he asked if he could briefly “borrow” the three headed dog. Hercules promised not to injure Cerberus too badly in the attempt to subdue him and bring him to the surface. Hades agreed and so Hercules strangled the dog until he was unconscious– but not dead– and brought him to the surface. Hercules showed Cerberus to the king of Mycenae and then returned the monster-dog back to the Underworld. Thus ending the labors of Hercules.
In the picture of an ancient vase above, you can see Hercules with Cerberus on a chain. You can tell he is Hercules because he is wearing a lion skin. That is one of the common symbols of Hercules because he got it in first labor by defeating the Nemean lion. But that is a story for another craft. You might also notice talking to Hercules is a guy wearing a cape with wings on his shoes. Any guess which famous Olympian god that might be? He’s Hermes, the messenger god.
Now that you know all about Cerberus, let’s get crafting.
Supplies:
- Air Dry Clay
- Paint (Black and Red)
- Toothpicks (optional)
- Clay Tools (optional)
Directions:
- Shape 2 pieces of clay into hind legs and attach them to the cylinder. You can smooth them onto the trunk of the dog or attach them by pushing a toothpick through them.
- Make two front legs now, standing straight up. Attach these to the front of the cylinder.
- Roll up three balls of clay. Add very small cylinders to the front of them, these will be the basic shape of the heads.
- Add ears to the heads and attach them to the cylinder with more toothpicks. Then smooth them out so that they are fully attached to the cylinder, which is now the body of the dog.
- Add a tail, and wait for the clay to dry.
- Paint the clay using black paint, but keep some gaps where you want the eyes to be. Then use the red paint to make the eyes.
- Enjoy your new statue of Cerberus.
- Start by getting out a medium piece of clay. Make a rough cylinder shape from it. It should be about 3 to 4 inches tall and 2 inches in diameter.
- Get a second medium piece of clay. Create a disk. This will be your stand for the clay figure.
- Roll out a third piece of clay into a thick snake. Cut the snake into 4 equal parts. These are the legs for Cerberus.
One thought on “Cerberus: Dog of the Underworld Clay Craft”
Comments are closed.