Table of Contents

Dedication
Acknowledgements
List of Figures
Abbreviations
Quick Key to Some Special Terms and Conventions Used in this Book
Introduction
Schema of motifs
PART ONE: THE CLASSICAL DRAGON
i. The Genealogy of the Great Dragons
ii. Typhon, Slain by Zeus
iii. Python, Slain by Apollo
iv. Heracles' Dragons (i): Baby Heracles and the Dragon-pair Sent by Hera
v. Heracles' Dragons (ii): the Hydra
vi. Heracles' Dragons (iii): Ladon, the Dragon of the Hesperides
vii. Heracles' Dragons (iv): Cerberus, the Hound of Hades
viii. The Chimaera, Slain by Bellerophon
ix. Medusa, Slain by Perseus
x. Lamia, Slain by Eurybatus and Others
xi. The Dragon of Ares, Slain by Cadmus
xii. The Dragon of Nemea, Slain by the Seven against Thebes
xiii. The Dragon of Colchis, Slain or Put to Sleep by Jason and Medea
xiv. The Dragon-pair Sent against Laocoon and his Sons
xv. The Dragon of the River Bagrada, Slain by Regulus and his Army
xvi. Some Unique Dragon-slaying and Dragon-averting Narratives in Later Greek Sources
xvii. The Sea-monster of Troy, Slain by Heracles
xviii. The Sea-Serpent of Ethiopia, Slain by Perseus
xix. Scylla, Slain by Heracles and Encountered by Odysseus
PART TWO: THE CHRISTIAN DRAGON
xx. The Serpents of the Bible and its Apocrypha
xxi. The Dragons of the Early Hagiographical Tradition
xxii. St Philip, the Echidna and the Ophianoi
xxiii. St Silvester and the Dragon of Rome
xxiv. Saintly Tales Originating between the Fourth and Sixth Centuries AD
xxv. Saintly Tales of the Central Medieval Period
xxvi. St Patrick and St George
APPENDICES
Appendix A: World-foundational Dragon-slaying Tales from the Ancient Near East and India
Appendix B: Germanic Dragon fights of the eighth to thirteenth centuries AD
Appendix C: A Selection of Dragon- and Serpent-slaying Tales of Folkloric Interest
List of Editions Used
References
Source Index
General Index

About the Author

Daniel Ogden is Professor of Ancient History at the University of Exeter, UK and Research Fellow in UNISA (University of South Africa). He is the author of numerous books on the ancient world, including another sourcebook, Magic, Witchcraft and Ghosts in the Greek and Roman Worlds (2nd ed. OUP 2009) and the authoritative treatment of the dragon in antiquity, Drakon: Dragon Myth and Serpent Cult in the Greek and Roman Worlds (OUP
2013).

Reviews

"Dragons, Serpents, and Slayers in the Classical and Early Christian Worlds employs a well-organized approach to researching dragon lore and provides readers with an in-depth, historical view of the dragon throughout the centuries. ... Quite simply, anyone wishing to begin research in dragon lore should start with this book." --Journal of Folklore Research
"This is a charming and comprehensive collection of texts on ancient pagan and Christian dragon-lore. There is no doubt that it will be immensely helpful for scholars and students alike in finding their way through a tangle of traditions buried in often inaccessible texts, and will provide an authoritative basis for further research." --Graham Anderson, University of Kent
"Ogden's book deserves very high marks, bringing together in the compass of a single volume the narrative sources for ancient, medieval, and other dragons, together with their opponents, all supplemented by a generous number of well-chosen illustrations." --William F. Hansen, Indiana University
"Ogden has produced a terrifically entertaining and extremely useful sourcebook that marvelously fulfills its promise of providing a comprehensive collection of dragon tales from the ancient and medieval periods. The reader will find fascinating excerpts from the Greek Homer to the Norse Eddas, and dragon-slayers from Heracles to St. Hilarion." --Debbie Felton, University of Massachusetts Amherst