The Riddle of the Sphinx

Posted by Robin Fowler Jan 2, 2008

In Greek mythology, the Sphinx was a monster that had the head of a woman, the body of a lion, wings of an eagle, and the tail of a snake. This composite figure varied a bit from its slightly more famous Egyptian counterpart, never achieving the notoriety of the monument at Giza. Coming from the Greek word "strangler", you can imagine what this creature was thought to have been capable of.

According to Greek lore, the Sphinx stood guard at the gates of Thebes, one of the major city-states. Anyone who wished to visit the city, or even who was merely passing by, was treated with an enigmatic riddle that they had to solve correctly. If answered incorrectly, the unlucky soul was killed on the spot by the Sphinx.

So, what is the Riddle of the Sphinx, anyway?

"What walk on four legs in the morning, two legs at noon, and three legs at night?"

The answer: Man

This metaphorical answer makes sense when you think about it. A baby crawls on all four legs (morning, or the beginning of life), a grown man walks on two legs (noon, or the middle of life), and an old man walks with a cane at night (the end, or the twilight of life).

Should a person happen to correctly answer this riddle, the Sphinx would self-destruct, so to speak.

So, did anyone ever answer the Riddle of the Sphinx? Indeed. One notable respondent was Oedipus from Greek mythology and Sophocles' tragic trilogy.