List of illustrations --Preface -- Introduction -- 1. Vampires, werewolves and the living dead -- Furies, Keres, Empusa and strix -- Werewolves -- The living dead -- Appendix : Non-mythical monsters -- 2. Impact -- 3. Laocoon and the sea-snakes -- 4. Sirens -- In Homer's Odyssey -- In Apollonius of Rhodes' Voyage of Argo -- In other classical authors -- In medieval, Renaissance and later authors -- 5. Other winged monsters -- The Stymphalian birds -- Griffins -- The sphinx -- Harpies -- 6. A monster-slayer : Theseus' early life and conquests -- The Minotaur -- The Calydonian boar -- The centaurs -- Theseus' end -- 7. A good monster : Chiron -- 8. Metamorphosed monsters -- Medusa -- Scylla -- 9. Jason and the Argonauts -- Talos -- The hydra -- The earthborn men -- 10. Fighting with monsters (1) -- The second labour of Heracles : the Hydra of Lerna -- Plot analysis : functions and stages -- Filling out the story -- The tenth labour of Heracles : Geryon and Cacus -- 11. Fighting with monsters (2) -- Typhos -- Perseus, Andromeda and the sea-monster -- Perseus and Medusa -- 12. Polyphemus : Odysseus and Polyphemus -- Polymphemus and Galatea -- Appendix : Other gigantic monsters -- Notes -- Select bibliography -- Index of monsters.