The Sphinx.
The question at the gates of Thebes
The Greek Sphinx: Oedipus, the Riddle and the Winged MonsterThe Greek is the winged, lion-bodied figure who confronts Thebes with a deadly riddle. defeats her by recognizing the human life described in the question.
More than a myth.
The Sphinx and Thebes
The describes sending the Sphinx to trouble Thebes. She combines a woman’s face, a lion’s body, and wings. Her danger is attached to a question rather than to a simple demand for tribute: those who fail to solve the riddle are destroyed, and the community needs someone who can understand it.
What is the Sphinx’s riddle?
The question asks about a creature whose way of walking changes through life: four feet, then two, then three. identifies a human being, crawling as a child, walking upright, and later using a staff. dies after her defeat, and Oedipus gains the kingship and Jocasta as wife, setting up a further problem of recognition.
Greek and Egyptian sphinxes
The Theban story belongs to a Greek literary figure, usually female and winged. Egyptian sphinx imagery has its own royal and religious settings and should not be treated as an illustration of ’s adventure. The shared modern word is useful for comparison only if those different contexts remain visible.
Questions about The Sphinx
Who solved the Sphinx’s riddle?
. His answer is a human being at different stages of life.
Did Oedipus kill the Sphinx with a sword?
In the , he defeats her by answering the riddle, after which she throws herself from the height. The decisive act is understanding.
It’s a family affair.
The stories of The Sphinx.
Continue with the ancient accounts.
This story collection does not yet include a full retelling centered on The Sphinx. Explore the cited sources below and the connected profiles for more of the surviving accounts.
Ancient voices.
Enduring stories.
Myths have many tellings. These are the ancient works behind this profile, linked to freely available English translations.
Library
Book 3.5.8
Theogony
Lines 326–332
The Sphinx
Greek form and genealogy