Sphinx
A creature with the body of a lion, wings of an eagle, and head of a woman. The Sphinx terrorized Thebes with her deadly riddle until Oedipus solved it.
The Myth of Sphinx
The Sphinx was sent to Thebes by Hera (or Ares) as punishment. She perched on a rock outside the city and posed a riddle to every traveler: "What walks on four legs in the morning, two at noon, and three in the evening?" Those who answered incorrectly — and all did — were devoured.
Thebes was paralyzed with terror. The regent Creon offered the throne and his sister Jocasta's hand to anyone who could defeat the Sphinx. Oedipus, a young wanderer, accepted the challenge.
When the Sphinx posed her riddle, Oedipus answered: "Man — who crawls as a baby, walks upright in his prime, and uses a cane in old age." The Sphinx, enraged and humiliated, threw herself from her rock and died. Oedipus became king of Thebes and married Jocasta — not knowing she was his own mother, setting in motion one of tragedy's greatest stories.
Symbols
Fun Fact
The Great Sphinx of Giza in Egypt, though different from the Greek Sphinx, shares the basic form — demonstrating how widely this mythical creature traveled.
Words We Inherited
English words and phrases that trace back to this myth. See our full guide to English words from Greek mythology.
Explore Further
Sphinx
🐉 creatureRiddler and strangler of Thebes
The Greek Sphinx was a winged monster with the head of a woman and the body of a lion who posed a deadly riddle to all who approached Thebes.
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🐉 creatureMother of all monsters
Echidna was half woman, half serpent — called the Mother of All Monsters for bearing the most fearsome creatures of Greek mythology.
Sphinx
🐉 creatureGuardian riddle-asker
The Sphinx combined Egyptian monumental sculpture with Greek narrative — in Egypt a guardian, in Greece a deadly riddler whose defeat by Oedipus unlocked Thebes' greatest tragedy.
Sybaris
🐉 creaturemonsters
A monstrous serpent-dragon that terrorised the region around Delphi until slain by a young hero
Lamia
🐉 creatureChild-devouring queen turned monster
Lamia was a beautiful queen of Libya whom Zeus loved; when Hera killed her children in jealousy, Lamia was driven mad and became a child-snatching monster.
Typhon
🐉 creatureFather of all monsters
The most fearsome monster in Greek mythology, who challenged Zeus for supremacy of the cosmos. Typhon was the father of many of mythology's most dangerous creatures.
Campe
🐉 creaturemonsters
Campe was the monstrous she-dragon who guarded the Cyclopes in Tartarus — her death gave Zeus the thunderbolt that won the war against the Titans.
Chimera
🐉 creatureFire-breathing hybrid monster
A fire-breathing monster with a lion's head, a goat's body, and a serpent's tail. The Chimera terrorized Lycia until Bellerophon slew it from the back of Pegasus.
Ophiotaurus
🐉 creaturehybrid creatures
A creature half bull and half serpent whose entrails, if burned, could grant power to overthrow the gods
Minotaur
🐉 creatureBull-headed monster of the Labyrinth
A monster with the body of a man and the head of a bull, imprisoned in the Labyrinth beneath Crete. The Minotaur was fed Athenian youths until Theseus slew it.
Typhon
🐉 creatureMost powerful monster who challenged Zeus
Typhon was the most fearsome monster in Greek mythology — a giant with serpent heads who nearly overthrew Zeus and would have ruled the cosmos.
Nemean Lion
🐉 creatureInvulnerable beast of Nemea
The Nemean Lion was a monstrous lion with an impenetrable golden hide that no weapon could pierce — the first of Heracles' twelve labours.