Were you reading Oedipus Rex and wondering what or who the Sphinx is? Or have you heard of it but didn't know exactly what it was? Well, that was the boat I was in so I did some research! A sphinx is a creature that has a body of a lion and the head of a human. It is common in Asian, Greek, and Egyptian mythology. They began in ancient Egypt where they were a spiritual guardian and most of the time were male. From Egypt, they "migrated" to both Greece and then Asia. This all happened in the 15th and 16th centuries B.C. The Asian perception of the sphinx had eagle wings and was usually female. Also, it was often described or drawn as sitting on its haunches with one paw raised up. The Greek perception of the sphinx also had wings and according to the legends, it ate all peoples who were not able to answer the riddles it told.
For more information: https://www.history.com/topics/ancient-egypt/the-sphinx
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
4 comments:
It is interesting that the Sphinx, which was mentioned in Oedipus, is actually a mythical creature with a human head and lion body. This is because I see a comparison between the Sphinx and Narasinha, a mythical creature who, per Hindu tradition, had a lion head and a human body. Narasinha, whose name literally means “man-lion, was an avatar of the god Vishnu. He came down to Earth with the objective of slaying Hiranyakashyap, a ruthless king who desired to be immortal. However, there was one issue for Narasinha. Hiranyakashyap was granted a boon at a young age of being able to be killed by neither a human being nor an animal, neither indoors nor outdoors, neither at day nor at night, neither by projectile weapons nor by any handheld weapons, and neither on land nor in water or air. Thus, Narasinha, in order to kill the evil king, met all conditions by appearing as half human and half lion, arriving at dusk (when it was neither day nor night), slaying him at a doorstep (which was neither indoors nor outdoors), placing him on his lap (which was neither land, water nor air), and then killing Hiranyakashyap with his lion claws. Due to this victory of good over evil, Hindus since that day celebrate Holi, the festival of colors and happiness, at the end of the winter season.
For some pictures of Narasinha: http://hindupowermantras.blogspot.com/2018/03/narasinha-mantra-to-remove-debt-and.html
https://www.flickr.com/photos/kishorephotography/3558178545
I think the concept of the Sphinx in relation to Oedipus is actually very interesting. Especially the last line of Malories’ initial post which stated that the Greek perception of the Sphinx was one with wings. Birds, wings, and flight were all symbols that I made sure to pay close attention to in Oedipus. I thought, at first, that birds were a representation of freedom and being free of lies. “The truth will set you free,” could pretty much sum up my initial viewpoint. After further reading and then eventually finishing the play I came to look at the birds as a sign of captivity or restraint. I think this may have to do with the Sphinx, which I had never would have related it to if it wasn’t for Malorie’s post. I think wings and flight are motifs which appear and represent Oedipus being held back from freedom due to 1) his cursed past 2) his obsession with finding out the truth.
It’s interesting that the Sphinx is given a lot of credit for his rhymes. Honestly I don’t think it gives him enough credit. If he is a combination of all these different mythologies I personally think he should be know for much more than a simple rhyme.
Post a Comment