Herakles is shown wearing a leopard’s skin throughout the book, and sometimes a lion’s skin appears on top of that. The leopard-skin depiction resembles the character Fred Flintstone from the well-known American TV series The Flintstones, although, as it is set in the Stone Age, this might cause some confusion.
Mandilaras’ text
follows a rhyming pattern every two couplets. The language is simple and
accessible, with a mixture of elevated and colloquial terms. The values merging
from narrating Herakles’ labours include bravery, ingenuity, intelligence (for
example, cleaning the stables), physical endurance, and agility. Herakles is
strong in body and spirit, and he is not daunted by anything. For example,
Herakles fights fiercely against the Amazons and in the darkness of Hades.
These qualities are typical for the hero as he is depicted in ancient Greek
mythology. Some of these qualities are mentioned directly in the text. For
example, in cleaning the stables, it is stated that Herakles came up with a
clever solution. Other qualities, such as strength and endurance, are implied
rather than explicitly stated in the text.
The book does not
finish just with the labours. Rather, we learn about Herakles’ softer side. Our
hero can fall in love, and he is prepared to defend his love. Unfortunately,
there is not a happy ending in the story. Nessos’ poison makes Herakles’ chiton
cling to the hero’s body. Herakles is in pain. The gods intervene and take him
to Olympus. On the final page, we see climbers up a mountain. Here, we appear
to have a caricature of present-day mountaineers.
There are monstrous
creatures in the story, like Diomedes’ flesh-eating horses. Yet, what we see in
the illustration are benign-looking horses with hallows over their heads since
Herakles has tamed them.
Women appear at the
very beginning and towards the end of the story when we see the Amazons, the
Hesperides, and Deianeira. Otherwise, the narrative befits a hyper-masculine
hero, and masculine qualities predominate, such as physical strength. Moreover,
Herakles’ bravery sometimes verges on savagery, e.g., the killing of the
Lernean Hydra and Cerberus. Nevertheless, children will likely remember
Herakles as a hero with extraordinary powers.
There is a strong
visual narrative through Kapatsoulia’s captivating and humorous illustrations.
Moving from one labour to the next, there are contrasting colours and
landscapes. Kapatsoulia succeeds in creating the illusion that Herakles is in
another place and time. The illustration for Herakles’ encounter with the
Nemean lion, which is also featured on the book’s front page, is intriguing.
The portrayal of the landscape is barren and dry, with a vivid yellow-orange
colour dominating. There is possibly something Martian and cinematic here,
potentially sparking children’s imagination beyond the realm of mythology.
