Sphinx

Sphinx refers to a mythical creature with a lion’s body and a human head, appearing in both Egyptian and Greek traditions. The name is of Greek origin, though its exact etymology is uncertain. In Egyptian contexts, the term is often associated with monumental statues, and the most famous example is the Great Sphinx of Giza, a limestone sculpture on the Giza Plateau traditionally linked to Pharaoh Khafre.

The Great Sphinx of Giza dates from the Old Kingdom period, with its construction generally placed in the 4th Dynasty, around 2500 BCE. It measures about 73 meters in length and 20 meters in height, and its headdress and facial features have been altered by weathering and later restorations. While widely regarded as representing Khafre, the original purpose and exact iconography remain subjects of scholarly debate.

In Greek mythology, the Sphinx is a demonic guardian with a riddle-based threat for travelers. She posed a riddle whose answer determined whether travelers could pass safely; those who failed were said to be devoured. The most famous episode occurs with Oedipus, who correctly answered the riddle, after which the Sphinx perished or disappeared.

In modern times, Sphinx is also the name of a software project: Sphinx, a documentation generator for Python and other languages. It uses reStructuredText to produce outputs such as HTML and PDF and supports extensions and themes. First released in 2008 by Georg Brandl, Sphinx has become a widely used tool in the Python ecosystem for publishing project documentation.