In Ancient Greek myths, there was a monster dog named Cerberus. He lived in the Underworld, the land of the dead, ruled by the god Hades.
Cerberus was no ordinary dog. He had three heads, a snake for a tail, and very sharp teeth.
Cerberus had an important job. He guarded the gates of the Underworld. He made sure that no living people went in without permission and that no spirits escaped.
Most heroes were too afraid to go near Cerberus. But not Hercules. The last of his Twelve Labors was to take Cerberus to the world above without hurting him.
Hercules went to Hades, the god of the Underworld, and asked if he could "borrow" Cerberus. Hades said yes, but only if Hercules used no weapons.
Hercules didn’t fight Cerberus. Instead, he held him gently, but with great strength. When Cerberus calmed down, Hercules brought him to the surface to show he had finished his task. After that, he returned Cerberus safely to the Underworld.
In another myth, a man named Orpheus needed to get past Cerberus. He did not try to fight. Instead, he played beautiful music and sang. Cerberus was so calm and quiet that Orpheus could just lead him away.
Even though Cerberus was very scary, people did not think he was evil. They believed he was doing a good job guarding the Underworld and keeping everything in order.
Source: wordville.com/ReadingComp/Cerberus.html Cerberus
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