# Cerberus etymology? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 21, 2014, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cerberus-etymology/702067 "2014-10-21T19:56:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2014, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cerberus-etymology/702067/1 "2014-10-21T19:56:42Z")
[From here](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cerberus#Etymology): > [@](#): > > The name “Cerberus” is a Latinised version of the Greek Kerberos. The etymology of this name prior to Greek is disputed. It has been claimed to be related to the Sanskrit word सर्वरा sarvarā, used as an epithet of one of the dogs of Yama, from a Proto-Indo-European word \*k̑érberos, meaning “spotted”. So… Hades, the god of the Underworld, named his dog ‘Spot’? ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2014, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cerberus-etymology/702067/2 "2014-10-21T20:15:56Z")
Nice. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2014, 12:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cerberus-etymology/702067/3 "2014-10-22T12:06:22Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > [From here](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cerberus#Etymology): > > So… Hades, the god of the Underworld, named his dog ‘Spot’? Yes. I’ve read this elsewhere. In this famous Greek vase Kerberos isn’t depicted as spotted, but the snakes attached to him\* are. [https://images.search.yahoo.com/images/view;\_ylt=AwrB8podnUdUITwADiKJzbkF;\_ylu=X3oDMTIzNzZsOTlkBHNlYwNzcgRzbGsDaW1nBG9pZAM4Mzk2YmVlZmEyMjMwNTUyNmRhYjkwZGVlNzBjYjZlZgRncG9zAzExBGl0A2Jpbmc-?back=https%3A%2F%2Fimages.search.yahoo.com%2Fsearch%2Fimages%3F\_adv\_prop%3Dimage%26va%3DHerakles%2BKerberos%2Bvase%2Bpainting%26fr%3Dyfp-t-901%26tab%3Dorganic%26ri%3D11&w=497&h=368&imgurl=1.bp.blogspot.com%2F-EslVHps1jAI%2FT0iptwGKsSI%2FAAAAAAAAAq4%2Fm0UkmnL1rIY%2Fs1600%2Fcerberus.jpg&rurl=http%3A%2F%2Fherakleion.blogspot.com%2F2012%2F02%2Fdescending-into-hades-to-capture.html&size=52.5KB&name=Seneca%2C+Hercules+Furens+46+ff+(trans.+Miller)+(Roman+tragedy+C1st+A.D+...&p=Herakles+Kerberos+vase+painting&oid=8396beefa22305526dab90dee70cb6ef&fr2=&fr=yfp-t-901&tt=Seneca%2C+Hercules+Furens+46+ff+(trans.+Miller)+(Roman+tragedy+C1st+A.D+...&b=0&ni=288&no=11&ts=&tab=organic&sigr=12c73cms4&sigb=13v66f45e&sigi=12l76hu86&sigt=129djiefp&sign=129djiefp&.crumb=KF3D/tqJmTZ&fr=yfp-t-901](https://images.search.yahoo.com/images/view;_ylt=AwrB8podnUdUITwADiKJzbkF;_ylu=X3oDMTIzNzZsOTlkBHNlYwNzcgRzbGsDaW1nBG9pZAM4Mzk2YmVlZmEyMjMwNTUyNmRhYjkwZGVlNzBjYjZlZgRncG9zAzExBGl0A2Jpbmc-?back=https%3A%2F%2Fimages.search.yahoo.com%2Fsearch%2Fimages%3F_adv_prop%3Dimage%26va%3DHerakles%2BKerberos%2Bvase%2Bpainting%26fr%3Dyfp-t-901%26tab%3Dorganic%26ri%3D11&w=497&h=368&imgurl=1.bp.blogspot.com%2F-EslVHps1jAI%2FT0iptwGKsSI%2FAAAAAAAAAq4%2Fm0UkmnL1rIY%2Fs1600%2Fcerberus.jpg&rurl=http%3A%2F%2Fherakleion.blogspot.com%2F2012%2F02%2Fdescending-into-hades-to-capture.html&size=52.5KB&name=Seneca%2C+Hercules+Furens+46+ff+%28trans.+Miller%29+%28Roman+tragedy+C1st+A.D+...&p=Herakles+Kerberos+vase+painting&oid=8396beefa22305526dab90dee70cb6ef&fr2=&fr=yfp-t-901&tt=Seneca%2C+Hercules+Furens+46+ff+%28trans.+Miller%29+%28Roman+tragedy+C1st+A.D+...&b=0&ni=288&no=11&ts=&tab=organic&sigr=12c73cms4&sigb=13v66f45e&sigi=12l76hu86&sigt=129djiefp&sign=129djiefp&.crumb=KF3D/tqJmTZ&fr=yfp-t-901) \*Snakes are a common attribute of “underworld” figures. I know of no text that describes Kerberos as being covered by snakes, Medusa-like, but you can see it in depictions like this