In the dusty mountains near Thebes lurks the Sphinx, a creature of terrifying beauty. With the body of a mighty lion, sharp claws, golden wings, and the face of a woman, she sits on a rock, her gaze fixed on the road leading into the city. No traveler may pass without solving her riddle – and none have survived to tell the tale.

One day, a man approaches, dusty and weary from his journey: Oedipus. The Sphinx rises majestically and speaks with a voice both alluring and menacing:
“What creature walks on four legs in the morning, on two at noon, and on three in the evening?”

Oedipus, clever and quick-witted, looks her straight in the eyes. His answer comes calm and clear:
“It is man. As a baby he crawls on all fours, as an adult he walks on two legs, and in old age he leans on a staff.”

For a moment there is silence. Then the Sphinx lifts into the air, her mighty wings thundering. Her cry is a mixture of triumph and despair. Defeated by Oedipus’ mind, she hurls herself from her rock into the abyss. But as she falls, she whispers: “Solve my riddles, but you will not escape your fate.”

Oedipus enters the city as a hero – unaware that with each step he moves closer to the dark destiny the Sphinx has foreseen.

Long before the Olympians ruled the Earth, Gaia, Mother Earth, lived in harmony with her children. But one day the mortals came into their world, arrogant and without respect. They ransacked the earth, destroyed forests and left mountains bare. Gaia, hurt and angry, decided that humans needed to be punished for their arrogance.

She created the Sphinx from the heartbeat of the earth, the strength of the lion and the wisdom of the gods. This hybrid creature, simultaneously attractive and frightening, should test people. “He who does not understand the mystery of life is not worthy to cross the threshold,” Gaia whispered. The Sphinx obeyed.

Their first test was a king who claimed to rule the earth. When he couldn't solve the puzzle, she devoured him without mercy. Since then, the Sphinx has sat at the edges of the world, vigilant and merciless, until mortals have regained the balance between wisdom and power.

On a moonless night, a dreamer wandered through the desert, exhausted and thirsty. On the horizon, the Sphinx rose, a silhouette of stone and starlight. As he approached, she did not speak aloud but pierced his thoughts directly:
“What dream do you dare to live – and what is only an illusion that paralyzes you?”

The man trembled, for this was no riddle of words, but of his very soul. Before him appeared the images of his desires: fame, love, immortality. Yet the longer he looked, the more they blurred. At last, he said:
“The true dream is not the image I imagine, but the path I walk.”

The Sphinx lowered her great head, and for a moment she seemed less beast than mirror. As he continued on, he knew: her greatest trial was not the riddle, but the courage to face himself. “The truth is the key, but the question is the guardian.”