Sphinx

An ancient, large statue in Egypt, with the face of a man and the body of a lion, lying near the Great Pyramids.

One of the many offspring of Typhon and Echidna, a winged lion-like creature with a woman's face, who dwelt near the city of Thebes in Boeotia and terrorized travelers by posing riddles, killing those who failed to answer correctly; after Oedipus solved her riddle, she committed suicide out of frustration.