SYMBOLISM AND THE PRESENCE OF THE SPHINX IN ART SARAH RIZESCU NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF MUSIC, BUCHAREST ABSTRACT: In the present study I set out to detail how the Sphinx is perceived in other cultures and how it was included in the arts. I want to bring to the fore both the legends that were created with the appearance of this mysterious character, and the imagination of the artists who dedicated certain works to the myth of Oedipus. I will also talk about his presence in the opera “Oedipus” by George Enescu, explaining the connotations given to him by the composer of this being, and at the end I will focus on some of the most famous performers who played the role of the Sphinx.
KEYWORDS: SPHINX, ARTS, ANTIQUITY IN THE MYTHOLOGY of ancient peoples, the sphinx is known as a fabulous monster with the
head of a man or various animals (aries, bird etc.), with the body of a lion and the wings of an eagle (Gellner, 2021). As etymology, the word “sphinx” comes from the Greek “sphíngō” (σφíνγō), meaning “to squeeze” or “to strangle”. On the other hand, in Egyptian culture it is known as “shepsepankh”, which would translate as “living image”, referring to the wonderful Statue of Giza (Rodriguez, 2019). There are several types of sphinxes, each with a legend with a certain symbolism: In ancient Egypt, the famous statue of the Great Sphinx was built at Giza near the royal tombs. It has the appearance of a seated lion with a human head and a royal helmet above its head. The Egyptian Sphinx symbolises the power and supremacy of the ancient pharaohs who ruled throughout history. Returning to the statue itself, it dates back to the time of Pharaoh Khafre and there are several theories as to why it was built: the first is that it was built by the king’s older brother to commemorate their father, Khufu. Certain aspects (the fact that the statue looks more like their father than Khafre) have led to speculation that Khufu himself built the Great Sphinx (Tikkanen, 2017). Mark Lehner, professor of Oriental languages at the University of Chicago, floats another theory that the miraculous statue was built during Khafre’s reign. Lehner says that the syllable “Khaf” is carved between the Sphin’x front legs, proving the pharaoh’s contribution in bulding it. However, this argument is not very tangible, as the names of the pharaoh’s were written in closed cartouches and the inscription is not quite clear. At the same time, there are scholars who date the Great Sphinx to before the reign of this pharaoh. For example, John Anthony West claims that the statue is much older than it is said to be. Egypt’s climate is known to be arid and yet the american scientist has found evidence of erosion caused by water. He concluded that they were not caused by a flood, but by rain, as the lower part of the Sphinx shows no sign of erosion, only on the body. According to West, 12 000 years ago it rained on the great statue (oocities, 2009). In Greek mythology the Sphinx is not perceived as a fantastic creature (they generally had eagle wings and claws). The Greek Sphinx had the body of a lion, the head of a woman and a tail resembling a snake. Unlike the Egyptian Sphinx, the Grekk Sphinx signifies a destructive vanity, as it has murderous thoughts (Enigmatica, 2021). This is the origin of the famous legend of the creature from Thebes, who was summoned by a deity to Boeotia to bring terror upon the residents of the city. So the Sphinx moved in a cave on Mount Phicium and asked passers-by to answer a riddle: “What animal walks on four legs in the morning, two at noon, and three in the evening?” Many tried to solve the mistery, but failed. Even worse, those who gave a wrong answer were immediately killed, as the creature devoured them (Greek Legends and Myths, fără an). The hero of this story is Oedipus, who uncovers the mistery and gives a very simple answer: man. “He is the one who crawls on all fours in infancy, walks on two feet when grown, and leans on a staff in old age.” (Rodriguez, 2019). In rage, the Sphinx threw himself off the side of the mountain and collapsed, taking his own life (Greek Legends and Myths, fără an). Perhaps due to Egyptian influence the Sphinx became known in Asia, but it was not given a clear enough meaning. In terms of construction, it had wings attached to its body. In the 15th century BC. the Sphinx began to appear on seals, ivories or on metal objects, but as a female figure, often associated with a lion (Rodriguez, 2019). For example, Tibetan sculptors made a Sphinx with a bizzare 235
