Creature: Sphinx
Project: Personal
Genre: Greek Mythology
In Greek mythology, the Sphinx was a monster. It had the body and tail of a lion, the face of a woman, and the wings of a bird. It was an offspring of Echidna and Typhon.
In the story of Oedipus, the goddess Hera sent the Sphinx to plague the people of the ancient city of Thebes. This was punishment for an ancient crime, possibly the failure to atone for the crimes of a former king of Thebes. The Sphinx sat perched on a mountain cliff nearby the ancient city. The creature guarded Thebes with a riddle that she had learned from the Muses. Each time a traveler failed to solve her riddle, she devoured them, effectively preventing anyone from leaving or entering the city.
The riddle: "What walks on four feet in the morning, two in the afternoon, and three at night?"
