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 USA, 2009) and the authoritative treatment of the dragon in antiquity, Drakon: Dragon Myth and Serpent Cult in the Greek and Roman Worlds (forthcoming OUP 2013).

An exacting overview of serpentine lore in word and illustration, this sourcebook by Ogden .. applies the author's considerable expertise to differentiation of sources of monsters, dragon-slaying episodes, and their conclusions ... Recommended.

• 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

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 USA, 2009) and the authoritative treatment of the dragon in antiquity, Drakon: Dragon Myth and Serpent Cult in the Greek and Roman Worlds (forthcoming OUP 2013).

An exacting overview of serpentine lore in word and illustration, this sourcebook by Ogden .. applies the author's considerable expertise to differentiation of sources of monsters, dragon-slaying episodes, and their conclusions ... Recommended.

• 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

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 USA, 2009) and the authoritative treatment of the dragon in antiquity, Drakon: Dragon Myth and Serpent Cult in the Greek and Roman Worlds (forthcoming OUP 2013).

An exacting overview of serpentine lore in word and illustration, this sourcebook by Ogden .. applies the author's considerable expertise to differentiation of sources of monsters, dragon-slaying episodes, and their conclusions ... Recommended.

• 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