The Sphinx
Moderators: DJKeefy, 4u Network
- carrie
- Egyptian Pharaoh
- Posts: 4910
- Joined: Mon Mar 14, 2005 10:46 am
- Location: luxor
- Has thanked: 1860 times
- Been thanked: 2885 times
- Contact:
The Sphinx
A recent post by Frater got me thinking, the sphinx at Giza has the head of a pharaoh, not going to get into which man but it is a human head. The avenue of the sphinx at Karnak and Luxor have the heads of a ram, Khnum? One found at the temple complex near the ticket office has the tail of a crocodile. Now are all these different representations rightly called sphinx and why?
-
- Egyptian God
- Posts: 8695
- Joined: Thu Oct 17, 2013 11:49 am
- Has thanked: 1548 times
- Been thanked: 5127 times
- Contact:
Re: The Sphinx
The sphinx was a creature in Greek mythology - head of a woman, body of a lion, and wings - and I guess it lent its name easily to the guardian figures which early explorers found around the temples of Egypt and which resembled the Greek creature (of a much later civilisation, obviously)
These Egyptian figures typically featured the body of a lion and the head of a pharaoh and were placed at entrances, along ceremonial paths etc as, it's thought, guardians. The ones immediately before Luxor temple feature the head of Nectanebo II. These human headed sphinxes are called androsphinxes, although there are a number in existence bearing the head of Hatshepsut which should more correctly be called gynosphinxes.....if you'll pardon the pedantry!
The great sphinx at Giza is thought to bear the head of Khafre...although not all egyptologists agree.
There are also sphinxes bearing animal or bird heads...representing gods. The commonest at Luxor are probably the ram-headed sphinxes lining the approach to the first pylon at Karnak. These are called criosphinxes and represent the god Amun-Ra.
The crocodile-tailed sphinx at the remains of the mortuary temple of Amenhotep III may have represented the god Sobek. It's headless. I don't know if it bore the head of a crocodile, a man ...or anything else!
Sphinxes with mixtures of body parts of various animals/humans are known...the only commonality seems to be the lion's body.
These Egyptian figures typically featured the body of a lion and the head of a pharaoh and were placed at entrances, along ceremonial paths etc as, it's thought, guardians. The ones immediately before Luxor temple feature the head of Nectanebo II. These human headed sphinxes are called androsphinxes, although there are a number in existence bearing the head of Hatshepsut which should more correctly be called gynosphinxes.....if you'll pardon the pedantry!
The great sphinx at Giza is thought to bear the head of Khafre...although not all egyptologists agree.
There are also sphinxes bearing animal or bird heads...representing gods. The commonest at Luxor are probably the ram-headed sphinxes lining the approach to the first pylon at Karnak. These are called criosphinxes and represent the god Amun-Ra.
The crocodile-tailed sphinx at the remains of the mortuary temple of Amenhotep III may have represented the god Sobek. It's headless. I don't know if it bore the head of a crocodile, a man ...or anything else!
Sphinxes with mixtures of body parts of various animals/humans are known...the only commonality seems to be the lion's body.
- Horus
- Egyptian God
- Posts: 7933
- Joined: Tue Oct 10, 2006 11:59 pm
- Location: UK
- Has thanked: 2431 times
- Been thanked: 1870 times
- Gender:
- Contact:
Re: The Sphinx
Although unrelated, other than that each types of Sphinx both Greek and Egyptian are comprised of human and animal parts, the main difference is that the Greek version was a malevolent creature that would ask a riddle and if you did not answer correctly it would tear you to pieces. Both were considered to be guardians, but the Egyptian version was a more benign protective guardian placed at temple sites, or so it is believed.
-
- Egyptian God
- Posts: 8695
- Joined: Thu Oct 17, 2013 11:49 am
- Has thanked: 1548 times
- Been thanked: 5127 times
- Contact:
Re: The Sphinx
Oops...just realised.
Luxor temple sphinxes bear head of Nectanebo I (not II as erroneously stated above). Mea culpa.
Luxor temple sphinxes bear head of Nectanebo I (not II as erroneously stated above). Mea culpa.
-
- Top Member
- Posts: 828
- Joined: Sat Nov 09, 2013 5:56 pm
- Has thanked: 32 times
- Been thanked: 170 times
- Gender:
Re: The Sphinx
With the erosion on the Sphinx makes me think that perhaps a great flood did occur but not in a biblical sense but via the Ice Age.
It's possible that as the ice melt in that area that area could've flooded out.
It's possible that as the ice melt in that area that area could've flooded out.
-
- Similar Topics
- Replies
- Views
- Last post
-
- 8 Replies
- 439 Views
-
Last post by Frater0082
-
- 24 Replies
- 1560 Views
-
Last post by Frater0082
-
- 5 Replies
- 237 Views
-
Last post by Frater0082
-
- 1 Replies
- 420 Views
-
Last post by Horus
-
- 7 Replies
- 456 Views
-
Last post by Horus