CERBERUS

cerberus, in greek mythology, the dog who guarded the entrance to the lower world. he allowed all to enter, but seized those who attempted to escape. according to hesiod (_theog._ 311), he was a fifty-headed monster with a fearful bark, the offspring of typhon and echidna. he was variously represented with one, two or (usually) three heads, often with the tail of a snake or with snakes growing from his head or twined round his body. one of the tasks imposed upon heracles was to fetch cerberus from below to the upper world, a favourite subject of ancient vase-paintings. cerdic (d. 534), founder of the west saxon kingdom, is described as an ealdorman who in 495 landed with his son cynric in hampshire, where he was attacked at once by the britons. nothing more is heard of him until 508, when he defeated the britons with great slaughter. strengthened by fresh arrivals of saxons, he gained another victory in 519 at certicesford, a spot which has been identified with the modern charford, and in this year took the title of king. turning westward, cerdic appears to have been defeated by the britons in 520 at badbury or mount badon, in dorset, and in 527 yet another fight with the britons is recorded. his last work was the conquest of the isle of wight, probably in the interest of some jutish allies. all the sovereigns of england, except canute, hardicanute, the two harolds and william the conqueror, are said to be descended from cerdic. see _anglo-saxon chronicle_, edited by c. plummer (oxford, 1892-1899); gildas, _de excidio britanniae_, edited by th. mommsen (berlin, 1898); nennius, _historia, brittonum_, edited by th. mommsen (berlin, 1898); bede, _historiae ecclesiasticae gentis anglorum libri v._, ed. c. plummer (oxford, 1896); e. guest, _origines celticae_ (london, 1883); j.r. green, _the making of england_ (london, 1897).