Sphinx

Sphinx = The word derives from the ancient Greek word sfeis, used in our language since tthe time of Hesiod and Homer, which means =two sided, or something possible to be interpreted in two ways, like an orakle for example.

Some people think, that the word derives from the word sfingo = squeeze, something totally wrong of course. Because of this mistake though, in the later versions of the Myth, Sphinx appears killing it's victims, those, who could not answer it's riddles, by squeezzing them to death, .

Sphinx is the riddle of all riddles.

She (the Sphinx), is the combination of five symbolic creatures. Her questions can be answered, allways, in two ways, never contradicting the one the other. The one way uses the external meaning of the riddle to consulting, and the other way reveals the internal meaning of it, which is also the most important.

Sphinx appears for the first time in Greece, during the prehistorical period, connected with the worshiping of Mother Earth, the Goddess of Fertility. The only Goddess worshiped during that time in the world.

Those early years, Gods and Heroes were dipicted often zoomorphic, meaning in Animal-shape, to symbolizing specific qualities.

The Kings of that time, used also to appear in front of their citizens, wearing masks of Snakes and Bulls like the King Kekrops in Athens, whose name means, beacause of that, the one having the appearance of a snake, or of a lisard, or of a dragon and King Minos on Crete.

Snake and Pigeon are the two symbols of Mother Earth (Ga, Gaia, Da), Goddess of fertility, the most important Goddess at that time.

The worshiping of Mother Earth, was the core of the old Religion. Was replaced though, during the historical period, which starts in the 10th BC, by a new religion, the Religion of the 12 Gods.

In the new -12 Gods -Religion, the Goddess of Fertility was, of course, included on the face of all female Goddesses among them, like Athena, Hera, Aphrodite, etc.

The different names, all of them, were used in the old Religion for only one Goddess, the Goddess Earth, similar to the way the christians use different names for the Virgin.

The Sphinx, allthough a symbol existing in the Mediterranean since the very ancient time, can better and easier be expressed and understood in Greece with the help of the knowledge and the Wisdom of that time.

Is interesting, to finding Sphinx, close related with the Oracle of Delphi, which was an important Oracle of Mother Earth. ( Delphi= womb), bevor becoming the famous Sanctuary of Apollo.

The Oracle of Gaia, or Mother Earth, becomes during the historical period (10th Century BC) Oracle of Apollo, continuing giving Oracles, always possible to be explained in two ways. The one way never opposed the other, if the Oracle was indeed the answer of the God..

"you go, you come not, you die in the war"

+

"you go, you come, not you die in the war"

true answer:

"if someone goes to war, can either die in the war or he can come alive back home"

.

One of the most popular and famours offerings in the Sanctuary of Delphi, was the Sphinx of the Naxians, displayed in the area of the old Sanctuary of Mother Earth in the 6th Century BC, where , in the very ancient times, also the priest and son of the Goddess, Pytho = the one who gives advises used to live, guarding at the same time the holly spring of water there.

He used to appear, probably, disquised as a Snake~Dragon to represent Mother Earth. For the same reason Minos, the King on Crete, used to appear in front of his citizens wearing the mask of a bull, to representing the God - Husband of Mother Earth, a fact, that lead to the later legend of Minotaurus.

Sphinx in the most comon version of the legend, appears also at the entrance of Theves, a Greek town on the way to Delfi, threatening the passing by people with her Riddle.

The legend has survived the centuries, that passed by since the prehistorical time and eventhough changed, like many ancient legends, is still the most important information we have, to understand this symbol.

The traveling to Delphi, was a very important pilgrimage and the legend of the Sphinx in Theves, is surviving the memory, of a very important Sanctuary of Mother Earth existing there, on the way to Delphi.

There was probably there, a place for spiritual praparation bevor the final and most important Initiation inside the Delphic Abaton.

In a Pilgrimage, we use to have many stops at important sanctuaries, combined with ceremonies to preparing for the final Initiation, like in the big procession to the Mysteries of Eleusis.

Thus, the answering of the riddle was related with ceremonies, allowing the anderstanding of the most profound Secrets about Creation and Immortality.

Those who could answer the Riddles were worthy and able to communicating Immortality and Wisdom.

Those who were unable to answer, thus, to anderstand the Riddle, were excluded and to them Immortality was denied, till the next time they would try again.

This is what lead to the later legends, according to which, Sphinx used to kill those who failed to answer.

The Greek Sphinx is always depicted having the head of a Woman, the breast and the wings of an Eagle, the body of a Lion or a Lioness, and the tail in the shape of a Snake.

Sphinx is, actually, the depiction of Mother Nature itself or herself, with her 5 Elements, from which, according to the Greek Philosophers (Empedokles etc), everything was created.

The differend creatures forming the Spinx, are Symbols, common in many cultures. The Woman's head symbolizes the Earth- Element, the Eagle symbolizes the Air, the Lion symbolizes the Fire, the Snake symbolizes the Water.

The fifth Element, Pemptousia or Ethir, the Divine Substance or Divine breath, or Illuminous Air, which is invisible but ambraces and penetrates everything and gives life even to the stone, remains hidden into the Riddle of the Sphinx, also not visible but able to lead to Immortality.

The two-sided nature of the Ancient Worshiping of the Great Goddess sometimes can be expressed through the appearance of the Goddess in a Mother and a Daughter couple, who together with a little son form the first Holy Trinity.

The Goddess- Mother is the more physical expression of the Great Goddess and the Goddess-Daughter is the more spiritual expression of her, mentioned also in many cases, older than her Mother (Eleusis). Both of them are the one and only Goddess of Earth called Da , the Wise one, (da-emon or eid-emon = the wise one, who knows the secrets and the laws of Nature or the Ways of Nature).

The worshiping of this two-sided, but at the same time, unique Goddess is closely related with Music, one of the most wise and beautiful riddles. In Eleusis, the high Priest was called Eumolpos = the one who sings beautifuly and God Apollo, who is the small son in the Trinity of Delphi, together with Mother- Leto and Daughter- Artemis, is the Great God of Music and Harmony the God of Purification and Healing.

The relation between the Sphinx and Immortality becomes more obvious, when we realize, how often this Symbol is used, as a funeral decoration on graves, especially those of the archaic period.

Sphinx, as a funeral monument, symbolizes the ultimate mystery, the after-death existence, the possibility of Immortality.

Death was allways something, humans found very hard to deal with.

Greeks in the ancient times though, through continuous Initiations in several Mystical ceremonies that took place in almost all the big Greek Sanctuaries, succeded to anderstand Death and to confront it's Mystery with dignity and Smile.

Sphinx is allways symbolizing the possibility of Immortality and the main obstacle on the way to succeeding it, is Ignorance.

Athina Georgiadou

 

Bibliography

Liddell and Scott Vocabulary of the Greek Language

Mysteries of Eleusis by Kerenyi