A sphinx is a mythical creature with the head of a human and the body of a lion with the wings of a falcon. In Greek tradition, the sphinx has the head of a woman, the haunches of a lion, and the wings of a bird. She is mythicized as treacherous and merciless, and will kill and eat those who cannot answer her riddle.

What does the name sphinx mean?

sphinx, mythological creature with a lion's body and a human head, an important image in Egyptian and Greek art and legend. The word sphinx was derived by Greek grammarians from the verb sphingein (“to bind” or “to squeeze”), but the etymology is not related to the legend and is dubious.

Is a sphinx good or bad?

The sphinx is an evil and cruel creature that asks riddles and those who cannot answer it have suffered the fate of being killed and eaten by the monster according to mythological stories. The Egyptian sphinx is a male (an androsphinx), unlike the Greek sphinx which is believed to be female.