Dante, Inferno
Cerberus in the Third Circle
Dante encounters Cerberus barking over the submerged company of the third circle. The poem describes glaring eyes, a black beard, a large belly and claws that tear at the spirits. Virgil gathers earth and throws it into the creature’s ravenous mouths. Its attention turns to swallowing, allowing the travellers to proceed across the apparently solid yet empty shades.
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In the sources
The encounter
LiteraryDante encounters Cerberus barking over the submerged company of the third circle. The poem describes glaring eyes, a black beard, a large belly and claws that tear at the spirits.
Further detail
LiteraryVirgil gathers earth and throws it into the creature’s ravenous mouths. Its attention turns to swallowing, allowing the travellers to proceed across the apparently solid yet empty shades.
Context & interpretation
This entry follows the exact supplied Thompson & Thomas edition of H. F. Cary’s translation. Figures, places and events belong to Dante’s literary vision; their assigned roles are distinguished from historical biography, other classical traditions and independently established descriptions of an afterlife.
Original passages
Source 1
Dante's Inferno
Cerberus, cruel monster, fierce and strange, Through his wide threefold throat, barks as a dog Over the multitude immersed beneath. His eyes glare crimson, black hisOpen this page in the book
Passage & edition details
Location recorded at citation review: Dante’s Inferno, Cary translation; active reader leaf 47
Passage read against the exact edition’s extracted canto text; whitespace normalised and original-leaf mapping checked. Plate art separately visually inspected.
- Edition
- IMJ-0082-E001
- Reader page
- IMJ-0082-E001-P0047
- Original scan leaf
- 54
- Recorded leaf number
- 54
- Current Reader position
- 47
- Reader verification
- Source-preserving update confirmed
Source 2
Dante's Inferno
cast it in his ravenous maw. E'en as a dog, that yelling bays for food His keeper, when the morsel comes, lets fall His fury, bentOpen this page in the book
Passage & edition details
Location recorded at citation review: Dante’s Inferno, Cary translation; active reader leaf 50
Passage read against the exact edition’s extracted canto text; whitespace normalised and original-leaf mapping checked. Plate art separately visually inspected.
- Edition
- IMJ-0082-E001
- Reader page
- IMJ-0082-E001-P0050
- Original scan leaf
- 57
- Recorded leaf number
- 57
- Current Reader position
- 50
- Reader verification
- Source-preserving update confirmed
Illustrations
Continue exploring
Ciacco and the Divided City
The Florentine soul who answers Dante’s questions about the city’s approaching strife.
Same subject and traditionGeryon, the Image of Fraud
A reassuring human face joined to a dangerous composite body at the descent into fraud.
Same subject and traditionThe Harpies of the Thorny Wood
The nesting creatures whose feeding opens the transformed trees to lamentation.
Same subject and traditionThe Minotaur at the Broken Descent
The enraged guardian at the steep passage into the seventh circle.