Ancient Greece, Sphinx from cup. No date. A sphinx is a mythical creature with, as a minimum, the body of a lion and a human head. In Greek mythology, a sphinx is represented as a monster with a head of a woman, the body of a lioness, the wings of an eagle, and a serpent-headed tail. She was treacherous and merciless. Those who could not answer her riddle were killed and eaten by this ravenous monster. The Egyptian sphinx is typically shown as a man, benevolent and thought of as a guardian often flanking the entrances to temples.