History Main / RiddlingSphinx

* Played with in ''Webcomic/SkinDeep''. Michelle Jocasta, who is a Sphinx, once dressed up for Halloween as {{TheRiddler}}, because [[WordOfGod she thinks]] [[LampshadeHanging she's clever]].

* Played with in ''Webcomic/SkinDeep''. Michelle Jocasta, who is a Sphinx, once dressed up for Halloween as TheRiddler, because [[WordOfGod she thinks]] [[LampshadeHanging she's clever]].

* Played with in ''Webcomic/SkipDeep''. Michelle Jocasta, who is a Sphinx, once dressed up for Halloween as [[TheRiddler]], because [[WordOfGod she thinks]] [[LampshadingHanging she's clever]].

** Also, in the video game ''Yu-Gi-Oh! World Championship 2008'', the player has to solve Duel Puzzles, with the opponent being a monster called [[http://yugioh.wikia.com/wiki/Guardian_Sphinx Guardian Sphinx]].
%%Can we get a reference on the specific game here?

** In at least one video game version of the card game, the player has to solve Duel Puzzles, with the opponent being a monster called [[http://yugioh.wikia.com/wiki/Guardian_Sphinx Guardian Sphinx]].

** In at least one video game version of the card game, the player has to solve Duel Puzzles, with the opponent being a monster called [[http://yugioh.wikia.com/wiki/Guardian_Sphinx Guardian Sphinx]]. %%Can we get a reference on the specific game here?

** There are multiple subspecies of sphynx, of which the gynosphinx is the most like the Greek one. One supplement lists potential riddles for her to use. One riddle, which she uses when she's too hungry to play fair, has the answer "Kill me." (Curiously, the gynosphinx is not an evil creature, at least not most of the time.)

* The ''Tabletopgame/YuGiOh'' card [[http://yugioh.wikia.com/wiki/Ordeal_of_a_Traveler Ordeal of a Traveler]] forces your opponent's monsters to win a guessing game if they want to attack you; the art depicts a traveler being questioned by a sphinx. (Techincally, it appears to be the Great Sphinx of Gaza, but still counts.) Also, in at least one video game version of the card game, the player has to solve Duel Puzzles, whith the opponent being a monster called [[http://yugioh.wikia.com/wiki/Guardian_Sphinx Guardian Sphinx]].

* ''Theatre/OedipusTheKing'' is the TropeMaker, making this trope OlderThanFeudalism.
** Ironically, the sphinx does not appear at all in the original play, the plot taking place after the event had occured.

* The ''Tabletopgame/YuGiOh'' card [[http://yugioh.wikia.com/wiki/Ordeal_of_a_Traveler Ordeal of a Traveler]] forces your opponent's monsters to win a guessing game if they want to attack you; the art depicts a traveler being questioned by a sphinx.

* In ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheGobletOfFire'', Harry encounters a sphinx in the hedge maze and has to answer a riddle in order to pass by it safely. ''Literature/FantasticBeastsAndWhereToFindThem'' states this as the reason the sphinx is classed as a beast rather than a being as it only speaks in riddles and puzzles and reacts violently if given the wrong answer.

** There are multiple subspecies of sphynx, of which the gynosphinx is the most like the Greek one. One supplement lists potential riddles for her to use. One riddle, which she uses when she's too hungry to play fair, has the answer "Kill me."

* In ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheGobletOfFire'', Harry encounters a sphinx in the hedge maze and has to answer a riddle in order to pass by it safely.
** ''Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them'' states this as the reason the sphinx is classed as a beast rather than a being as it only speaks in riddles and puzzles and reacts violently if given the wrong answer.

* In an episode of Disney's ''WesternAnimation/{{Hercules}}'', the Sphinx is a quizmaster, voiced by game show host Wink Martindale. His riddle was "What does a man do standing up, a woman sitting down, and a dog on three legs?" The answer is [[spoiler:shake hands]]. [[hottip:*:This is a reference to the induction ceremony for the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Order_of_Turtles Turtle Club]], a real-life BrotherhoodOfFunnyHats, where the inductee is given a series of supposedly lewd riddles and has to give the correct, family-friendly answer to each one.]]

* In ''WesternAnimation/SabrinaTheAnimatedSeries'', a sphinx asks Sabrina the RiddleOfTheSphinx. Sabrina answers "Man." Unfortunately, as it turns out, there's a magical nine-legged creature that fits the riddle a bit more literally.

* In ''HarryPotter/HarryPotterAndTheGobletOfFire'', Harry encounters a sphinx in the hedge maze and has to answer a riddle in order to pass by it safely.

In ClassicalMythology, [[OedipusRex Oedipus]] encountered a Sphinx and was, famously, forced to solve the RiddleOfTheSphinx in order to pass. Ever since, it's been a tradition that all sphinxes ask riddles. So if you see a sphinx, be prepared for a game of RiddleMeThis.

* In an episode of Disney's ''{{WesternAnimation/Hercules}}'', the Sphinx is a quizmaster, voiced by game show host Wink Martindale. His riddle was "What does a man do standing up, a woman sitting down, and a dog on three legs?" The answer is [[spoiler:shake hands]]. [[hottip:*:This is a reference to the induction ceremony for the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Order_of_Turtles Turtle Club]], a real-life BrotherhoodOfFunnyHats, where the inductee is given a series of supposedly lewd riddles and has to give the correct, family-friendly answer to each one.]]
[[/folder]]

* The Southern Oracle in ''Literature/TheNeverendingStory'' is protected by two sphinxes who petrify anyone who fails to answer their riddles.

* ''{{Mirrormask}}'' has gryphons and sphinxes, which are similar catlike creatures with human heads, but mixes up their properties. In the film, a gryphon guards the area known as Giants Orbiting, requiring Helena answer the classic Riddle (she succeeds by giving a literal answer) and stump him in return (she gives him something unsolvable and sneaks off while he's thinking about it). Meanwhile, the 'sphinxes' are ravenous beasts which speak seldom and pounce on anyone who seems vulnerable.

* This is a standard theme for sphinxes in ''MagicTheGathering'':

* ''DungeonsAndDragons'':

* One of the tasks in ''{{Shadowgate}}'' is to give a Sphinx [[TheseQuestionsThree three objects that answer three riddles he gives]].

* The party of ''{{Nodwick}}'' encounters a riddling sphinx in a dungeon. [[ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney They bribe it to let them pass]], even though [[HypercompetentSidekick Nodwick]] knew the answer.

* Phix in ''WapsiSquare'' sets the same riddle to both Monica and Shelly as a test to see if they're ready to fix the Calender Machine. They each give different answers and Phix rewards them both - without, however, saying that either answer is ''right''.
* The protagonist in ''MixedMyth'' runs afoul of a sphinx early on in the story. The answer she gives sounds like it ''should'' be right, which causes the sphinx to realize that it's been so long since someone got it right that she's forgotten what the right answer is, so they'll have to head back to her home to check the answer (our heroine is wrong, but gets points for creativity, which lets her off the hook since she managed to endear herself to the sphinx on the journey).

* In an episode of ''{{Superfriends}}'', the sphinx asked Batman and Robin, "What builds up castles and tears down mountains, makes some men blind and helps others to see?" The answer was "sand". The sphinx was a SoreLoser and attacked them anyway, but they quickly defeated it.

* ''ChronoCross'' has a Sphinx optional boss that you can beat through straight combat, or by correctly answering its riddles by hitting it with the proper color elements. The order of the answers to the riddles is the same as the order you need to use elements in the final battle to get the TrueEnding... [[GuideDangIt not that there's any indication of this.]]

In ClassicalMythology, OedipusRex encountered a Sphinx and was, famously, forced to solve the RiddleOfTheSphinx in order to pass. Ever since, it's been a tradition that all sphinxes ask riddles. So if you see a sphinx, be prepared for a game of RiddleMeThis.

* One of the tasks in ''{{Shadowgate}}'' is to give a Sphinx [[TheseQuestionThree three objects that answer three riddles he gives]].

-->'''Nodwick:''' The answer [to the riddle] was 'money', by the way.\\
'''Yeagar:''' Weren't you listening? The answer is '''always''' 'money'.

{{Subtrope}} of RiddleMeThis.