Lost in the lingering wheels of Mythology, the two headed dog has been all but expunged from the cultural history of many ancient peoples. In Ancient Egypt the beast is mentioned as a child of Anubis and was charged with guarding the 13 steps to the afterlife. One legend claims the mighty creature ate the heart of the cat goddess Bast, and condemned her to eternal suffering.
The Most compelling of the old tales regarding the two headed dog is from the Greeks. The only stories to give him the name Janus. Made from solid Orichalcum by the hands of the god Hephaestus. Janus was meant as a gift for Hera, queen of the gods. Hera charged the beast with the task of guarding Ambrosia (food of the gods), so no mortal should ever rise to be as powerful as the residents of Olympus.
In early Christian Mythology, a two headed dog was the guardian of two doors. One door led to heaven and one door led to hell. Souls on their way to the afterlife would choose a door and seal their fate. All who approached could ask the dog one question for guidance. The trick being that one head always lies and the other always speaks true.
In Germanic folklore there is a tale of a girl encountering a two headed dog on her way to see her grandmother. The beast is tethered to the mighty world tree called yggdrasil by the unbreakable chain of heaven. The dog is said to guard the Golden Apples of Idunn and to keep travelers from straying from the forest path and stumbling into the garden of the goddess.
In the 1880's a young doctor stumbled across the cult of Baskerville who were said to worship a dual headed canine beast with green glowing eyes.
In more modern times, blues man Robert Johnson claims that he went to the crossroads and sold his soul to a man whose only companion was a gigantic and ferocious beast with two heads and a thousand teeth.
The iconic creature permeates many cultures. It has never been revealed whether the dog is a force for good or evil, or if it just stands as a balance between order and chaos
7:00 -- open mic sign-up begins
7:30 -- open mic (5 minutes per reader)
9:00 -- featured reader
Molly Malone's Irish Pub
7652 Madison Street
Forest Park, IL
708-366-8073
