Daughter of the monstrous Typhon, the Sphinx of Greek legend was sent to terrorize citizens of the ancient city of Thebes. With the body of a lion or wolf, wings of an eagle and a venomous serpent for a tail, this beastly woman was impossible to defeat in combat. Instead, the Sphinx allegedly posted a riddle to all who faced it, and devoured those who couldn't come up with the answer.
Breathless: The Sphinx killed humans quickly by using its legs to pin victims. The creature then strangled them, sometimes finishing them off with a crushing bite to the neck.
Guardian Devil: The Sphinx stopped every person who crossed its path. The beast flew from its perch with eagle-like wings to block the passage of all who tried to enter or exit Thebes.
The Riddler
The riddle that fatally stumped the Greeks was, "What animal walks on four legs in the morning, two legs at noon and three legs in the evening?" The Sphinx devoured countless people who attempted to solve this riddle and tormented the city of Thebes for years. When the beast asked this riddle of the hero Oedipus, he answered, "man." People crawl on four legs as babies (morning), walk on two legs as adults (noon), and walk with the aid of a cane, or third leg, in old age (evening). Upon hearing the correct answer the Sphinx leapt to its death, and Oedipus was named king.
Rammer: In some versions of the story, the Sphinx had the head of a ram. With great horns, the beast could have thrown victims who came to its mountain lair off the edge to a gruesome death.
Overkill: As the Sphinx smothered its victims, the beast's serpentine tail bit into them and injected paralyzing venom to end all possibility of escape.
Stolen from Egypt
The Sphinx originally came from Egyptian legends, in which the creature had the head of a man and the body of a lion. Instead of harming humans, this creature stood guard over the tombs of pharaohs. A statue of the Sphinx that measures 200 ft. long and 65 ft. tall sits in Egypt, near the great pyramids. Built more than 4,500 years ago, this is the oldest large sculpture on Earth.
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