A monster that asked a very hard riddle until Oedipus solved it and the creature killed itself. It had the body of a lion, the head of a woman, and wings.
Has the body of a lion and the head of a human. In Egypt the Sphinx was a creature used to guard temples and other holy places. Statues of them are often found outside of tomes. The most noted as the statue of the Great Sphinx. In Greece the Sphinx was a monster that attacked a city in one of their legends. The beast challenged people to a riddle. If they answered wrong they died. Finally a hero came and answered the riddle, thereby setting the city free. The riddle was this: What walks on four legs in the morning, on two at mid-day(noon), and three in the evening?" Well it seems someone leeked the answer. The answer is man.
Big stone monument with lion body and human head located in the acropolis of Giza.
A statue in the shape of a lion with the head of a human or ram. A sphinx was a symbol of royal power.
mythological beast with the body of a lion and head of a human
(Greek mythology) a riddling winged monster with a woman's head and breast on a lion's body; daughter of Typhon
one of a number of large stone statues with the body of a lion and the head of a man that were built by the ancient Egyptians
a beast that can make riddles and can stump many people with them
a mythical creature with the head of a man or an animal and the body of a lion
a mythological monster with the head and breasts of a woman, the body of a lion, and the wings of a bird
Mythical winged monster, part human and part lion. Of Egyptian origin, the design appears in nearly all classical schools of furniture.
A Greek word derived from the Egyptian shesep-ankh, meaning the "living image". It means a statue with a body of a lion and the head of the king, a form that is symbolic of sovereignty.
It is the name given to a system of automatic transfers in Egyptian pounds towards Egypt. (Cf: conditions to be fulfilled).
Most often a combination of the body of a lion with the head of a human. Kings desired to combine their own images with that of the lion in order to absorb the power of the animal. The sphinx was also associated with the sun god.
a giant stone figure of an imaginary creature, with the head of a man or animal and the body of a lion.
the Egyptian sphinx is a mythical creature usually made up of a recumbent lion with a human head, usually that of a pharaoh. The Greek sphinx is mythical demon of destruction and bad luck. She was depicted most often as a winged lion seated upright with a woman's head; or as a woman with the claws and body of a lion, a serpent's tail, and wings. [ The Three Ponds of Hellbrunn; Bequest: The Thre Ponds in Hellbrunn; Blood Guilt
A figure made up of two different kinds of animals, or half man-half animal. Some of the animals found in sphinxes include rams, lions, crocodiles, and hawks. The best-known example is the Great Sphinx, located in Giza, Egypt, which has the body of lion and the head of a man.
A mythical creature made up of the symbols of the four primary astrological signs – the lion, man, eagle, and bull. A gatekeeper and guardian of hidden mysteries.
Recumbent statue having a body of a lion and a human or animal head. Gk.
A figure with the body of a lion and the head of a man, hawk or a ram.
Mythical winged monster, half woman and half lion. Of Egyptian origin, it occurs in all classical schools of furniture.
Sphinx is an iconic image of a recumbent lion with the head of a ram, of a falcon or of a person, invented by the Egyptians of the Old Kingdom, but a cultural import in Greek mythology.
The Sphinx is the oldest of eight senior societies at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire. The Sphinx Tomb, constructed in 1903 on East Wheelock Street, was designed by Manchester, N.H. architect William M. Butterfield and reflects the Egyptian Revival architectural style popular during the mid-nineteenth century.
The Sphinx is the name of two fictional supervillains in the Marvel Comics universe. Both Sphinxes are Ancient Egyptians who have repeatedly fought Nova and the other members of the New Warriors.
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game Sphinxes are a type of magical beast related to manticores. The four most common subraces of sphinx are the androsphinx, criosphinx, gynosphinx, and hieracosphinx.
In 2006, Sphinx, a sculpture of the British supermodel Kate Moss in a complicated yoga position was unveiled by the controversial British sculptor Marc Quinn. The life-size sculpture is made of cast bronze, with a white-painted finish, and shows Moss wearing a leotard with her feet and hands behind her head.