Sphinx riddle
In Greek mythology, the Sphinx sat outside Thebes and asked this riddle
of all travelers who passed by. If the traveler failed to solve the riddle,
then the Sphinx killed him/her. And if the traveler answered the riddle
correctly, then the Sphinx would destroy herself. The riddle: What goes
on four legs in the morning, on two legs at noon, and on three legs in the
evening? Oedipus solved the riddle, and the Sphinx destroyed herself. The
solution: A man, who crawls on all fours as a baby, walks on two legs as
an adult, and walks with a cane in old age. Of course morning, noon, and
night are metaphors for the times in a person's life. Such metaphors are
common in riddles. There were two Thebes, apparently this Thebes was the
one in Greece. And this Sphinx was apparently not the one at Giza, in Egypt.
Related category
• GAMES
AND PUZZLES
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