SOURCE: Morgan, J. R. “The Aithiopika of Heliodorus: Narrative as Riddle.” In Greek Fiction: The Greek Novel in Context, edited by J. R. Morgan and Richard Stoneman, pp. 97-113. London: Routledge, 1994.

In the following essay, Morgan contends that Heliodorus sought the active participation of readers by engaging their imaginations in solving riddles presented in his narrative.

In the last book of Heliodoros' Aithiopika (Ethiopian Story), Hydaspes, king of Ethiopia, returns in triumph, after a spectacular victory over the forces of Persia. During the celebrations he is presented with commemorative gifts by his subject nations, including:

a specimen of an unusual and bizarre kind of animal: in size it stood as tall as a camel, but its hide was marked with garish leopard spots. Its hindquarters and rear parts were squat and leonine, but its withers, forelegs, and chest were disproportionately taller than the rest of its anatomy. Notwithstanding...