Sphinx

A sphinx is a mythological figure, which has the head of a woman, the body of a lion, the wings of an eagle, and the tail of a snake. It dates back to the Old Kingdom of Egypt, and its name comes from the Ancient Greek name for a "stranger". The Sphinx is also common in South and South-East Asia, and was popular in Europe from the times of the Renaissance. The Sphinx was famous for posing riddles. It was used to protect the pyramids of Giza. Giza has ahead of a man and the body of a lion. One notable sphinx appears in the legend of Oedipus and killed travellers who failed to correctly answer a riddle about the three ages of man ("Which creature has one voice, but travels on four legs in the morning, two in the afternoon and three in the evening?"). Oedipus correctly solved it ("Man-he crawls on all fours as a baby, in adulthood, he walks upright, and in old age, he walks with a cane").