NCHS AP English Language

The Sphinx

"The name itself derives from the Greek word "sphingo," to strangle, or "sphingein," to bind tight, based on the Greek Sphinx's habit of strangling its victims." The Sphinx in Greek Mythology is regarded as a "demon of , devouring, destruction and bad luck." They were vicious, single-minded, and mysterious and enigmatic. "The development of this particular usage arose from the fact that "enigma" also derives from the Greek "ainigma," 'to speak in riddles.'" Unlike the Egyptian and Arabic Sphinxes which embodied strength, nobility, and wisdom, the Greek sphinxes were not benign toward humans. In Greek mythology, the sphinx was lion's body, eagle's wings, and a female's head and breast. http://www.sphinx-egypt.com/greek_mythology.htm

The whale is the malevolent sphinx to captain Ahab. The head that sits on the deck of the ship symbolizes the female head of the sphinx. The whale is the threat to be defeated, and if Ahab cannot outsmart it, the whale will devour him just as the sphinx would devour anyone who could not answer the riddle. Ahab considers the defeat of the whale as a test and his will to destroy this "sphinx" is so great he is risking everything just as Oedipus was determined to defeat the great sphinx. Another definition of the word "sphinx" is a puzzling or mysterious person. This definition of the word accurately describes Ahab's character and motives for the white whale.

Alissa Davis

posted by Anonymous @ 8:57 AM