Within  ones expirence of different cultural readings, we are able to compare styles and beliefs of various cultures. After reading Cantos IV of Dante's Inferno, you are introduced to Cerberus, the three headed dog that is to watch over the gluttons in hell. The beast is described  as a massive hound that have a never ending hunger, and only feels more empty with every person he feeds on. In Greek mythology., Cerberus is  shown  as the guard to the gates of Hades. Making sure no one who enters,attempt  to leave. He is the  child of  a half human, half  serpent monster. The massive dog is very similarly described to Dante's   beast, except he has a snake-like tail, and his two extra heads were originally his pups, but over time the interpretation was thrown off.  Hercules travels to defeat the dog with no weapons but his own two hands. In modern day literature, the idea of Cerberus is borrowed by j.K Rowling in the first of the Harry Potter series as a watch dog to the Philosopher's stone in a hidden room. Only Fluffy does not feast on students usually, and only can be defeated with music.

SO WHAT?! Right? Well think of how amazing it is, that stories which are as old as the first stories of mythology have evolved  through the years and been borrowed for different uses.  All three  versions  can mark similarities  and differences, but  that's how we can  always  figure out the allusion   modern literature uses to connect with stories 3,000 years older. it's fascinating, really.  The connection one book we read in school has to Classic Greek mythology,  which connects  to many more books. We borrow stories that were once in a language we couldn't even imagine comprehending, and modernizing it for  new use.