In front of the pyramid of Chefren lies the sphinx, the most famous egyptian statue.
It represents a lion with a male head. It is 57 meters long and 20 meters high, sculptured out of rock in 2540 BC.The mameluks are possibly guilty that nose and beard got shot off the statue. The sphinx got buried under sand as appears from the "dreamstelae of pharao Thutmosis (1400 BC) that was found, placed between the front legs of the sphinx. Thutmosis uncovered the sphinx after having given the order to do so in a dream.
About the function of the sphinx, the views differ. The head is usualy the depiction of the ruling pharao, male. But also female sphinxes can be found, for exemple Hatsepsut, and godlike sphinxes like the arieslane of Karnak where the statues have Ariesheads who belong to the god Amun.
In the greek period (4th century BC) the stories about the meaning of the sphinx are mixed. Of egyptian, male, protective figures to the female monster that threatened the town of the then greek Thebes, the female that provided riddles and was slain by Oedipus. The egyptian sphinxes have become enigmatic as well as the replicas that were female for the most part. The sphinx is the most replicated egyptian statue in the western world.
RE: Gizeh - the Sphinx
Marijke
wow... that's so interesting! I have always loved Egypt and anything to do with ancient egypt and this infor is great. Thanks for sharing.
RE: Gizeh - the Sphinx
Hi
I guess we'll never know just exactly what the sphinx was supposed to be/do. Is it just a huge piece of sculpture or does is have chambers etc inside like a tomb. I am sure I saw a programme once that debated this issue, I'm sure that it also debated the possibility that the sphinx wasn't a lion but a dog, they were going on the way it was lying.
The sphinx has thrown up more puzzles than it's answered and i'd really love to go and see it.
RE: Gizeh - the Sphinx
Hi Folks, im new here. (On this site!)
Fascinated by ancient Egypt myself, in particular its origins and glaring similarities with Sumerian and Mayan cultures. To mention but two.
The face on Mars (Cydonia region) is thought, amongst some scholars, to have a direct link with The Sphinx. There are some people who say that the Egyptians are somehow decendants of what some people believe to be the original inhabitants of Mars (I know, whacky idea but believe me it warrants a little investigating ;)). That somehow, as a result of a cataclysmic event on Mars, the natives were forced to flea and found refuge on our (their) green and fertile earth.
Just a thought......
RE: Gizeh - the Sphinx
it is said that our planet earth and mars were once twin planets with the same atmosphere, water etc. but some "dis aster"made mars what it is today. Ben Bova has written to books about mars (Mars and Return to Mars) (space-science) and there it is claimed that the native american indians could be descendants of mars....... So, your idea is not so far-out... So the sphinx represents what from Mars? The star constellation?
RE: Gizeh - the Sphinx
One theory that I was told just the other day was that it could have been a marker (assuming that the dating of its creation is wrong) that was built to withstand the great flood. There is a cavern beneath the sphinx that has never been opened and it was suggested that it may hold the aswer to its mystery. Also the direction it is facing is important astrologically and has been linked to a previous piscean age that ended just prior to the great flood. This is all a very approximate memory of a conversation I had with someone I bumped into on the street, triggered by my question about the polar shift having started!!
RE: Gizeh - the Sphinx
Apart from the similarity between the two faces (The Sphinx and the Face on Mars), im not too sure what the link is. The fact that both faces are so closely linked to Pyramids is also something taht cant be overlooked. The face on mars is surrounded by various pyramid structures. one Five sided.
RE: Gizeh - the Sphinx
Hi Marijke,
You seem to share my love of Egypt, so i have posted this picture for you, hope you like it.
[DLMURL] http://www.witchweb.org.uk/photographs/egypt/38.html [/DLMURL]
It is my dream to stay in Egypt at some point in my life, when i was there i did not want to return to England.
Kybalion
RE: Gizeh - the Sphinx
Kybalion, thank you for showing this professional picture of the sphinx and the pyramid of Cheops. I see you revamped my postings on the egyptian culture, so we both have a passion for it. I have been to Egypt several times with my daughter IndraB and it was always like coming home again. What a country! I never get tired of reading about it.
I used to be a physician in an earlier incarnation. My name was Meni,Worked in Abydos. We were forced to do some experiments on living people and i refused to do so. It got me in big trouble, was betrayed and thrown into the Nile and mortally wounded by a crocodile. The god Sobek.In this life I have met 2 people from that period. The high priest - my former enemy - has become a dear friend now. The other one, now a healer, has helped me overcome the past life trauma and regain life worthfully living now. I am grateful for their help.
Your dream of becoming a priestress is good, just follow your path, where your wings will take you.