Cerberus Tattoo: Come and see the Hound of Hades Tattoos!
Yes, all mythology tattoos are very popular, because they have a strong symbolism and they are just cute and, inside this mythology tattoo trend, Cerberus tattoos are a good ones.
For that, on this article we are going to tell you:
- More about Cerberus' character.
- All the Cerberus tattoo meanings.
- And, a lot of different designs for you!
Let’s go!
Table of Contents
Everything you have to know about Cerberus
You know, in Greek Mythology Cerberus is the Hound of Hades too, because it is the dog who guards the door to enter the Underworld, and lets no one escape from there.
And this is a hard job, isn’t it?
The key factors for the Greeks were that, once you are dead and go through the Underworld’s door, you are not allowed to come back.
Cerberus is a really big dog, very muscular, with 3 heads so it can be guarding all the time.
The perfect Cerberus Tattoo Example
Here you can find maybe the perfect example of a Cerberus Tattoo.
Made in realistic style and only black ink, this fantastic work is a masterpiece about dotwork and illustration, and it is just perfectly finished.
This tattoo is made by Nic Smith, a fantastic tattoo artist working at Ravens Hollow Tattoo, in Melbourne, Australia, and we think you should follow him right now.
- Cerberus Tattoo.
- Realistic Style.
- Black ink.
Only one person can espace from the Underworld
Yes, in the myth of Deméter/Ceres, the Goddess for Agriculture, Hades rape her and the other Gods have to deliverate if she can to go out or not.
They finally decide Deméter can spend 6 months outside the Underworld and 6 months there, and that is why you have Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter.
Demeter Tattoo, key in Cerberus myth
Here you can find a realistic tattoo about Demeter/Ceres, the Goddess for Agriculture for Greek people.
As you can see, there are some flowers down the composition, symbolizing the summer, harvest and life, and something like a tree going up the composition.
This piece of work is done by Onur Cavdar, a Tattoo Artist and illustrator in Düsseldorf, Germany.
- Realistic Style.
- Black and gray ink.
- Mythology Tattoo.
Cerberus and Heracles
Heracles (or Hercules if you want) have to do 12 works, and the final one was to trap Cerberus.
And Heracles didn’t do it by force (because he will fail!).
He just told Hades to go Cerberus out, and Hades told him ok, but with one condition: Heracles have to be nice with Cerberus and he cannot harm it at all.
So, Heracles treated Cerberus so well Cerberus was freaking out, and went along with Heracles as a friend.
Nice, isn’t it?
Cerberus and Heracles Tattoo
Another key in Cerberus myth history is Heracles, and you can see an image of this part on this amazing tattoo.
Heracles with Cerberus in a realistic style with a very personal imprint, a lot of shadowing to make the tattoo design something unique.
This tattoo is done by Zebra, another very talented tattoo artist we think you should follow right now!
- Realistic Style.
- Black and gray ink.
- Mythology Tattoo.
About Cerberus parents
Almost every monster in Greek mythology comes from Echidna and Typhon.
Echidna is a big woman in the upper part, with beautiful and terrifying dark eyes, and snake form in the legs, and she is analogous to Lilith’s myth.
On the other hand, Typhon was the last of the Titans, really big and he can set everything on fire and, for this, Zeus banished him to Etna’s mountain.
Echidna Tattoo
Just in case you need an image about how Echidna may be, this very tall monster with a woman body and snake legs may be something like this.
As you can see, a black and gray tattoo in Illustration style, a simple quite amazing design done by another Zeb Marshall, a wonderful tattoo artist based in Melbourne with tons of a little dark tattoo designs for you.
- Realistic Style.
- Black and gray ink.
- Ilustration Style.
Some about Cerberus Tattoo Meanings
Maybe the key meanings for a Cerberus Tattoo are:
Cerberus is protection
Yes, Cerberus is a very fierce dog, but its main work is to protect the most important door of the world.
No dead people can go out, no living people can go in.
And, for that, the first meaning is to protect important things.
And also strength, power and fierceness
The other main Cerberus tattoo meaning is about strength.
You know, you have to be really strong to guard the Underworld’s door, and you have to be fierce enough to do it.
And Cerberus roleplay is that one, because of this, it just attacks everyone who approaches it without asking.
Finally, loyalty
And, finally, Cerberus is a dog guarding a door forever, so loyalty is another key meaning for this tattoo.
So, if you want to have a different tattoo about loyalty, it can be a nice option.
Some Cerberus Tattoo Designs for you
Now we reach the best part, here you can find a lot of different Cerberus Tattoo designs for you to get inspired.
Dark but cute Cerberus Tattoo
We do love this tattoo.
And we do it because it has a lot of good things done in just one piece.
First of all, the final result is just amazing, with no errors at all.
Secondly, we think the artist mixed up (really well) a dark concept with some oniric stuff and some illustration, and the result is something different, you can feel the darkness and want to hug that piece.
And that is the point.
This tattoo is done by Chaltura, another fantastic tattoo artist from Poland.
- Black ink.
- Dark Tattoo.
- Ilustration Style.
Cerberus Tattoo in American Traditional Style
This is another fantastic example in another completely different style.
Here you can find a Cerberus Tattoo made in an American Traditional Style.
It may seem simple, but to do this design properly you have to be really good at inking.
This tattoo is made by Davide Macini, a wonderful Italian tattoo artist working at Black Tear Tattoo, in Rome, with his own personal style.
- Black ink.
- Dark Tattoo.
- American Traditional Style.
Cerberus Illustration Black Tattoo
Staying more or less in the same way, you can find here another fantastic Cerberus tattoo design.
This time, the illustration style is the main part of this tattoo, made in black ink, with a moon beside the dog.
We do like the shadowing and dotwork, giving the composition something special.
This tattoo is made by Nash, a fantastic tattoo artist working at Mowzerink Tattoo Studio, in France.
- Black ink.
- Illustration Tattoo.
- Dotwork and Shadowing.
Cerberus and Snake Realistic Tattoo
Yes, the wow effect is just this one.
This eye-catching design is just awesome, fantastic, or the adjective you want to put on.
It is just perfect.
We do like the realistic style and the shadowing work, giving the tattoo a lot of force, you can feel the energy.
This tattoo is done by Ross, a fantastic tattoo artist working at Mahalo Tattoo Shop, in Gerenzano, near Milan, Italy.
And yes, you should follow her right now!
- Black and gray.
- Realistic Tattoo.
- Shadowing.
What if Cerberus is a nice dog?
We do like the concept of a nice Cerberus, like a puppy but with 3 heads, but, moreover, if you see this tattoo design you can just fall in love in seconds.
The tattoo is an Illustration style one, made like a masterpiece, in black ink with a lot of dotwork in such a large piece.
The tattoo is done by Khrys, a wonderful woman tattoo artist focused on Illustration style in black ink, working at Hamsa Tattoo, in Melbourne, Australia.
- Cerberus Tattoo.
- Illustration Style.
- Black ink.
Dirge of Cerberus Tattoo
And, if you are a Final Fantasy fan your eyes are on this tattoo, isn’t it?
Yes, is the Dirge of Cerberus, and perfectly done, if we can say more.
We do like the bold lines and all the blackwork in the piece, and, moreover, the place of the body, in the shoulder, just another fantastic idea.
The tattoo is done by Fifi, a tattoo artist working at Farbwerk Tattoo Studio, in Nörten-Hardenberg, Germany, with a lot of potential.
- Dirge of Cerberus Tattoo.
- Final Fantasy Tattoo.
- Blackwork.
Dark Cerberus Tattoo
Almost all tattoos on this list are illustrations in black ink with shadowing but, what if you do the opposite?
Well, the result is fantastic, isn’t it?
Yes, the final result of this tattoo is just another masterpiece of illustration tattoo, we do like all the white lines and eyes of the heads of the dog, giving the design a lot of personality.
This perfect tattoo is done by Bright Bones, a fantastic tattoo artist working in Los Angeles and New York City you should follow right now.
- Dark Cerberus Tattoo.
- Blackwork.
- Illustration Tattoo.
Here is all the list for Cerberus tattoo, did you get inspired?
