The sphinx[1][2] is a rare kind of demon[3] associated with knowledge, mystery, and silence.[1] It is characterised by lion's paws and a head mixing human and lion features.[2]
History[]
Famed sorcerer Alzur met a sphinx once at an altar surrounded by lava.[2] The being asked him: "What kind of creature has four legs at dawn, two by noon, and three in the evening?" The mage solved the riddle by answering: "Man—who crawls on all fours as a baby, then walks on two feet as an adult, and then uses a walking stick in old age".
As Alzur's victory over the beast became well-known, demonologists coined the name "Alzur's Demon" for a class of beings that can be defeated after correctly answering their riddle.[3]
Sphinxes in culture[]
Sphinxes are sometimes depicted on sculptures. Philippa Eilhart used to possess a set of armchairs with the creature's heads sculpted on the armrests in her castle of Montecalvo. Fringilla Vigo thought that a sphinx would serve well as an emblem of the Lodge given the overwhelming nature of secrets kept by the sorceresses.[1]