Riddle me this

Today I will post another entry from the glossary for the Tanavian Chronicles—the sphinx. This creature isn't mentioned in Whom the Gods Love, so this is a bit of a teaser for the upcoming book. Don't worry, the entry isn't going to reveal too much about the next book, so no big plot spoilers. The sphinx is one of the more alluring mythical creatures for me. My first encounter with it was from the excellent movie, The NeverEnding Story. Admittedly, in that film sphinxes are a little different than the myth. Even so, as a child I was fascinated with, well, let's just call it "that scene in the movie" to avoid spoilers. I've fiddled with my sphinx in some ways, but I do maintain some of the more defining characteristics of the creature. The image I've used here is of Ingres' interpretation of Oedipus and the Sphinx. If you have the chance and haven't already, you should check out the story of Oedipus. He's been written into several famous stories because his tale is one of the great ones.

Sphinx – See also Nymphs. See also Satyr. Sphinxes are incredibly beautiful and highly intelligent creatures. Their wisdom and intelligence rivaled that of even the most learned humans. The upper half of the creature was that of a beautiful woman. Golden feathers softer than any fabric ever created lined her back and filled her large wings. It is said that when they took flight, the sphinxes wings would reflect the gaze of the sun or moon, creating a halo of light around them. The lower half of their bodies was that of a big cat, the soft golden fur starting just below the waist and ending in human looking feet, differing in that they were thickly padded like those of an animal. The fur, like the wings, was impossibly soft and silky. They were highly prized for their wisdom, men and gods alike consulting them with problems they could not sort out on their own. The sphinx, ever thoughtful, always managed to find a solution to any query brought to it.

Apsos, the god of creation, spent much of his time creating creatures to fill up the world, some of which failed to please his fellow gods. When Apsos created the beautiful sphinx creature, some of the other gods became jealous of its beauty and cleverness. They claimed Apsos had created a creature that would be worshiped by humans, such was its elegance and wisdom, worship that was rightfully due them, and not any mortal creature. This claim was not without merit as the sphinx, unlike many of the gods, was benevolent and free of the politics and petty infighting they were often mired down in. The gods persisted in their complaints until Apsos finally capitulated to their demands that he do something about the sphinx. Loathe to destroy his creation entirely, he instead split it in two. The aspects of beauty and wisdom were separated, and he reforged them into the nymphs and the satyr. The nymphs retained all the ethereal beauty, and most of the human aspects of the sphinx, but none of the wisdom. Without the intelligence to guide them, they are pretty creatures, but simple, and spend most of their days flitting about the woods. The satyr kept the animal aspects of the sphinx, legs covered in dull brown fur, padded feet, and ruddy complexions. They were not beautiful by any means, but their cleverness and wit was surpassed by no other creature, save perhaps the occasional unique human. With their most envious aspects separated, the other gods tolerated these creatures that descended from the sphinx.