History Main / RiddlingSphinx

* 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]]. (However, a gynosphinx is [[MamaBear always fiercely protective of her cubs]], no matter ''who'' the father was or how they were conceived.)

* 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. (They let some people by unharmed, but [[OrangeAndBlueMorality]] no-one knows just what methods they have for determining who is worthy enough to pass; Engywook, who spent all his life studying them, cannot figure it out, and ''not'' for lack of trying.)

* ''Franchise/{{Shadowchasers}}'' mentions several sphinxes.

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

* 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 being clever]].

* In one SkippyjonJones story, the title character is asked this riddle by an Egyptian Sphinx parody called "The Finx":

In ClassicalMythology, [[Theatre/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.

* One Sphinx appears in "Quest Buy" from ''StarVsTheForcesOfEvil''. Marco and Star manage to blow through the riddle thanks to the internet.

* ''ComicStrip/{{Nero}}'': In ''De IJzeren Kolonel'' ("The Iron Colonel") Nero and a British colonel are stuck in an Egyptian tomb where the sphinx tells them they are not allowed to leave unless they solve his riddle, which is the famous one from Greek mythology. Nero finally solves it and they are allowed to leave.

* In ''Webcomic/{{Paranatural}}'' Max and Isaac find a sphynx-like creature that tells them to answer correctly two of his three riddles. The first one seems to be the classic RiddleOfTheSphynx but the answer was "that guy" (a random passerby monster). Later on we see Isaac faling the last riddle and so he can't cross the Sphynx's bridge magical barrier... but since the "bridge" is only a plank over a small stream, he just casually walks over it.

* One of the episodes of the rarely mentioned cartoon series of ''[[Film/TheMummyTrilogy The Mummy]]'' had the O'Conner family dealing with exactly that. After they shout out the correct answer, the attacking [[MadeOfExplodium Sphinx promptly explodes.]]

** The crinosphinx is another AlwaysMale sphinx variety, being a comparatively dim-witted beast with the head of a ram. They lust ceaselessly after gynosphinxes and, whilst they don't tell riddles themselves, they will trade knowledge of them in hopes of being able to use those rituals to help bribe or tempt a gynosphinx into submitting to their lusts. Despite their many flaws, they're the only male sphinx species that actually helps care for the cubs they father.
** The hieracosphinx is the AlwaysChaoticEvil branch of the sphinx family (literally). With eagle-like heads that make them resemble [[OurGryphonsAreDifferent griffons]], they are the most brutal, stupid and foul of their kind, hated and reviled by all others. This is especially because their sole method of propagation is to trap, subdue and rape gynosphinxes.

* A riddling Sphinx was one of the {{Monsters Of The Week}} the teenage protagonists faced in {{Extreme Ghostbusters}}. Said Sphinx's "human face" was actually a mask hiding a mishmash of mass of teeth, eyes and tentacles, which it only removed to drain the intelligence of anyone it deemed the brightest minds who failed to answer its riddle. At the end of the episode, Egon is able to answer the Sphinx's riddle, immediately sending it down a {{Villainous Breakdown}} since no one had answered it correctly before (apparently only Egon had bothered to read up on his Greek Mythology), and hence vulnerable to capture.

* A riddling Sphinx was one of the MonstersOfTheWeek the teenage protagonists faced in ''WesternAnimation/ExtremeGhostbusters''. Said Sphinx's "human face" was actually a mask hiding a mishmash of mass of teeth, eyes and tentacles, which it only removed to drain the intelligence of anyone it deemed the brightest minds who failed to answer its riddle. At the end of the episode, Egon is able to answer the Sphinx's riddle, immediately sending down a VillainousBreakdown since no one had answered it correctly before (apparently only Egon had bothered to read up on his Greek Mythology), leaving it vulnerable to capture.

* A riddling Sphinx was one of the {{Monsters Of The Week}} the teenage protagonists faced in {{Extreme Ghostbusters}}. Said Sphinx's "human face" was actually a mask hiding a mishmash of mass of teeth, eyes and tentacles, which it only removed to drain the intelligence of anyone it deemed the brightest minds who failed to answer its riddle. At the end of the episode, Egon is able to answer the Sphinx's riddle, immediately sending down a {{Villainous Breakdown}} since no one had answered it correctly before (apparently only Egon had bothered to read up on his Greek Mythology), leaving it vulnerable to capture.

* A riddling Sphinx was one of the {{Monsters Of The Week}} the teenage protagonists faced in {{Extreme Ghostbusters}}. Said Sphinx's "human face" was actually a mask hiding a mishmash of mass of teeth, eyes and tentacles, which it only removed when draining the intelligence of anyone it deemed the brightest minds who failed to answer its riddle, turning them into drooling vegetables. At the end of the episode, Egon is able to answer the Sphinx's riddle, immediately sending down a {{Villainous Breakdown}} since no one had answered it correctly before (apparently only Egon had bothered to read up on his Greek Mythology), leaving it vulnerable to capture.

* One of the episodes of the rarely mentioned animated series of Stephen Sommer's 1999 and 2001 [[Mummy films.]] had the O'Conner family dealing with exactly that. After they shout out the answer, the attacking [[MadeOfExplodium Sphinx promptly explodes.]]
* A riddling Sphinx was one of the {{Monsters Of The Week}} the protagonists faced in {{Extreme Ghostbusters}}. Said Sphinx's "human face" was actually a mask hiding a mishmash of mass of teeth, eyes and tentacles. It would only remove its mask when it wanted to drain the intelligence of anyone who failed to answer its riddle, turning them into drooling vegetables. At the end of the episode, the Sphinx suffers a {{Villainous Breakdown}} when Egon is able to answer his riddle correctly (apparently no one other than Egon had bothered to read up on their Greek Mythology), which leaves it vulnerable to being captured.