Western Sphinx
| Zone | Level | Drops | Steal | Spawns | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Western Altepa Desert | 62 |
1 |
A, S, Sc | ||
|
HP = Detects Low HP; M = Detects Magic; Sc = Follows by Scent; T(S) = True-sight; T(H) = True-hearing JA = Detects job abilities; WS = Detects weaponskills; Z(D) = Asleep in Daytime; Z(N) = Asleep at Nighttime; A(R) = Aggressive to Reive participants | |||||
Notes:
- Spawned by examining the ??? to the southwest of Revelation Rock (for Return of the Talekeeper).
- Spawns with Western Sphinx
- Uses Slowga.
Historical Background
In Greek mythology, the Sphinx was a monster which appeared as a lion with a woman's head and feathered wings. In their belief, the Sphinx originated in a far off land, believed to be Ethiopia (which given the Egyptian Sphinx implies it was inspired by their Sphinx or the idea was otherwise imported to Greece and did not originate there). She was sent by the goddess Hera or Ares, god of war, to sit outside Thebes and ask a riddle to all passersby. Anyone who could not answer the riddle was strangled to death. The riddle's exact text did not appear until later on in Greek history, but the only riddle known to be associated with the story is this: "Which creature in the morning goes on four feet, at noon on two, and in the evening upon three?" (the answer is a human: they crawl on all fours as an infant, walk on two feet as an adult, and walk with a cane when old). This is a key point in the Greek tragedy of Oedipus Rex when Oedipus confronts the Sphinx and is the only one who can answer its question correctly. Sphinx is Greek for "strangler".
The Egyptian Sphinx is a creature from Egyptian mythology most famously depicted in the Great Sphinx at Giza, a human-headed lion laying down. This Sphinx had a male's head and had no wings. Oddly enough, what name the ancient Egyptians called the Sphinx is unknown (modern Egyptians use the Arabic name for it, Abu al-Hol, "father of terror").
