Sphinx

This article is about the creature in Greek mythology. You may be looking for the Great Sphinx of Giza.

Sphinx
Biographical information
Born	Isu Era
Died	c. 422 BCE Lair of the Sphinx, Boeotia, Greece
Political information
Affiliations	Olympos Project

The Sphinx was a hybrid beast created by the Isu as part of their Olympos Project. The creature, part eagle, lion, snake, and man, was trapped as a statue in ruins south of Lake Kopais in Boeotia, Greece.

History

Around 422 BCE, using a key that was divided in two the Spartan misthios Kassandra awakened the Sphinx, and outwitted the creature in a game of riddles. After the creature collapsed, dead, Kassandra seized the artifact that seemingly gave the creature life.

Riddles

Riddle	Answer
What can run, but never walks; has a mouth, but never talks; has a head, but never weeps; has a bed, but never sleeps	A River
This thing all things devour: birds, beasts, trees, flowers; gnaws iron, bites steel; grind hard stones to meal; slays kings, ruins towns; and beats high mountains down.	Time
At night they come without being fetched, and by day they are lost without being stolen.	The stars
What is large, yet never grows; has roots that cannot be seen; and is taller than trees?	A mountain
I create my lair with earthen string; and dispatch my prey with a biting sting.	Spider
Some try to hide, some try to cheat; but time will show, we always will meet. Try as you might to guess my name; I promise you'll know, when you I do claim.	Death
Never resting, never still; moving slowly from hill to hill; it does not walk, run or trot; all is cool where it is not.	Sun
As small as your thumb, I am light in the air. You may hear me before you see me, but trust that I'm there.	A Hummingbird
What is always old and sometimes new; never sad, sometimes blue; never empty, but sometimes full; never pushes, always pulls?	The Moon
I'm alive, but without breath; I'm as cold in life as in death; I'm never thirsty, though I always drink.	A Fish
What can bring back the dead; make you cry, make you laugh, make you you; is born in an instant, yet lasts a lifetime?	A Memory
In spring I am gay in handsome array; in summer more clothing I wear; when colder it grows, I fling off my clothes; and in winter quite naked appear.	A Tree

Trivia

• Should the player get any of the Sphinx's riddles wrong they would be killed instantly.
• In Greek mythology, the Theban Sphinx was one of the offspring of Typhon and Echidna, who stood guard over the entrance to Thebes. She would ask all travelers to solve her riddle in order to pass. Those who succeeded were allowed entry, while those who failed were eaten by her. When Oedipous met the Sphinx, he solved its famous riddle, "What animal walks on four legs in the morning, two in the afternoon, and three in the evening?", by selecting "Man" as the answer, reasoning that infants crawl on all fours, adults stand upright on two legs, and seniors walk with the assistance of canes.
• The mural depicting the Sphinx and Oedipous in Assassin's Creed: Odyssey is based on a painting on a stamnos from the 5th century BCE.
• According to The Art of Assassin's Creed: Odyssey, the Sphinx in Assassin's Creed: Odyssey is a mix of the Sphinx and another mythical creature, Chimera.

Gallery

The symbol of the Sphinx at the Gateway to the Lost City

Kassandra approaching the Sphinx

Close-up of the Sphinx on her perch

The Sphinx awaiting Kassandra's answer

Concept art of the Sphinx

Concept art of the Sphinx

A 5th century BCE mural depicting Oedipous and the Sphinx

Appearances

• Assassin's Creed: Origins (statue only)
• Assassin's Creed: Odyssey (first appearance)