--- In cybalist@..., Omar Karamán <diogenes@...> wrote:
>
> Let's suppose that there was a first stage in which snake was
believed
> to be the chthonic/underworld animal by excellence (as it is shown
by
> thoughts connected with wisdom, fertility, forefathers and so on as
well
> as the creation and the snake myth). With the pass of time, the
serpent
> was gradually substituted by dogs or wolves. This could explain the
> reason why the former snake disappeared from the Greek underworld
as a
> single individual and was put into Kerberus' hair, as well as his
> permanence near a river (the Aqueron) as a relict from older times,
when
> snakes were believed to live in pools, lakes and rivers. This may be
> linked to folk tales that show even closer connections between the
> serpent and the underworld as well as ancient initiation patterns
all
> over the world.
>
>
> Omar
I agree that Cerberus onece appears to havee been more serpentine.
This could be due to a sort of cultural merger, perhaps pre-IE Greeks
had serpentine Cerberus, old IE steppe dwellers had a dog as an
underworld guardian?: I have noticed the dog as underworld guardian
is a more common motif among northern shamanistic societies. Perhaps
this is why there is so much dog symbolism in Norse myth?
Then again, maybe Cerberus is a dog-snake hybrid in order to evoke
the characteristics of two animals.
The dog aspect would represent the vigilant guardian nature of
Cerberus. Another instance of this is the simargl(Sp?), connected
with the gryphon, which is part dog part bird. It is guardian of the
sacred tree, or between the earthly and celestial realms.
The serpent aspect of cerberus would connect it with the Underworld
deity, wisdom, intitation etc.
The placement of Cerberus near a river could betray its serpentine
origins, or maybe the river is used to represent the barrier between
the land of the living and the dead, and Cerberus is there to re-
enforce it.
Just a few ideas.
-Mr. Caws