Sphinx

The Sphinx was the monster with the head and breasts of a woman, the body of a lion, and the wings of a bird. The Sphinx asked everyone who entered or tried to exit the riddle, "What is it that has four feet in the morning, two at noon, and three at night?" If they could not solve the riddle, she ate them. Oedipus solved the riddle by answering, "Man, who crawls on four limbs as a baby, walks upright on two as an adult, and walks with the aid of a stick in old age," the sphinx killed herself. By defeating the Sphinx, the Thebans citizens made Oedipus their king.

Work Cited:

Wilson, Andrew. "The Riddle of the Sphinx." Oedipus and the Sphinx. 2006. The Classsic Pages. 18 June 2006. <http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~loxias/sphinx.htm>

"Oedipus and the riddle of the sphinx." Essortments. 2002. Essortments.18 June 2006. <http://ri.essortment.com/oedipusandth_rzul.htm>