Dragons, serpents, and slayers in the classical and early Christian worlds: a sourcebook

Abstract

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