The Sphinx: Unraveling Greek Mythology's Lion-Bodied, Woman-Headed Monster of Thebes

Sphinx   /sfɪŋks/  was a dreadful monster with a body of a lion and head of a woman, also had wings to fly. It appeared in Thebes right after the death of King Laius . It took permanent position on a mountain pass guarding the main entrance to Thebes. She used to threaten every traveler to devour them or throw them from mountain top if they fail to answer her riddle – What walks on four legs in the morning, two legs at noon, and three legs in the evening? She sang, dark winged, from the citadel's height: 'What has one voice, yet walks four-legged at morn, Two legged at noon, and three-legged at night?' The wrong answer meant flesh from bone was torn. It was king Laius’ intelligent son ‘Oedipus’ who solved this riddle with perfect answering –  'A MAN' . Oedipus:   " MAN — who crawls as infant, strides at adulthood, and leans on a staff in age." At this, the beast howled, and cast herself from the rock, While Thebes hailed Oedipus King — never knowing, ...