In Greek tradition, the Sphinx has the head of a Woman, the wings of a bird and the body of a Lioness. She is associated with the Hera's Riddle - the goddess guardian of the ancient Greek city of Thebes. Upon attempting to enter the great city, the Sphinx would ask the most famous riddle in history: "Which creature has one voice and yet becomes four-footed and two-footed and three-footed?" She devoured anyone who could not answer, suffering no fools. Famously, Oedipus solved the riddle with his answer: "Man—who crawls on all fours as a baby, then walks on two feet as an adult, and then uses a walking stick in old age."
One surviving Sphinx statue is the Sphinx of Naxos, which stood at Delphi, home of the great oracle. She stood on the most sacred spot at the most sacred site, the navel of the world, marking where Apollo defeated the python.
In Egypt, the Sphinx is associated with various gods but shows the same ferocious strength.
This imagery remained popular for centuries. We've cast a magnificent original Victorian button in recycled bronze to make a forever keepsake. Each detail in the original is perfectly captured in our talisman necklace.
