History Main / RiddlingSphinx

** The sphinx Athentia offered to grant the wish of anybody who could answer her riddles, as she was too arrogant to believe she could ever lose. Jamor answered correctly and gained immortality.

* Isadora, in ''Literature/{{Pact}}'', is the daughter of the original sphinx. Where her mother preferred formal riddles, she enjoys framing them as simple questions that nevertheless demand a complex answer. If you're a smartass and answer "a man" when you ask who she is, though, [[ImAHumanitarian she'll devour you.]]

* In OdgenNash's poem "Fables Bullfinch Forgot: The Thirteenth Labor of Hercules", the Roman Gods declared that in order to prove worthy of being a god, Hercules had to defeat the Sphinx in a riddle contest.

* TabletopGame/{{Pathfinder}}, being a derivative of TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons, reuses the classic gynosphinx/androsphinx/criosphinx/hieracosphinx setup originally used the 2nd and 3rd editions of its parent. The biggest difference is that, rather than tying species to parentage, the four races are born specifically of different kinds of mating between a gynosphinx and any of the three males; couplings born of love or respect produce gynospinxes and androsphinxes, couplings born from selfish desires or simple carnal lust produce criosphinxes, and [[ChildByRape hieracospinxes are born from acts of hate and violence]].

** The sphinx mystery is an even deadlier creature that is much like the gynosphinx (often challenging prey with riddles for fun instead of attacking outright). One powerful supernatural ability she has (called "Riddle Me This", appropriately) is a mild curse that causes mental damage to a victim if he doesn't at least ''try'' to answer her riddle once per round, and does not end until he tries to answer it. (If the victim gets help from an ally, the spell is broken, [[NoFairCheating but he takes damage one last time.]]) The Game Master doesn't even need an actual riddle; the victim needs to make a History Skill check to solve the riddle. Note that while a wrong answer will end the curse, if a wrong answer is given by a victim who is under it, the sphinx mystery gains the ability to reuse a ''very'' powerful physical attack called Corrective Mauling; given what the usual penalty for a wrong answer is, this clearly gives her an advantage. (Also, a sphinx mystery is under no real obligation to let a victim go if he answers correctly; Riddle Me This is an At Will ability that it can even use while fighting, so in theory, it could ask riddles over and over again during combat. However, the source does say that it might not attack at all if a potential victim simply plays along an answers them.)

** The sphinx Athenia offered to grant the wish of anybody who could answer her riddles, as she was too arrogant to believe she could ever lose. Jamor answered correctly and gained immortality. Jalal also succeeded and had Jamor's immortality transferred to himself (Jamor was poisoned and in eternal agony).

-->-- Webcomic/OrderOfTheStick

* ''WesternAnimation/KidVideo'' had the Pink Sphinx in one episode, who wakes up every thousand years and can grant a wish to whoever solves a riddle. The heroes intend to use the wish to escape to Earth, and while one of them succeeds in answering the riddle, he makes the mistake of trying to make two wishes at once. (The Sphinx is sort of a LiteralGenie, and only grants the first one.)

* The Southern Oracle in ''Literature/TheNeverendingStory'' is protected by two sphinxes whose gazes trap a victim within their own mind until he answers every riddle in the world. All their victims die of thirst long before coming close to finishing.

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** The sphinx mystery is an even deadlier creature that is much like the gynosphinx (challenging prey with riddles for fun instead of attacking outright. One powerful supernatural ability she has (called "Riddle Me This", appropriately) is a mild curse that causes mental damage to a victim if he doesn't at least ''try'' to answer her riddle once per round, and does not end until he tries to answer it. (If the victim gets help from an ally, the spell is broken, [[NoFairCheating but he takes damage one last time.]]) Note that while a wrong answer will end the curse, if a wrong answer is given by a victim who is under it, the sphinx mystery gains the ability to reuse a ''very'' powerful physical attack called Corrective Mauling; given what the usual penalty for a wrong answer is, this clearly gives her an advantage.

-->-- "Webcomic/OrderOfTheStick"

* 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 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 the ''MagicTheGathering/TestOfMetal'' novel, Tezzeret's attempts at solving riddles left by the mad sphinx Crucius are a major plot point.

** The sphinx mystery is an even deadlier creature that is much like the gynosphinx (challenging prey with riddles for fun instead of attacking outright. One powerful supernatural ability she has (called "Riddle Me This", appropriately) is a mild curse that causes mental damage to a victim if he doesn't at least ''try'' to answer her riddle once per round, and does not end until the correct answer is given. (If the victim gets help from an ally, the spell is broken, [[NoFairCheating but he takes damage one last time.]]) Also, if a wrong answer is given by a victim who is under this curse, the sphinx mystery gains the ability to reuse a ''very'' powerful physical attack called Corrective Mauling; given what the usual penalty for a wrong answer is, this clearly gives her an advantage.

** The sphinx mystery is an even deadlier creature that is much like the gynosphinx (challenging prey with riddles for fun instead of attacking outright. One powerful supernatural ability she has (called "Riddle Me This", appropriately) is a mild curse that causes mental damage to a victim if he doesn't at least ''try'' to answer her riddle once per round, and does not end until the correct answer is given. (If the victim gets help from an ally, the spell is broken, [[NoFairCheating but he takes damage one last time.]] Also, if a wrong answer is given by a victim who is under this curse, the sphinx mystery gains the ability to reuse a ''very'' powerful physical attack called Corrective Mauling; given what the usual penalty for a wrong answer is, this clearly gives her an advantage.

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