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A Long, Long Time Ago, The City of Thebes in Egypt Was Guarded by A Sphinx. The Sphinx Is A Creature With The Head of A Woman and The Body of

The Sphinx guarded the city of Thebes in Egypt. It had the head of a woman, body of a lion, and wings of an eagle. It asked passersby a riddle and would eat anyone who could not answer correctly. Oedipus encountered the Sphinx who said he could pass if he answered her riddle: "What being has four legs in the morning, and three in the evening?". Oedipus correctly answered "man", explaining that babies crawl on all fours, adults walk on two legs, and the elderly walk with a cane. By answering correctly, Oedipus escaped the Sphinx.

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Karen Kichelle Navarro Evia
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59 views8 pages

A Long, Long Time Ago, The City of Thebes in Egypt Was Guarded by A Sphinx. The Sphinx Is A Creature With The Head of A Woman and The Body of

The Sphinx guarded the city of Thebes in Egypt. It had the head of a woman, body of a lion, and wings of an eagle. It asked passersby a riddle and would eat anyone who could not answer correctly. Oedipus encountered the Sphinx who said he could pass if he answered her riddle: "What being has four legs in the morning, and three in the evening?". Oedipus correctly answered "man", explaining that babies crawl on all fours, adults walk on two legs, and the elderly walk with a cane. By answering correctly, Oedipus escaped the Sphinx.

Uploaded by

Karen Kichelle Navarro Evia
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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The Sphinx

A long, long time ago, the city of


Thebes in Egypt was guarded by a
sphinx. The sphinx is a creature with
the head of a woman and the body of

a lion. It also has the wings of an


eagle.
It was once said that the sphinx asked
every passerby a riddle. Not only did
she ask every passerby a riddle, she
also terrorized him/her. If the passerby

could not answer the riddle, she then


clamped down her claws on them and
ate them up.
It was a cloudy day but Oepidus could
see clearly yonder. He rode his horse
leisurely. The hoofs of the horse went

clop-clop. When Oepidus came upon


the sphinx, she commanded him,
Stop! No one passes by me!
Oedipus stopped and stared at the
sphinx in awe. Come closer, said the
sphinx. Oedipus shook like a leaf. He

clutched his cloak and the reins of his


horse. He was afraid that the sphinx
would clobber him. He came a little
closer.
The sphinx said, Ill allow you to pass
but you must answer my question

first. The sphinx asked him, What


being has four legs in the morning,
and three in the evening? Can you
give me a clue so that I may give you
the correct answer? Oedipus asked.
No! The sphinx thundered. Oedipus

did not clarify the question anymore.


Actually, he already knew the answer.
He just wanted to make sure.
Man, Oedipus answered.
And why is that? the sphinx asked.
As a baby, man crawls on all fours.

When he is older, he walks on two


legs. When he is older, he walks on
two legs. When he is very old, he
leans on a stick, Oedipus explained.
Thus, Oedipus was able to escape the
clutches of the sphinx.

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