Sphinx (Great Sphinx)
The Great Sphinx. A Sphinx is a mythological creature with the body of a lion and the head of a person. In Ancient Egypt a lot of times the head was that of a Pharaoh or a god. The Egyptians built sphinx statues to guard important areas such as tombs and temples.
The Great Sphinx is a large human-headed lion that was carved from a mound of natural rock. It is located in Giza where it guards the front of Khafra’s pyramid.
The Great Sphinx at Giza, Egypt
Legends have been told for many years about the Great Sphinx. These stories tell about the powers and mysteries of this sphinx. Some people even believe that there are hidden passageways or rooms underneath the Great Sphinx, but nothing has been found yet.
The beginning of one story about the Great Sphinx is written on a stele between the sphinx’s paws.
The story reads that one day; a young prince fell asleep next to the Great Sphinx. He had been hunting all day, and was very tired. He dreamt that the Great Sphinx promised that he would become the ruler of Upper and Lower Egypt if he cleared away the sand covering its body (the Great Sphinx was covered up to its neck).
The rest of the story is gone, so you will have to use your imagination to work out the ending. This stele was put up by the pharaoh Thutmosis IV who lived around 1400 B.C.
The word “Sphinx” is the Greek word of the original Egyptian name “Shsp Ankh” which means the living image, according to this name we can suggest that they mainly represent the king living image which the combination between the mental power and the Physical power. The mental power represented in the human head while the physical power represented in the Lion’s body. If the sphinx is God, so it is said that the ancient Egyptians managed to tame the violent character of the lion with the human intelligence turning it into a divine calm power.
