Sphinx

There are three main types of the sphinx known to us today. There is the Egyptian, the Greek, and the Asian/Indian. It is said that the Egyptian form was the first, and that from there it spread over the Levant, Anatolia, and Persia, before reaching India and the South-East of Asia. It then spread to Greece, particularly Boeotia, and the City of Thebes. With its spread over the Ancient World, many of its features changed. Although the basic underlying features remained, nearly everything else differed in the three main cultures.
The Egyptian sphinx is perhaps the most famous. Many have heard of the Great Sphinx at Giza, where it stands guard over the pyramids. In Egyptian mythology the sphinx is said to have the body of a lion, and the head of a Pharaoh. The Pharaoh is the name for the Egyptian King and the god Horus reborn, and so the Sphinx was considered to be very powerful. There were many of these creatures, and they lived all over Egypt. They even gained their own cults, and one such cult was located in Thebes, Thebais, Egypt. The Egyptian sphinx was considered kind and gracious, guarding important landmarks and the tombs of the dead. However, if someone were to provoke it, they would be dead within mere minutes.
The Asian sphinx is probably the least well known of the three. It is similar to its Egyptian counterpart, but with wings. They were usually depicted with the head of a Persian Emperor, or someone of great importance. Some believe that the Asian sphinx was in fact influenced by the Greeks, but much evidence goes against this. They are usually benevolent, but can be very dangerous and fierce. They have a short temper in comparison to the Egyptian sphinx, but their kindness knows no bounds. Unlike in Egypt and Greece, there are still many cults that worship the sphinx today. Places such as India and South-East Asia are still largely influenced by local traditions dating back thousands of years, so it is no surprise the sphinx is considered very much alive. However, it is not known as the sphinx, rather, it is called the purushamriga, which is Sanskrit for man-beast.
The final sphinx is that of Greece. There is only one, and it is female. Like the Asian sphinx, it has wings, but also the head of a woman. She is considered destructive and a creature of pure malice, destroying anything in her path. She is said to be the child of Chimaera and Orthus, but a pet of the goddess Hera. The city of Thebes in Boeotia, not to be confused with the Egyptian Thebes, had angered Hera, so she sent the sphinx to terrorise the people. It sat in front of the city gates, refusing to let anyone enter or leave. She would remain there until someone could answer her riddle. This riddle was "What has four legs in the morning, two in the afternoon, and three in the evening?", and has become quite famous today. No-one could answer, and she ate all those who failed. Until one day, a man named Oedipus approached and gave the answer, man. The sphinx was so infuriated someone had bested her, she threw herself off a cliff and died.
For more information visit:

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sphinx
• http://www.theoi.com/Ther/Sphinx.html
• http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/559722/sphinx
• http://library.thinkquest.org/07aug/00137/sphinx.htm