Explanations
There have been many attempts to explain the depiction of Cerberus. A 2nd century CE Greek known as Heraclitus the paradoxographer--- not to be confused with the 5th century BCE Greek philosopher Heraclitus--- claimed Euhemeristically that Cerberus had two pups which were never away from their father, as such Cerberus was in fact a normal (however very large) dog but artists incorporating the two pups into their work made it appear as if his two children were in fact extra heads. Classical historians have dismissed Heraclitus the paradoxographer's explanation as "feeble". Mythologers have speculated that if Cerberus was given his name in Trikarenos it could be interpreted as "three karenos". Certain experts believe that the monster was inspired by the golden jackal.
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