Sphinx

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Sphinx At the Gates. © Fantasy Flight Games

A sphinx is a mythical creature, with a human face, the body of a lion, the wings of a hawk and the tail of a serpent.[1][2]

In tales, they speak in riddles, including far-fetched stories of dragons riddling with them.[1][3] They are also found as statues, often in female-male pairs flanking doors, entrances or gateways, such as the vast green marble sphinxes by the gates to the Citadel at Oldtown, with eyes of onyx.[1][2]

Though the Valyrians carved sphinxes into the gateway to the Long Bridge of Volantis, they also had their own sphinxes, referred to as Valyrian sphinxes, with the bodies of dragons, and human faces.[4][5]

Recent Events

A Game of Thrones

The council chamber door of the Red Keep is flanked by Valyrian sphinxes with eyes of polished garnets smoldering in black marble faces.[6][7]

A Clash of Kings

As Tyrion Lannister enters the Red Keep’s council chamber, he pauses to admire the Valyrian sphinxes at its entrance, and rests his hand on the head of one of them just before he goes.[8]

A Feast for Crows

While observing Alleras, Pate notes that he has eyes of onyx, like the green marble sphinxes that flank the Citadel’s main gate.[1]

Euron Greyjoy uses plunder from half a hundred distant lands to bind the ironmen to him. Among the plunder are ancient Valyrian sphinxes.[9]

Samwell Tarly recalls some of Maester Aemon’s words during the sea voyage from Braavos, remembering that he said to Sam that "The sphinx was the riddle, not the riddler".[10] Once in Oldtown Sam enters the gates of the Citadel, which are flanked by a pair of towering green sphinxes. They have the bodies of lions, the wings of eagles, and the tails of serpents. One has a man’s face and the other a woman’s.[2]

Alleras, also called The Sphinx, is a novice studying at the Citadel.[1] He seeks Samwell out as soon as he enters the Citadel and instructs him to go to Marwyn.[2]

A Dance with Dragons

While traveling, Tyrion Lannister and Illyrio Mopatis come across a huge Valyrian sphinx crouched beside the road. It has a dragon’s body and a woman’s face. However her king is missing, dragged off by the Dothraki back to Vaes Dothrak on wooden wheels. There is a smooth stone plinth where he once stood, grown over with moss and flowering vines. Tyrion considers this "dragon queen" sphinx a pleasant omen and her missing king an omen too, but not as hopeful.[5]

The Long Bridge, which joins the two halves of Volantis across the mouth of the Rhoyne, has a gateway that is an arch of black stone carved with sphinxes, manticores, dragons and other strange beasts.[4]

Tyrion mentions to Brown Ben Plumm most of the stories heard about dragons are fodder for fools - one of which is dragons riddling with sphinxes.[3]

The Winds of Winter

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Warning
This information has thus far been released in a sample chapter for The Winds of Winter, and might therefore not be in finalized form. Keep in mind that the content as described below is still subject to change.

In visions seen by Aeron Damphair, after being forced by Euron Greyjoy to drink shade of the evening, Aeron sees Euron blow a great horn, causing dragons, krakens and sphinxes to come at his command and bow before him.[11]

Quotes

The sphinx is the riddle, not the riddler. Do you know what that means?[2]

See also

References