A Sphinx is an iconic image of a recumbent lion with a human head, invented by the Egyptians of the Old Kingdom, but a cultural import in archaic Greek mythology, where it received its name (Greek Σφινξ, "strangler"). The best known is the Great Sphinx of Giza. Sphinx - Egyptian sphinx. The Egyptian sphinx is an ancient iconic mythical creature usually comprised of a recumbent lion – an animal with sacred solar associations – with a human head, usually that of a pharaoh. Main ...

Including:

• Sphinx - Egyptian sphinx
• Sphinx - Greek Sphinx
• Sphinx - Similar creatures
• Sphinx - Mannerist Sphinx
• Sphinx - 19th century and symbolism

Read more here: » Sphinx: Encyclopedia - Sphinx

See also:

Sphinx, Sphinx - Egyptian sphinx, Sphinx - Greek Sphinx, Sphinx - Similar creatures, Sphinx - Mannerist Sphinx, Sphinx - 19th century and symbolism

Read more here: » Sphinx: Encyclopedia II - Sphinx - Egyptian sphinx

There was a single Sphinx in Greek mythology, a unique demon of destruction and bad luck, according to Hesiod a daughter of the Chimaera and Orthrus, or, according to others, of Typhon and Echidna— all of these chthonic figures. She was represented in vase-painting and bas-reliefs most often seated upright rather than recumbent, as a winged lion with a woman's head; or she was a woman with the paws, claws and breasts of a lion, a serpent's tail and birdlike wings. Hera or Ares sent the Sphinx from her Ethiopian homeland (for the Gre ...

See also:

Sphinx, Sphinx - Egyptian sphinx, Sphinx - Greek Sphinx, Sphinx - Similar creatures, Sphinx - Mannerist Sphinx, Sphinx - 19th century and symbolism

Read more here: » Sphinx: Encyclopedia II - Sphinx - Greek Sphinx

A film on Russia-born Helena Petrovna Blavatsky is currently in the making. Even 110 years after she passed away, Madame Blavatsky - as she is more popularly known and remembered - continues to fire the imagination of a great many people. Very few know enough about Mme Blavatsky. That's precisely why she has often been referred to as 'The Sphinx' of the nineteenth century. She has been, equally, complimented and criticised; accused and praised.

(See also: Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, Faith and Belief, Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

In Greek mythology, the centaurs (Greek: Κένταυροι) are a race part human and part horse, with a horse's body, including all four legs, and a human head and torso with arms. The human portion is joined at the waist to the horse's shoulders where the head and neck would be. The general character of centaurs is that of wild, lawless and inhospitable beings, the slaves of their animal passions. Two exceptions to this rule were Pholus and Chiron, who expressed their "good" nature, wise and kind centaurs. They are variously ...

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• Centaur - Theories of origin
• Centaur - Centaurs in modern fiction

Read more here: » Centaur: Encyclopedia - Centaur

A female monster in Greek mythology, Campe ("crooked") guarded the Hecatonchires and Cyclopes in Tartarus after Cronus imprisoned them there; she was killed by Zeus when he rescued his uncles for help in the Titanomachy. Campe was a sphinx-like drakaina female dragon with a tail resembling that of a scorpion. Category: Greek mythology Other related archivesCronus, Cyclopes, Greek mythology, Hecatonchires, Tartarus, Titanomachy, Zeus

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For at least ten thousand years, the Nile valley has been the site of one of the most influential civilizations in the world. Even today, its architectural monuments, which include Great Pyramid and the Great Sphinx, are among the largest and most famous buildings in the world. Ancient Egyptian architecture - Characteristics. Due to the scarcity of wood, the two predominant building materials used in ancient Egypt were unbaked mud brick and stone. From the Old Kingdom onward, stone was generally reserved for tombs ...

Including:

• Ancient Egyptian architecture - Characteristics
• Ancient Egyptian architecture - The Giza pyramid complex
• Ancient Egyptian architecture - Karnak
• Ancient Egyptian architecture - Luxor

Read more here: » Ancient Egyptian architecture: Encyclopedia - Ancient Egyptian architecture

The following are unsolved problems in Egyptology and modern knowledge of ancient Egypt. This includes a list of ancient Egypt mysteries. List of unsolved problems in Egyptology - Introduction. There are many open problems concerning Ancient Egypt, including some with no satisfactory solution. Experts may suggest solutions to many of these questions; others may never be solved. Egyptian archaeology is in a state of constant transition, with much of the terminology and chronology in disp ...

Including:

• List of unsolved problems in Egyptology - Introduction
• List of unsolved problems in Egyptology - Origins
• List of unsolved problems in Egyptology - The Pharaohs
• List of unsolved problems in Egyptology - Temples and pyramids
• List of unsolved problems in Egyptology - Burial and tombs
• List of unsolved problems in Egyptology - Biblical
• List of unsolved problems in Egyptology - Technology
• List of unsolved problems in Egyptology - Language and the arts
• List of unsolved problems in Egyptology - Miscellaneous
• List of unsolved problems in Egyptology - Further reading and other publications

Read more here: » List of unsolved problems in Egyptology: Encyclopedia - List of unsolved problems in Egyptology

El-Karnak is a small village in Egypt, located on the banks of the River Nile some 2.5 km north of Luxor. It stands at 25°43′N 32°39′E. Visitors to the area – particularly foreign tourists – perceive no distinction between Luxor and el-Karnak, as the two are both parts of the same conurbation. Karnak - Karnak Temple. Karnak Temple is the leading attraction in el-Karnak. Essentially this is el-Karnak. The very term Karnak is nearly universally understood a ...

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• Karnak - Karnak Temple

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Khafra or Khafre (Greek Chephren) was an Egyptian pharaoh of the Fourth dynasty, with his capital at Memphis. According to some authors he was the brother and successor of Khufu, but it is more commonly accepted that Djedefra was Khufu's successor and Khafra was Djedefra's. There is no agreement on the date of his reign; some authors say it was between 2558 BC and 2532 BC; this dynasty is commonly dated ca. 2650 BC–2480 BC. While the Turin King List figure for his reign as lost in a lacunae, and Manetho's exagge ...

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Sphinx:

In ancient Egypt, the Sphinx is a male statue of a lion with the head of a human, sometimes with wings. Most sphinxes however represent a king in his appearance as the sun god. The name "sphinx" was applied to the portraits of kings by the Greeks who visited Egypt in later centuries, because of the similarity of these statues to their Sphinx.

The best known specimen is the Great Sphinx of Gizeh (on the western bank of the Nile) which is not a sphinx at all but the representation of the head of king Khaf-Ra (Chephren) on the body of a crouching body. It was supposedly built in the 4th dynasty (2723-2563 BCE), although others claim it dates back to the 7th-5th millennium.

The Greek Sphinx was a demon of death and destruction and bad luck. She was the offspring of Typhon and Echidna. It was a female creature, sometimes depicted as a winged lion with a feminine head, and sometimes as a female with the breast, paws and claws of a lion, a snake tail and bird wings. She sat on a high rock near Thebes and posed a riddle to all who passed. The riddle was: "What animal is that which in the morning goes on four feet, at noon on two, and in the evening upon three?" Those who could not solve the riddle were strangled by her. Finally Oedipus came along and he was the only who could answer that it was "Man, who in childhood creeps on hands and knees, in manhood walks erect, and in old age with the aid of a staff." The Sphinx was so mortified at the solving of her riddle that she cast herself down from the rock and perished.

The name 'sphinx' is derived from the Greek sphingo, which means "to strangle". In ancient Assyrian myths, the sphinx usually appears as a guardian of temple entrances.

(See also: Sphinx, Psychic, Psychic Dictionary, Parapsychology, Parapsychology Dictionary)

Sphinx

(Egyptian - arranged after the order of Enoch) The mythical sphinx has a human head and a lion's body. In ancient Egypt, it originally was represented an ancient lion goddess.

Later the lion's head was replaced with the head of the reigning pharaoh. It also represented the sky-god Horus. From Egypt the idea of the sphinx spread to the Syrians and Phoenicians and finally to the Greeks. These peoples gave the creature the head and bust of a woman. They added an eagle's wings to represent majesty and a long serpent's tail to indicate wiliness. In later Greek literature the sphinx was no monster, but a beautiful, wise, and mysterious woman.

According to a legend this monster put a riddle to all those who passed by and devoured those who failed to guess it. After many had died in this way, the Theban hero Oedipus answered the riddle correctly and so caused the monster's death. The great Egyptian sphinx at Giza gazes across the Nile, to the east. It was carved from a solid block of stone about 3000 BC, and it is 187 ft long. The head and bust were carved from a solid block of rock left in a quarry from which stone was taken for the Great Pyramid. The paws were built up with stone. It is thought that a temple stood between the legs and that Egyptians came here to worship the rising sun. The sacrificial altar that is now located between the paws was built by the Romans.

(See also: Sphinx, New Age Spirituality, Body Mind and Soul)

SPHINX

It is the very symbol of "Mystery" itself. The oldest and most puzzling monument of Egypt, its origin is unknown, even to the Egyptians. The mystery of its origin can be summed up in its riddle to Oedipus, the answer to which was "man." The Hebrew for "sphinx" is Baal Taalumoth or "Lord of Secrets." Another Hebrew word for "secret" is sod (cf. "Sodom") and the Sphinx's connection with Oedipus ("He of the Swollen Foot") suggests a sexual origin to the secret. Although there were many sphinxes, at its best known point it takes the form of the tetramorph, having the body of a bull, the face and breast of a woman, the feet and tail of a lion, and the wings of a bird. Although the word means "strangulation" in Greek, there is evidence that this was not originally a Greek word. The Arabic word for "sphinx" is Abul Hawi, "Father of Terror" and in Egyptian the word was Hu, standing for Harmachi, i.e., "Horus-on-the-horizon." The Sphinx was originally made of red stone or painted red, for unknown reasons. (To attract the green celestial influences?)

(See also: SPHINX, Magick, Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary, Body Mind and Soul, )

Sphinx As a mystical figure, one of the emblems made when the human race fell into materialism, and sacred knowledge had to be withdrawn to avoid profanation. The Sphinx preserves a mystery without revealing it to those not qualified to know.

This mystery, among other things, is connected with the evolution of the human race from the spiritual and, at a far later date, from the androgynous race. Sphinxes are found in Egypt, Assyria, and Greece, usually man-lions, with either male or female human heads, with or without wings. Oedipus did not solve the riddle of the Sphinx, but in a sense profaned it. Sacred symbols were anthropomorphized, and the Sphinx leapt into the sea to preserve her secret wisdom.

The Great Sphinx of Egypt, a recumbent man-lion 188 feet long hewn out of solid rock, is the emblem of Hor-em-akhu (Horus in the horizon).

(See also: Sphinx, Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary, Body mind and Soul)

The Great Sphinx is an international symbol of mystery and controversy. It is the one of the world's largest and oldest statues, yet basic facts about it are unknown, such as the real-life model for the face, when exactly it was built, and by whom. These mysteries have collectively earned the title "Riddle of the Sphinx", a nod to its Greek namesake, although this phrase should not be confused with the original Greek legend. ...

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Great Sphinx of Giza, Great Sphinx of Giza - Description, Great Sphinx of Giza - Riddle of the Sphinx, Great Sphinx of Giza - Origins, Great Sphinx of Giza - Missing nose, Great Sphinx of Giza - Alternative dating theories, Great Sphinx of Giza - Water erosion, Great Sphinx of Giza - Other speculations, Great Sphinx of Giza - Notes

Read more here: » Great Sphinx of Giza: Encyclopedia II - Great Sphinx of Giza - Riddle of the Sphinx

Great Sphinx of Giza - Water erosion. In recent years professor Robert M. Schoch of Boston University, Colin Reader and other geologists have pointed out that the Sphinx displays evidence of prolonged water erosion. Egypt's last significant rainy period ended during the third millennium BC, and these geologists have posited that the amount of water erosion evident on the Sphinx indicates a construction date no later than the sixth or fifth millennia BC, at least two thousand years before the traditional construct ...

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Great Sphinx of Giza, Great Sphinx of Giza - Description, Great Sphinx of Giza - Riddle of the Sphinx, Great Sphinx of Giza - Origins, Great Sphinx of Giza - Missing nose, Great Sphinx of Giza - Alternative dating theories, Great Sphinx of Giza - Water erosion, Great Sphinx of Giza - Other speculations, Great Sphinx of Giza - Notes

Read more here: » Great Sphinx of Giza: Encyclopedia II - Great Sphinx of Giza - Alternative dating theories

The armchair anthropologist and writer Robert Graves speculated that the Centaurs of Greek myth were a dimly-remembered, pre-Hellenic fraternal earth cult who had the horse as a totem. A similar theory was incorporated into Mary Renault's The Bull from the Sea. Other sources speculate that the idea of centaurs came from the first reaction of a non-riding culture, as in the Minoan Aegean world, to nomads who were mounted on horses. The theory goes that such riders would appear as half-man, half-animal. Horse taming and horseback culture evolved first in the southern steppe grasslands of Central Asi ...

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Centaur, Centaur - Theories of origin, Centaur - Centaurs in modern fiction

Read more here: » Centaur: Encyclopedia II - Centaur - Theories of origin

The Great Sphinx is a half-human statue with the face of a man and the body of a lion. Carved out of the surrounding limestone bedrock, it is 57 metres (260 feet) long, 6 m (20 ft) wide, and has a height of 20 m (65 ft), making it one of the largest single-stone statues in the world. It is located on the west bank of the Nile River within the confines of the Giza pyramid field. The Great Sphinx f ...

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Great Sphinx of Giza, Great Sphinx of Giza - Description, Great Sphinx of Giza - Riddle of the Sphinx, Great Sphinx of Giza - Origins, Great Sphinx of Giza - Missing nose, Great Sphinx of Giza - Alternative dating theories, Great Sphinx of Giza - Water erosion, Great Sphinx of Giza - Other speculations, Great Sphinx of Giza - Notes

Read more here: » Great Sphinx of Giza: Encyclopedia II - Great Sphinx of Giza - Description

Centaurs have appeared many times and in many places in modern times, in for example Artemis Fowl, Fantasia, the Narnia books, In the Service of Dragons, and Harry Potter. In fantasy novels the view of centaurs has been changed from barbarism to an honorable race that practices breeding and other actions relative to that of animals. Though the Greek word kentauros is said to be composed of a single morpheme— perhaps not a Greek one in its origin—, a suffix -taur has been invented by writers and game designers in the late 20th century for other fantasy animal-huma ...

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Centaur, Centaur - Theories of origin, Centaur - Centaurs in modern fiction

Read more here: » Centaur: Encyclopedia II - Centaur - Centaurs in modern fiction

Enoch

A figure in the Bible, taken up to heaven while still alive (Genesis 5: 18-24).

In later tradition, many books containing heavenly journeys and secret teachings are attributed to him.

The word Phoenix may be Greco-Egyptian for "after the order of Enoch" Even the word Sphinx may be Greco-Egyptian for "That which is (s) after the order of Enoch (phnx). "

(See also: Enoch, New Age Spirituality, Body Mind and Soul)