Oedipus and the sphinx.

Apart of Hercules and his labours, there are many other interesting legends in ancient Greek. Today I want to talk about one of my favourites: Oedipus and the sphinx.

Oedipus and the Sphinx. Old Greek pottery.

Oedipus was a very intelligent man. Since he was a child he had walked all Greece roads learning and discovering secrets. He was extremely curious, and he loved riddles and difficult questions with no easy answer. One day he was travelling to Tebas, an ancient Greek city; when suddenly, in the very midst of a rocky path, a terrifying monster appeared. It was the sphinx: a being with the head of a woman, the body of a lion and wings. It was a bloodthirsty and cruel beast. The sphinx also loved riddles and questions, and knowing Oedipus, she set him a question, a famous riddle which even today is well known:

"Who is that being which when is just born cannot walk; later walks on four legs; then it uses two; and finally it must walk on three?"

After thinking a bit, Oedipus gave the answer. Can you?