There was a single sphinx in Greek mythology, a unique demon of destruction and bad luck. Apollodorus describes the sphinx as having a woman's face, the body and tail of a lion and the wings of a bird.Apollodorus, Library Apollod. 3.5.8 Pliny the Elder mentions that Ethiopia produces plenty of sphinxes, with brown hair and breasts,Pliny the Elder, Natural History 8.30 corroborated by 20th-century archeologists.p. 5,6,24. Fattovich, Rodolfo. "Remarks on the pre-Aksumite period in northern Ethiopia." Journal of Ethiopian Studies 23 (1990): 1-33. Statius describes her as a winged monster, with pallid cheeks, eyes tainted with corruption, plumes clotted with gore and talons on livid hands.Statius, Thebaid, 2.496 Sometimes, the wings are specified to be those of an eagle, and the tail to be serpent-headed. According to Hesiod, the Sphinx was a daughter of Orthrus and an unknown she—either the Chimera, Echidna, or Ceto.Hesiod, Theogony 326–327. Who is meant as the mother is unclear, the problem arising from the ambiguous referent of the pronoun "she" in line 326 of the Theogony, see Clay, p.159, note 34; Most, p. 29 n. 20; Gantz, pp. 23–24. According to Apollodorus and Lasus,Lasus fr. 3, on Lyra Graeca II she was a daughter of Echidna and Typhon.
There was a single sphinx in Greek mythology a unique demon of destruction and bad luck Apollodorus describes the sphinx as having a woman's face the body and tail of a lion and the wings of a birdApollodorus Library Apollod 358 Pliny the Elder mentions that Ethiopia produces plenty of sphinxes with brown hair and breastsPliny the Elder Natural History 830 corroborated by 20th-century archeologistsp 5624 Fattovich Rodolfo "Remarks on the pre-Aksumite period in northern Ethiopia" Journal of Ethiopian Studies 23 (1990) 1-33 Statius describes her as a winged monster with pallid cheeks eyes tainted with corruption plumes clotted with gore and talons on livid handsStatius Thebaid 2496 Sometimes the wings are specified to be those of an eagle and the tail to be serpent-headed According to Hesiod the Sphinx was a daughter of Orthrus and an unknown she—either the Chimera Echidna or CetoHesiod Theogony 326–327 Who is meant as the mother is unclear the problem arising from the ambiguous referent of the pronoun "she" in line 326 of the Theogony see Clay p159 note 34; Most p 29 n 20; Gantz pp 23–24 According to Apollodorus and LasusLasus fr 3 on Lyra Graeca II she was a daughter of Echidna and Typhon