What’s in a Name? Fodder for Jokes

What’s in a Name? Fodder for Jokes

What’s less hellish than working for the Germans?

Working for a three-headed dog that guards the gates of Hades.

Those are the kinds of jokes being bandied about as Detroiters poke fun at the name of Chrysler’s new owner –- Cerberus Capital Management Corp.

First the pronunciation of Cerberus: "sir" (as in the formal salutation for a gentleman); "burr" (what you’d say if you were cold); "us" (you and me together).

And what does it mean? Cerberus is a creature from Greek mythology. He is a fierce, flesh-eating dog with three heads that guards the gates of hell -– the guardian of the underworld and faithful servant of Hades.

The Legends of Cerberus

Stories abound about Cerberus. One legend has Cerberus being the result of the union of Echidna and Typhon, two monstrous beings, and brother to equally monstrous Hydra and the Chimera. (Quipped one Detroit columnist "Might Chrysler someday have a Hydra or a Chimera in its model line?")

Another story claims the last of Hercules' 12 labors was to kidnap Cerberus and bring him to King Eurystheus. One version says Hercules paraded the dog around the Greek city of Mycenae and then returned him to Hades. Still another said mythical poet and singer Orpheus was able to get by Cerberus through the allure of his music.

Why Cerberus?

So why did Cerberus founder Stephen Feinberg adopt the name of such an ugly, nasty creature for his private equity firm? There seemed to be some confusion for a bit.

One Cerberus spokesperson contacted by the Detroit Free Press wasn’t sure at first, but conjectured that since Cerberus bought failing companies, it was saving them from bankruptcy, thus saving them from the underworld.

An e-mail to the newspaper from Feinberg’s office, however, provided the definitive answer. Feinberg thought Cerberus seemed like an engaging name at first but later regretted his decision. However, it was too late to fix the mistake.

New Names, Logos, Vehicles

The same e-mail to the Detroit newspaper informed that Feinberg, fond of Chevy and Ford pickup trucks, will immediately trade them for a Dodge Ram.

Meantime, Chrysler said it would brush off its Pentastar logo that was dropped with its purchase by Daimler. A large Pentastar sits atop its Michigan headquarters, and speculation had long been that it would be replaced by the three-pointed Mercedes star.

And various corporate names will be changed once the Chrysler-Cerberus deal is done this summer. DaimlerChrysler AG becomes Daimler AG. (The joke in automotive circles had long been that Chrysler was silent in the pronunciation of DaimlerChrysler.) Chrysler Holding LLC becomes the parent company of Chrysler Corporation LLC, which produces and sells Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep vehicles. Daimler will own 19.9 percent of Chrysler Holding; Cerberus 80.1 percent. Chrysler's financial business becomes Chrysler Financial Services LLC.

Michelle Krebs:  is Editor-in-Chief of AutoObserver.com. Follow @AutoObserver on Twitter.