Cerberus, the Three-Headed Dog
| Abbreviation: | Cer |
| Genitive: | Cerberi |
| Origin: | Johannes Hevelius, 1690 |
The three-headed guard dog of the underworld was placed in the heavens by German/Polish astronomer Johannes Hevelius (1611–1687), grasped in the fist of Hercules. Although Cerberus was a three-headed dog in Greek mythology, the constellation Cerberus was always depicted as a three-headed serpent! This constellation replaced Johann Bayer's (1572–1625) unnamed apple tree branch which Hercules held in one hand (Uranometria, 1603). Later engravers called this tree branch Ramus Pomifer or variations on Cerberus et Ramus with the devil dog entwined within the leaves.
Copyright © 2018–2023 by L.M. Stockman and David Harper