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The Greek Sphinx – A Demon Of Death And Esoteric Wisdom

The Sphinx is best described as a symbol of “arcane wisdom” (Olderr 126), and evil forces in ancient Greece around 1200 BCE. His character is shown by the fictional story about him, in particular, his relationship with Oedipus. The Sphinx also had long-standing meanings in other cultures such as Egypt. Since then, its symbols have become so attractive that its meaning is almost a proverb in the Western World today ( Britannica 16 ).

The Sphinx truly lives up to its monstrous name. In Greek mythology, the Sphinx is a female symbol with the body and feet of a lion, the head and breasts of a woman, and the wings of an eagle (Scafella 179). Even though the horn sounds scary, the pictures of ancient Greece are fascinating. Such images were often seen on ivories, inscriptions, and pottery (Britannica 16). Although there are many representations of the sphinx, for the purposes of this article, the example used is the Greek Sphinx sitting on a short ionic pillar in front of Oedipus. This image is depicted on an Athene vase from the Archaic Period in Greece, between 800 and 500 BCE (Boardman 246).

The name “Sphinx” is a Greek word derived from the verb sphiggein, meaning “to pull tightly or bind together” (qtd. in Scafella 179). His legend is well described by Albert E. Cowdrey in his fictional story called The Name of the Sphinx: “His job was to harass and hinder the trade of the tourists of Thebes by forcing the tourists to answer a riddle. If they were wrong, he killed them” (104). He asked this proverb, which was taught to him by Moses: “What has one word, but has four, two, and three legs?” ( Britannica ) Although not mentioned in the ancient legend, the meaning of his name suggests that he may have killed people who gave the wrong answer by strangling them. His role directly connects him to another ancient myth, the tragic story of Oedipus.

Oedipus was the prince of Thebes, whose father abandoned him after he was born because of a prophecy that his son would kill him. His father tied his feet together and left him alone on a mountain (Encarta). Oedipus finally returned to Thebes, where the Sphinx was. However, when asked his question, Oedipus answered correctly: “A man who crawls on all fours when he is a baby, walks on two feet when he grows up, and leans on a stick when he is old” (Britannica 16). The face was so confused that it jumped from the barn and killed itself. The story continues that the Thebans were very grateful to Oedipus for giving him the kingdom, which was his, and unknowingly married his mother, the Queen (Encarta).

The Sphinx appeared in Greece for the first time around 1600 BCE, but it was only later, around 1200 BCE, that the myth took on a more familiar meaning and became the one we know today. Before the Greek era, however, the Sphinx as a symbol existed for over a thousand years in cultures such as Egypt, where it is acknowledged to have originated (Scafella 180). Although most of the symbols have remained the same in the Sphinx, some central features have changed. The obvious difference is the sex of the Sphinx. While the Egyptian Sphinx was only male, the Greek Sphinx was almost always female. The Greek Sphinx was used as a symbol of wisdom and evil, while the Egyptian Sphinx, especially in its ancient form, was often associated with the gods, and was used as a symbol of protection. It had no secret or fraudulent nature. An example of this work is its presence “in front of the temples of the Nile, outside the pyramid of Kaphren” (Suhr 97). Also, in Egypt, the Sphinx had no wings and was usually seated, unlike the Greek Sphinx, which was usually seated, especially at its height in Thebes (Scafella 180).

Looking at the deep symbols of the sphinx, it may be one of the most mysterious symbols of human history. Although many theories change and go away like strong waves, they have one thing in common, that their meaning, above all, is incomprehensible. One common idea, however, is the clear reference to the combined intelligence of animals: “…the mixing of man and lion shows the dominance of human intelligence over the power of raw meat” (Hajar). This idea is also expressed by Friedrich Hegel, a German philosopher in the 1800s: “The head of man that emerges from the animal’s body represents Mind as it begins to raise itself above Nature … its chains” (qtd. in Scafella 185). These ideas do well with the time they are in, in the development and war were competing everyday realities.

Another interesting interpretation is that the sphinx is only a mental symbol, which represents the complex and dual nature of the human mind: “Unlike many mythical creatures, the sphinx was not believed to be an imaginary thing” (Hajar). In today’s Freudian terms, the Sphinx can be regarded as an unconscious entity, whose existence we are certain of because of the visible effects of its existence (Cirlot 304).

Finally, on a very different note, another theory clearly states that “the mask of the sphinx involves the image of the mother and the culture-symbol; but under the mask there is the meaning of the myth of the multiplicity or the mysterious division of the cosmos” (Cirlot 304). Although, following the accepted theme of deception, this theory is unique in describing the superficial aspect of the Sphinx’s mother, apparently from her famous breasts. It is surprising that feminine symbols, which always mean love and compassion, are used in the Sphinx, the opposite symbol of anger. It is possible, as Cirlot says, that such signs are used to show the lower sign using the wrong form.

From its gradual rise to power from ancient Egyptian mythology to Greek mythology and modern day knowledge, the Sphinx has become a symbol of deception, anger, confusion, and wisdom. His death is a memory of victory over animal fury. But that memory is an illusion that confuses the mind. Human success has not eliminated the animal mark, or intellectual cruelty. It ended up being a visual representation of the reality of people being tortured endlessly, all of his thoughts. The light of the Sphinx is, more deceitful in false death than it was.

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Boardman, John. Athens Red Figure Vases: The Archaic Period. London: Thames and Hudson, Ltd., 1975.

Britannica, Encyclopaedia. “Sphinx”. Encyclopaedia Britannica: 200th Anniversary Edition. Vol. 21. USA: William Benton, 1969.

Encarta Encyclopedia. “Oedipus.” Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia 2005. http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761557812/Oedipus.html

Cowdrey, Albert E. “The Name of the Sphinx.” Fiction and Science Fiction. Vol. 107, Issue 6 (December, 2004): 100-120.

Cirlot, JE A Dictionary of Symbols. Great Britain: Redwood Books, Towbridge, Wiltshire, 1971.

Hagar, Rachel. “Culture: The Wisdom of the Sphinx People.” World & I. Vol. 14, Issue 2 (February, 1999): 228.

Elder, Steven. Symbolism: A Comprehensive Dictionary. Jefferson: McFarland & Company, Inc., 1986.

Soans, Catherine, and Alan Spooner, eds. “Sphinx”. Oxford Dictionary Thesaurus. New York: Oxford University Press Inc., 2001.

Scafella, Frank A. “The Sphinx.” Fictional and fascinating creatures: a primer and research guide. Editor. Malcolm South. New York: Peter Bedrick Books, 1987.

Suhr, Elmer G. “The Sphinx.” Folklore. Vol. 81, no. 2 (Summer, 1970): 97-111.

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