Active Reading Questions While Reading, Thoroughly Answer the Following Questions

The Sphinx

The Sphinx, a monstrous being of Greek mythology, is said to have been a daughter of two entities who pre-date the Olympians and Titans – Typhon and Echidna. Typhon is a primal creation from Gaia and Tartarus and is said to be a most powerful, destructive storm. He has no real human shape, but is often depicted as a human’s torso with 2 serpent-like legs. At his height of wrath, he is capable to expanding himself to encompass the entire earth and becoming a storm so powerful only the divine could survive. Echidna was said to have the top half of a beautiful woman and the lower-half of a serpent and was another child of Gaia and Tartarus. She lived in the caverns of Scythia and attracted males with her beautiful form and then locked them in a coil of her serpent tail before consuming them. Together the two heinous creatures bore the Sphinx, a beast with the body of a lion, the wings of a bird, the tail of a serpent, and the breast and upper body of a woman.

As a monster herself, she was noted for devouring her victims who failed to answer her puzzles correctly. It is believed that she was sent to hold vigil over Thebes and keep it from prospering because the Thebans had angered the gods. In some version she is sent by Ares, who still believed that the Thebans needed continuous punishment for the death of Ares’ favored serpent at Cadmus’ hands. In other versions, she is one of Cadmus’ many daughters who were driven to madness as part of the curse placed on Harmonia’s necklace. This madness would transform one of them into the Sphinx who, in her insanity, stood watch over the city, inflicting as much pain and suffering as possible; thus, she continued to propagate the curse.

In terms of diminished trade, productivity, famine, and proliferation of their people, the Sphinx’s presence caused much pain and suffering to the Thebans. The only way to rid the city- state of her presence, and return to a time of prosperity, required that someone could answer her riddle. Many brave, noble, and intellectually gifted Thebans attempted this feat. All of them would fail and she would become a blight that sent the once glorious state of Cadmus into utter ruin.

Active Reading Questions – While reading, thoroughly answer the following questions.

1) Who are the Sphinx’s parents?

2) How ancient are the Sphinx’s parents?

3) What does the Sphinx look like? 4) Why does it seem appropriate that she would have such physical attributes considering who her parents are?

5) What does the Sphinx do?

6) What are the two versions of why she stands vigil over Thebes?

7) Why is Harmonia’s necklace cursed (think to prior readings)?

8) What kinds of suffering does her presence inflict on the people of Thebes?

9) How can they get rid of her?

10) Who tries to do this?