Facts about Sphinx: Riddler of Thebes

1. 05

   Unlike the Egyptian sphinx, the Greek Sphinx was female and malevolent, actively killing those who failed her riddle rather than serving as a guardian figure.

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2. 04

   Ancient Greeks considered the Sphinx a symbol of divine punishment sent by Hera or Ares to plague Thebes for a moral transgression.

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3. 03

   In Greek mythology, the Sphinx was depicted as a creature with the head of a woman, the body of a lion, and the wings of an eagle.

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4. 02

   Oedipus solved the Sphinx's riddle by answering 'man,' after which the Sphinx killed herself by throwing herself from a cliff.

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5. 01

   The Sphinx of Greek mythology guarded the entrance to Thebes and devoured travelers who could not answer her riddle about what walks on four legs, then two, then three.

   Sphinx: Riddler of ThebesJun 6sharemythologyancientgreek