Sphinx

The Sphinx was an ancient entity known, among other places, in Egypt.
== Description== 
The famous Great Sphinx of Giza was patterned after the true Sphinx, but the face was later replaced with the human one of the Pharoh Khephren. It seems that it was something close to life-size, for the real Sphinx's paws were the size of hippopotami. (: "Imprisoned with the Pharaohs")
The real Sphinx's paws were covered in yellow fur, and each toe was equipped with a retractable claw. Harry Houdini, who caught sight of the paw, but not the rest of the creature, mistook each of the five toes for a head, and the claws for rigid tentacles that extended forward to consume food. (: "Imprisoned with the Pharaohs")
The Sphinx-statues of Sarkomand resembled vast winged lions. (: The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath) However, the Great Sphinx of Giza has no wings.
==Nature==
The Sphinx was kin to cats, such as the Cats of Ulthar, and they spoke her language, although the Sphinx was not as old as cat-kind. (: "The Cats of Ulthar")
The hybrid creatures which worshipped her were known as the Children of the Sphinx. (: Call of Cthulhu RPG)
The Sphinx encountered by Houdini has been identified as one of the Million Favoured Ones (: Ye Booke of Monstres II). The Great Sphinx of Giza is also associated with at least two avatars of Nyarlathotep: the Faceless God and the Beast, both of which have been sometimes represented as a faceless sphinx statue. (: "The Faceless God", : Call of Cthulhu - Day of the Beast)
==History==
Sphinx statues adorned Sarkomand a million years before humanity was born. (: The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath) However, it is unclear whether these were patterned after the true Sphinx or not.
The famous Great Sphinx of Giza was patterned after the true Sphinx. At some point, the Sphinx took up residence in a tomb deep beneath the Great Sphinx, where she was worshipped and fed by creatures resembling animal-human hybrids and the undead pharaohs Khephren and Nitocris.
In 1910, Harry Houdini glimpsed the creature while escaping from the tomb, having been kidnapped. (: "Imprisoned with the Pharaohs")
The Brotherhood of the Black Pharaoh also made use of the shallowest tunnels beneath the Great Sphinx. (: Call of Cthulhu - Masks of Nyarlathotep)
==Trivia==
In real life, the Pharaoh Khephren (also transliterated Khafra, Khafre, Chephren etc) is credited by mainstream academia with constructing the Sphinx from scratch - although this attribution is quite speculative - rather than merely re-carving the face. There are indeed tales of tunnels beneath the Sphinx going back a long time. To date only one subterranean passage has been found, leading to or from a nearby ancient well and not containing anything very remarkable.
Category:Characters Incorporated From Folklore, Myth & Religion
Category:Other Supernatural Beings