Observations placeholder
Kerberos - As described in Ovid's Metarmorphosis
Identifier
028820
Type of Spiritual Experience
Background
A description of the experience
Ovid Metarmorphosis The Transformation of Ino and Melicerta to Sea-Gods
The Queen of Heaven, to gratify her hate,
And sooth immortal wrath, forgets her state.
Down from the realms of day, to realms of night,
The Goddess swift precipitates her flight.
At Hell arrived, the noise Hell's porter heard,
Th' enormous dog his triple head up-reared:
Thrice from three grizzly throats he howled profound,
Then suppliant couched, and stretched along the ground.
The trembling threshold, which Saturnia pressed,
The weight of such divinity confessed.
Before a lofty, adamantine gate,
Which closed a tower of brass, the Furies sate:
Mis-shapen forms, tremendous to the sight,
Th' implacable foul daughters of the night.
A sounding whip each bloody sister shakes,
Or from her tresses combs the curling snakes.
But now great Juno's majesty was known;
Thro' the thick gloom, all heavenly bright, she shone:
The hideous monsters their obedience showed,
And rising from their seats, submissive bowed.