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A sphinx (/ sfɪŋks / SFINKS; Ancient Greek: σφίγξ, pronounced [spʰíŋks]; Boeotian: φίξ, romanized:phíx, pronounced [pʰíːks]; pl. sphinxes or sphinges) is a mythical creature with the head of a human, the body of a lion, and the wings of an eagle. In Greek tradition, the sphinx is a treacherous and merciless being with the head ...
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PARENTS
[1.1] ORTHOS & KHIMAIRA (Hesiod Theogony 326) [2.1] TYPHOEUS & EKHIDNA (Apollodorus 3.52, Hyginus Pref & Fabulae 151, Lasus Frag 706A) [2.2] TYPHOEUS & KHIMAIRA (Scholiast on Hesiod & Euripides)
SPHINX (Sphinx), a monstrous being of Greek mythology, is said to have been a daughter of Orthus and Chimaera, born in the country of the Arimi (Hes. Theog. 326), or of Typhon and Echidna (Apollod. iii. 5. § 8; Schol. ad Eurip. Phoen. 46), or lastly of Typhon and Chimaera (Schol. ad Hes. and Eurip. l. .c.). Some call her a natural daughter of Laius...
Hesiod, Theogony 326 ff (trans. Evelyn-White) (Greek epic C8th or C7th B.C.) : "But she [Khimaira (Chimera)] also, in love with Orthos (Orthus), mothered the deadly Sphinx, the bane of the Kadmeians (Cadmeans) [Thebans]." Lasus, Fragment 706A (from Natale Conti, Mythology) (trans. Campbell, Vol. Greek Lyric III) (Greek lyric C6th B.C.) : "The Sphin...
GREEK
1. Hesiod, Theogony - Greek Epic C8th - 7th B.C. 2. Greek Lyric III Lasus, Fragments - Greek Lyric C6th B.C. 3. Greek Lyric IV Corinna, Fragments - Greek Lyric C5th B.C. 4. Aeschylus, Seven Against Thebes - Greek Tragedy C5th B.C. 5. Aeschylus, Fragments - Greek Tragedy C5th B.C. 6. Apollodorus, The Library - Greek Mythography C2nd A.D. 7. Lycophron, Alexandra - Greek Poetry C3rd B.C. 8. Diodorus Siculus, The Library of History - Greek History C1st B.C. 9. Pausanias, Description of Greece - G...
ROMAN
1. Hyginus, Fabulae - Latin Mythography C2nd A.D. 2. Ovid, Metamorphoses - Latin Epic C1st B.C. - C1st A.D. 3. Seneca, Oedipus - Latin Tragedy C1st A.D. 4. Statius, Thebaid - Latin Epic C1st A.D.
BYZANTINE
1. Suidas, The Suda - Byzantine Greek Lexicon C10th A.D.
Sphinx, mythological creature with a lion’s body and a human head, an important image in Egyptian and Greek art and legend. The earliest and most famous example in art is the colossal recumbent Great Sphinx at Giza, Egypt, dating from the reign of King Khafre (c. 2575–2465 BCE).
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Mar 25, 2023 · The Sphinx was a hybrid creature, like the Chimera or griffin. Though versions of it were known in Egypt and Mesopotamia (see below), the Greek Sphinx was usually represented with the body of a lion and the head of a human woman. In many sources it also had wings, while later sources added that it had a snake for a tail.
Sep 8, 2012 · A Sphinx is a mythical creature with the body of a lion, most often with a human head and sometimes with wings. The creature was an Egyptian invention and had a male head - human or animal; however, in Greek mythology, the creature had the head of a woman. The sphinx is also present in the art and sculpture of the Mycenaean, Assyrian, Persian ...
- Mark Cartwright
However, the Sphinx is more commonly believed to have been the daughter of Echidna and Typhon, which would have made her a sibling of the Chimera, Cerberus, Lernaean Hydra, and Nemean Lion. By all accounts, the Greek Sphinx was a mythical monster with the head of a woman, body of a lion, wings of an eagle, and tail of a serpent.
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Sphinx is a mythical creature with a lion’s body and a human head. The earliest and most famous example of Sphinx in art is the colossal recumbent Great Sphinx at Giza, Egypt, dating from the reign of King Khafre (c. 2575-2465 BCE). Sphinxes were an important image in Egyptian and Greek art and legend. In Greek mythology, the Sphinx was said ...
