Hieracosphinx
Egyptian mythical beast
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The hieracosphinx (Ancient Greek: ἱερακόσφιγξ) is a mythical beast found in Egyptian sculpture and European heraldry.[1] The god Haroeris ("Horus the Elder") was usually depicted as one.[2] The name Hieracosphinx comes from the Greek Ιερακόσφιγξ, itself from ἱέραξ (hierax "hawk") + σφίγξ ("sphinx").[3]
| |
| Creature information | |
|---|---|
| Grouping | Legendary creatures |
| Similar entities | Sphinx |
| Origin | |
| Region | Ancient Egypt |
Description
The Hieracosphinx has the head of a hawk and the body of a lion. The name was coined by Herodotus for the hawk-headed sphinxes that he saw in Egypt; the other being the ram-headed sphinx which Herodotus called Criosphinx (Ancient Greek: Κριόσφιγξ).
In popular culture
The Hieracosphinx is the name of a monster card in the Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game.[4]
In the Real-time strategy game Age of Mythology, worshipping Bast allows players to upgrade their Sphinxes to Hieracosphinxes.
