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Greek Mythology
The Sphinx of Greek Mythology
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In ancient Greek mythology the Sphinx was depicted as a
single, unique creature with the body of a lion, the wings
of an eagle, and the head and breast of a human female.
Apparently it was not an ugly creature, but it was vicious
and single-minded. It is not reported as having unusual or
monstrous size, so the Sphinx was probably imagined as the
size of a large lion, possibly with the human head and eagle
wings larger than normal to retain proportion.
While our knowledge of the Egyptian and
arabic sphinxes comes in large part from statues, the Greek
Sphinx is known primarily through the writings of a handful
of early authors. While there are a few representations of
the Sphinx from urns, tomb art and drinking vessels that
date to approximately 570 BCE, there are no statues extant
today, or reported to have been built and subsequently lost.
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Heritage
The Sphinx was one of the ill-fated offspring of the
monsters Typhon (which breathed fire, had a hundred venomous
heads and was eventually pinned by Zeus under Mt. Etna), and
Echidna (which had a beautiful nymph's head and the body of
a giant serpent). Other offspring of Echidna were the Nemean
Lion, Cerberus, Ladon, Chimaera and Hydra.
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Click for a larger, more detailed map of ancient Greece
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Sources & the Riddle
Although the story varies slightly based on the source, the
Sphinx is probably best known through the plays of
Sophocles, in the tragedies of Oedipus (written circa 425
BCE), and the works of Apollodorus. Oedipus was the son of
Laius, the king of Thebes, and his queen, Jacosta. A
prophetic oracle had been given that the son would kill his
father, so Laius sent him out to be slain. However, he was
found and raised by peasants, completely unaware of his
heritage. Once grown, he met his father on the road, and in
an argument over who should make way, Oedipus killed him.
Not long after, Thebes was plagued by the
Sphinx, which sat on a high rock by a road near Thebes and
posed a riddle it had learned from the Muses to all who
passed. The riddle, reported or translated in slightly
different words, was: "What animal has one voice, but goes
on four legs in the morning, two legs at noon, and upon
three legs in the evening?" The Sphinx strangled all who
could not answer its riddle.
Other versions of the story state that the
Sphinx was sent by Hera, sat on Mt. Phicium, or sat on the
city walls of Thebes, and in at least one story, that the
Sphinx actively devoured the citizens of the town until its
riddle could be answered. In the latter story, Thebes
offered the reward of kingship and the former queen as wife
to anyone who could answer the riddle and rid Thebes of the
Sphinx.
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Oedipus was able to answer the Sphinx,
"Man, who in childhood creeps on hands and knees, in manhood
walks erect, and in old age with the aid of a staff." The
Sphinx became so distraught that its riddle had been solved
that it threw itself from the rock to its death. As a
reward, the people of Thebes made Oedipus their king, and he
took the former queen Jacosta as his wife. Thus the tragic
prophesy was fulfilled that Oedipus would slay his father
and marry his mother. When Oedipus learned the truth, he
went insane, gouged out his eyes, and wandered the
countryside, cared for by his daughters until his death.
Thus the phrase, "riddle of the Sphinx" is
most appropriately applied to the Greek Sphinx, though it is
now often applied to Egyptian Sphinx, with the connotation
of being mysterious and enigmatic.
This story is the source of psychoanalyst
Sigmund Freud's naming of the Oedipus complex, the
theoretical stage of childhood development where a male
child has a strong attraction to his mother, and jealous or
hostile feelings toward his father.
It has also been noted in the literature
that a very similar riddle appears in diverse cultures with
no apparent influence or derivation from the Greek.
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Relief detail of Sphinx from tomb
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Name and Meaning
The name "Sphinx" derives from the Greek word "sphingo," to
strangle, or "sphingein," to bind tight, based on its habit
of strangling its victims. The name was subsequently applied
to the Egyptian and other arabic sphinxes because of their
physical similarity to descriptions of the mythical Greek
Sphinx.
The Sphinx was considered a demon of
death, devouring, destruction and bad luck. This is in
contrast to the Egyptian and arabic sphinxes which were
usually represented as guardians that embodied wisdom,
strength, nobility and a relatively benign attitude toward
human beings (at least those who did not violate what they
were set to guard).
One current meaning of the word "sphinx"
is "an enigmatic or mysterious person." The development of
this particular usage arose from the fact that "enigma" also
derives from the Greek "ainigma," 'to speak in riddles,'
with perhaps the added influence of the inscrutable and
mysterious Great Sphinx of Egypt.
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Chimera
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Similar creatures
The Sphinx is certainly not alone in the mythological annals
of combination or hybrid creatures. The most notable, and
similar, (excluding the Egyptian and arabian sphinxes)
include:
- Chimaera
A sibling of the Sphinx, it
was formed of a lion's body and head, combined with the
head of a goat or ram, and the tail of a serpent or
dragon. It was dispatched by the hero Bellerophon, who
enlisted the winged horse Pegasus as his steed for the
task.
- Griffin (Gryphon)
A ferocious class of monsters
with the body of a lion, the head and wings of an eagle,
and great talons.
- Centaur
Another class of monster, but
intelligent, imbued with good traits and on generally
good terms with men. They had the body of a horse and
the upper torso and head of a man. Their tendency to
drunken behavior often led to problems. Zeus turned the
centaur Chiron, a tutor, into the constellation
Sagittarius after Chiron asked for the release of death
over a wound that would not heal. He, as Sagittarius, is
represented also represented in the ninth sign of the
zodiac.
- Manticore
This creature had the body of
a lion, the head of a man (sometimes a lion's head) and
the tail of a scorpion or dragon. It was a popular image
in medieval heraldry.
- Harpy (Harpies)
Three creatures from Greek
myth that had the head or upper body of a woman and the
remaining body of a large bird. In early myth they were
attractive winged women, but they are better known as
ugly creatures responsible for tormenting and kidnapping
humans. In modern usage "harpy" refers to a shrewish
woman.
- Minotaur
It had the body of a man with
the head and tail of a bull. It was so destructive king
Minos inprisoned it in the famous labyrinth on Crete,
where it was given human sacrifices and was later killed
by Theseus.
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