Each civilization has its own symbols, which are considered integral parts of the people, their culture and history. The Sphinx of Ancient Egypt is an immortal proof of the power, strength and greatness of the country, a silent reminder of the divine origin of its rulers, who have sunk into centuries, but left an image on earth eternal life. national symbol Egypt is considered one of the greatest architectural monuments of the past, which still inspires involuntary fear with its impressiveness, a halo of secrets, mystical legends and centuries of history.

Monument in numbers

The Egyptian Sphinx is known to everyone and every inhabitant on earth. The monument is carved from a monolithic rock, has the body of a lion and the head of a man (according to some sources - a pharaoh). The length of the statue is 73 m, height - 20 m. The symbol of the power of royal power is located on the Giza plateau on the western coast of the Nile River and is surrounded by a wide and rather deep moat. The thoughtful gaze of the Sphinx is directed to the east, towards that point in the heavens where the Sun rises. The monument has been covered with sand many times and has been restored more than once. The statue was completely cleared of sand only in 1925, striking the imagination of the inhabitants of the planet with its scale and size.

History of the sculpture: facts against legends

In Egypt, the Sphinx is considered the most mysterious and mystical monument. His story has attracted great interest and special attention of historians, writers, directors and researchers for many years. Everyone who has had a chance to touch the eternity that the statue represents offers their own version of its origin. The locals call the stone sight "the father of horror" because the Sphinx is the keeper of many mysterious legends and a favorite place for tourists who love mysteries and fantasy. According to researchers, the history of the Sphinx has more than 13 centuries. Presumably, it was built in order to record the astronomical phenomenon - the reunion of the three planets.

origin myth

Until now, there is no reliable information about what this statue symbolizes, why it was built and when. The lack of history is replaced by legends that are passed from mouth to mouth and told to tourists. The fact that the Sphinx is the oldest and largest monument in Egypt gives rise to mysterious and ridiculous stories about it. There is an assumption that the statue guards the tombstones of the greatest pharaohs - the pyramids of Cheops, Mykerin and Khafre. Another legend says that the stone statue symbolizes the personality of the pharaoh Khafre, the third - that it is a statue of the god Horus (god of heaven, half-man, half-falcon), watching the ascent of his father - the Sun God Ra.

legends

In ancient Greek mythology, the Sphinx is mentioned as an ugly monster. According to the Greeks, the legends of Ancient Egypt about this monster sound like this: a creature with a lion's body and a human head gave birth to Echidna and Typhon (a half-snake woman and a giant with a hundred dragon heads). It had the face and chest of a woman, the body of a lion and the wings of a bird. The monster lived not far from Thebes, lay in wait for people and asked them a strange question: “Which living being moves on four legs in the morning, two in the afternoon, and three in the evening?” None of the wanderers trembling with fear could give the Sphinx an intelligible answer. After which the monster sentenced them to death. However, the day came when the wise Oedipus was able to solve his riddle. “This is a man in childhood, maturity and old age,” he replied. After that, the crushed monster rushed from the top of the mountain and crashed against the rocks.

According to the second version of the legend, in Egypt the Sphinx was once God. One day, the heavenly ruler fell into an insidious trap of the sands, called the "cell of oblivion", and fell asleep in it with eternal sleep.

Real facts

Despite the mysterious undertones of the legends, real story no less mystical and mysterious. According to the initial opinion of scientists, the Sphinx was built at the same time as the pyramids. However, in the ancient papyri, from which information about the building of the pyramids was obtained, there is not a single mention of a stone statue. The names of architects and builders who created grandiose tombs for the pharaohs are known, but the name of the person who gave the world the Egyptian Sphinx is still unknown.

True, a few centuries after the creation of the pyramids, the first facts about the statue appear. The Egyptians call her "shepes ankh" - "a living image." Scientists could not give the world any more information and scientific explanation of these words.

But at the same time, the cult image of the mysterious Sphinx - a winged monster maiden - is mentioned in Greek mythology, numerous fairy tales and legends. The hero of these tales, depending on the author, periodically changes his appearance, appearing in some versions as a half-man, half-lion, and in others as a winged lioness.

The story of the Sphinx

Another puzzle for scientists was the chronicle of Herodotus, who in 445 BC. described in great detail the process of building the pyramids. He told the world interesting stories about how the structures were erected, for how long and how many slaves were involved in their construction. The narration of the "father of history" touched even such nuances as the food of the slaves. But, oddly enough, Herodotus never mentioned the stone Sphinx in his work. In none of the subsequent records, the fact of the erection of the monument was also found.

Helped scientists shed light on the work of the Roman writer Pliny the Elder Natural history". In his notes, he talks about the next cleansing of the monument from sand. Based on this, it becomes clear why Herodotus did not leave the description of the Sphinx to the world - the monument at that time was buried under a layer of sand drifts. So how many times has he been trapped in the sand?

The first "restoration"

Judging by the inscription left on the stone stele between the monster's paws, Pharaoh Thutmose I spent a year freeing the monument. Ancient writings tell that, being a prince, Thutmose fell asleep at the foot of the Sphinx and had a dream in which the god Harmakis appeared to him. He predicted the prince's ascension to the throne of Egypt and ordered the statue to be released from the sand trap. After some time, Thutmose successfully became pharaoh and remembered the promise given to the deity. He ordered not only to dig up the giant, but also to restore it. Thus, the first revival of the legend of Egypt took place in the 15th century. BC. It was then that the world learned about the grandiose construction and the unique cult monument of Egypt.

It is known for certain that after the revival of the Sphinx by Pharaoh Thutmose, it again dug out during the reign of the Ptolemaic dynasty, under the Roman emperors who captured Ancient Egypt, and the Arab rulers. In our time, it was again freed from the sands in 1925. Until now, the statue has to be cleaned after sandstorms, as it is an important tourist attraction.

Why is the monument missing a nose?

Despite the antiquity of the sculpture, it has practically survived in its original form, embodying the Sphinx. Egypt (the photo of the monument is presented above) managed to maintain its architectural masterpiece but failed to protect him from the barbarism of the people. The statue does not have this moment nose. Scientists suggest that one of the pharaohs, for reasons unknown to science, ordered to beat off the nose of the statue. According to other sources, the monument was damaged by Napoleon's army, firing a cannon at his face. The British, on the other hand, chopped off the beard of the monster and sent it to their museum.

However, in the later records of the historian Al-Maqrizi from 1378, it is said that the stone statue no longer had a nose. According to him, one of the Arabs, wanting to atone for religious sins (the Koran forbade the depiction of human faces), chipped off the giant's nose. In response to such a crime and abuse of the Sphinx, the sands began to take revenge on people, advancing on the lands of Giza.

As a result, scientists came to the conclusion that in Egypt, the Sphinx lost its nose as a result of strong winds and floods. Although this assumption has not yet found real confirmation.

The Stunning Secrets of the Sphinx

In 1988, as a result of exposure to caustic factory smoke, a decent part of a stone block (350 kg) broke off from the monument. UNESCO, concerned appearance and the state of tourism and cultural object, resumed repairs, thereby paving the way for new research. As a result of a thorough study of the stone blocks of the pyramid of Cheops and the Sphinx by Japanese archaeologists, a hypothesis was put forward that the monument was built much earlier. great tomb pharaoh. The conclusion was a stunning discovery for historians, who assumed that the pyramid, the Sphinx, and other funerary structures were contemporaries. The second, no less surprising discovery was a long narrow tunnel discovered under the left paw of a predator, connected to the pyramid of Cheops.

After Japanese archaeologists, hydrologists took up the most ancient monument. They found traces of erosion on his body from a large water stream that moved from north to south. After a series of studies, hydrologists came to the conclusion that the stone lion was a silent witness to the flood of the Nile - a biblical catastrophe that occurred about 8-12 thousand years ago. American researcher John Anthony West explained the traces of water erosion on the body of a lion and their absence on the head as evidence that the Sphinx existed during the Ice Age and dates back to any period before 15 thousand BC. e. According to French archaeologists, the history of Ancient Egypt can boast of the oldest monument that existed even at the time of the death of Atlantis.

Thus, a stone statue tells us about the existence greatest civilization, which managed to erect such a majestic structure, which became immortal way Of the past.

The admiration of the ancient Egyptians before the Sphinx

The pharaohs of Egypt regularly made pilgrimages to the foot of the giant, which symbolized the great past of their country. They made sacrifices on the altar, which was between his paws, burned incense, receiving from the giant a silent blessing on the kingdom and throne. The Sphinx was for them not only the incarnation of the sun god, but also a sacred image that gave them hereditary and legitimate power from their ancestors. He personified powerful Egypt, the history of the country was reflected in its majestic form, embodying each image of the new pharaoh and turning modernity into a component of eternity. Ancient writings glorified the Sphinx as a great creator god. His image reunited the past, present and future.

Astronomical explanation of the stone sculpture

By official version The Sphinx would have been built in 2500 BC. e. by order of Pharaoh Khafre during the reign of the Fourth ruling dynasty pharaohs. A huge lion is located among other majestic structures on the stone plateau of Giza - the three pyramids.

Astronomical studies have shown that the location of the statue was chosen not by blind intuition, but in accordance with the point of intersection of the path of heavenly bodies. It served as the equatorial point, indicating the exact location on the horizon of the place of sunrise on the day of the vernal equinox. According to astronomers, the Sphinx was built 10.5 thousand years ago.

It is noteworthy that the pyramids of Giza are located on the earth in exactly the same order as the three stars in the sky in that year. According to legend, the Sphinx and the pyramids fixed the position of the stars, the astronomical time, which was called the first. Since Orion was the heavenly personification of the ruler at that time, man-made structures were built to depict the stars of his belt in order to perpetuate and fix the time of his power.

The Great Sphinx as a tourist attraction

Currently, a giant lion with a human head attracts millions of tourists who are eager to see the legendary stone sculpture shrouded in the darkness of centuries of history and many mystical legends. The interest of all mankind in it is due to the fact that the secret of the creation of the statue remained undisclosed, buried under the sands. It is hard to imagine how many secrets the Sphinx keeps in itself. Egypt (photos of the monument and the pyramids can be seen on any tourist portal) can be proud of its great history, outstanding people, grandiose monuments, the truth about which their creators took with them to the kingdom of Anubis - the god of death.

Great and impressive is the huge stone Sphinx, whose history has remained unsolved and full of secrets. Still, the calm gaze of the statue is directed into the distance, and its appearance is still imperturbable. How many centuries has he been a silent witness of human suffering, the vanity of rulers, the sorrows and misfortunes that befell the Egyptian land? How many secrets does he keep Great Sphinx? Unfortunately, all these questions have not been answered for many years.

“- By the way, “Sphinx” is far from the true name of this structure. It's generally Greek word, meaning “one who chokes”, which arose from the verb “compress”, “suffocate”. So the Greeks called this statue, because, while in Egypt, they associated it with the character of their ancient Greek legends - the Sphinx (Sphinx). Sphinga among the Greeks meant a fabulous animal with the head and chest of a woman, the body of a lion, and the wings of a bird. This creature, according to legend, lived on a rock near Thebes and asked passers-by an unsolvable riddle, and when it did not receive an answer, it strangled them. Since somewhere their legend echoed the ancient Egyptian legends about the massacre of the goddess Sakhmet (a lioness with a human face), the daughter of the god Ra, with recalcitrant people, this name has remained in history.

Although I note that the Greek legend was born from an older version of the predator Fix, who lived in Boeotia on Mount Fikion - a ferocious monster capable of swallowing its prey. Oedipus defeated her in a fierce battle. And the very image of the Sphinx was born among the Greeks under the influence of the Asia Minor image of the winged half-maiden-half-lion.

As for the great Sphinx, in fact, in Egypt it was called Harmachis, which was personified with the sun rising in the East and the symbol of resurrection. But these concepts followed from earlier ideas about the great Sphinx as the "Guardian of the house of the gods." And this is no coincidence. Since this structure guards the secret of the path leading to the Lotus Temple - one of the oldest underground structures in this place.

Several conclusions can be drawn from this interesting and meaningful passage of text:

1. In fact, the great Sphinx was called Harmachis;
2. The Greeks called it the Sphinx. The basis for this name was local legend about the Sphinx. Again, the legend of the Sphinx comes from an older tale of Fix;
3. The image of the sphinx was widespread in Egypt and Asia Minor and combined the features of a person and various animals;
4. The Great Sphinx serves as the guardian of the house of the Gods.

A lot of material has been posted about the Great Sphinx on the Internet and books by Anastasia Novykh. The presented information for analysis and study is more than enough. But still, maybe we will step aside a little from the generally accepted theories of studying the great Sphinx and look at the Sphinx as the guardian of the house of the Gods, but not the one that is hidden under it. Other.

So let us continue to call Harmachis the Great Sphinx, just to avoid confusion. Our brain is already accustomed to this name, and along with the mention of the Great Sphinx, its majestic profile immediately arises.

What is Harmachis, Sphinx / Sphinga and Fix

Modern dictionary publishing house "Great Soviet Encyclopedia" offered the following interpretation:

• HARMAKHIS (Hor-Em-Akhet) (ancient Egyptian. Horus in the sky), in Egyptian mythology, one of the incarnations of the god Horus, associated with the cult of the sun. Depicted as a sphinx or a lion with the head of a falcon.

You can find out the following about the Sphinx or Sphinge in the Internet space:

• Sphinx mythical creature.
• In ancient Egyptian art, an animal with the body of a lion, the head of a man, or (more rarely) the head of a falcon or a ram.
• In ancient Greek mythology - a monster with the head of a woman, the paws and body of a lion, the wings of an eagle and the tail of a bull, a character in the legend of Oedipus.

Greek myth about it mythical creature can be easily found. The Sphinx or Sphinx in ancient Greek mythology is a winged monster with the face and chest of a woman and the body of a lion. She is the offspring of the hundred-headed dragon Typhon and Echidna. The name Sphinx is associated with the verb "sphingo" - "compress, suffocate." Sent by the Hero to Thebes as a punishment for the seduction of young Chrysippus by Lai, she settled on a mountain near Thebes (or in the city square), and asked each passerby a riddle: “Which of the living beings walks on four legs in the morning, on two in the afternoon, and on three in the evening ? Unable to give a clue, the Sphinx killed, and thus killed many noble Thebans, including the son of King Creon. Dejected with grief, the king announced that he would give the kingdom and the hand of his sister Jocasta to the one who would save Thebes from the Sphinx. When Oedipus solved the riddle, the Sphinx threw herself into the abyss in despair and fell to her death, and Oedipus became the Theban king.

This version of the myth appeared from its older version, in which the original name of the predator that lived in Boeotia on Mount Fikion was Fix (here Orph and Echidna are named her parents). Ancient Fix was a ferocious monster capable of swallowing prey. She was defeated by Oedipus with weapons in his hands during a fierce battle. The image of Fix itself arose under the influence of the image of a winged half-maiden-half-lion, common in Asia Minor (Anterior).

The deeper you delve into this question, the more it causes bewilderment. How could such different entities be identified? How could they be connected?

Why did the Greeks call the Great Sphinx by this name? After all, he personifies the incarnation of the god Horus, the hope of resurrection, and Fix is ​​generally a ferocious monster that swallows its prey. The Great Sphinx contains the image of a lion. The goddess Sekhmet was depicted with the head of a lioness and the body of a woman. Fix also appeared from the image of a half-maiden-half-lion. Maybe that's why the Greeks gave this statue such a name? In fact, the legend of Fix is ​​somewhat similar to the ancient Egyptian legend of the goddess Sekhmet. Sekhmet was the wife of the god Ptah, the goddess of war and the formidable eye of the sun god Ra. She was depicted with the head of a lioness and the body of a woman. She was known for her reprisals against recalcitrant people, which is a bit similar to the image of the Sphinx. Let's note that Sekhmet dealt with the disobedient. There is more to think about here. How are Harmachis and Sekhmet related? Maybe because Sekhmet guarded the pharaoh. And the Giza pyramid complex is officially recognized as the tomb of the pharaohs. There is a connection here, but I'm interested in figuring out the other one.

Let's look at the Sphinx. A search for an image of a sphinx yielded varied results. Now it can be divided that there are sculptures of sphinxes, which are widely distributed in Asia Minor, Egypt, there is a sculpture of the Great Sphinx and there are images of the Sphinx / Fix. Images of the sphinx were also common in Greece. For example, there even coins were minted with their image. Among the sculptures of sphinxes, there are those that are given just such an image. It combines the parts of the body of a man, a lion, an eagle and a bull; this image carries the features already familiar to us.

The images of a man, a lion, an eagle and a bull in the light of true Knowledge are used to explain the energy structure of a Man, his four Essences. And through the image of the sphinx in ancient Greek mythology, there is an indication of the four Essences as the collective appearance of a monster that combines a man, a lion, an eagle and a bull.

The meaning of a man, a lion, an eagle and a bull in the primordial Knowledge is well written in the book AllatRa by Anastasia Novykh, especially in the passage where the description of the icon "The Savior is in Strength" is given.

Here is a quote from this book:

« Rigden: Moreover, on the icon “The Savior in Power” Christ is depicted against a background of geometric figures. In particular, in the background there is a red square, at the corners of which there are a winged man, a lion, a calf and an eagle.

Anastasia: That is, the symbols of the four Essences against the background of a red square.

Rigden: Yes. Now in Christianity, these images (tetramorphs) are interpreted as symbols of the evangelists (respectively, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John). As a result of such a priestly interpretation, now few people know about true essence these symbols and their origin. But to the “flock” of this world religion they are explained as follows: Matthew is the image of a winged man. He was a tax collector, so his image is usually depicted with a sum of money, a spear, a sword...

Anastasia: Well, yes, the image of a person is a symbol of human nature and desires, the traditional allegorical interpretation of the Back Essence by the ancient Eastern peoples in the context of knowledge about the four Essences.

Rigden: Absolutely true, only no one remembers this for a long time. Further, the symbol of Mark is the lion, the king of beasts. Luke's symbol is the winged bull, where the bull itself is seen as a sacrificial animal.

Anastasia: So the bull, even in the pra-Indian civilization, meant the Animal nature, and among most ancient peoples - a characteristic of the Right essence of man. And how many ancient oriental stories are devoted to the struggle with the lion and victory over him, as a symbol of the taming by man of his most intelligent and power-hungry Left essence - the support of the Animal nature!

Rigden: Well, everything is so simple when you understand the obvious... But the symbol of John is an eagle. However, initially, in the context of knowledge about the four Essences, there was another bird. In fact, a falcon should be depicted here, if you follow the primary sources from where the priests copied the plot for their new religion. For many ancient peoples, including the Egyptians, the bird (falcon) was a symbolic designation of the Front Essence. The eagle is already an insertion from the priests into the information they borrowed from other peoples. But that's another topic of discussion."

If we consider the image of the sphinx as an indication of the four Essences of man, then the legend itself and the question that the Sphinx asks in Greek mythology already appear in a new, distinctive light. If in his life a person has committed right choice, was able to overcome the Animal nature in himself, correctly answer the question: “Who am I?” ; then he, like Oedipus, is able to defeat his Animal nature and enter the kingdom that was promised to him.

In an earlier version ancient Greek myth, indications of the primordial Knowledge were even more specific character. Fix was swallowing the person who lost to her in a fight. This is so similar to the explanation of hell, which is also given in the book " AllatRa»:

“By the way, in Sanskrit “hell” (transcription in Russian letters) means “eat, swallow, absorb”, or, speaking Old Russian language, - "eat". This material world was considered by ancient people to be exactly the place that modern religions call hell and was depicted as a monster that devours people, their destinies and Souls. But if a person longs day and night to save his Soul, works on himself every day, then this gives him a chance to go beyond the limits forever. material world beyond suffering and constant rebirth."

No wonder the legend speaks of the fierce battle between Oedipus and Fixa, and it, in fact, looks like a personal armageddon of a person. But Man is able to emerge victorious from it. In this battle, it is important to make the right choice and firmly follow the intended path. A person is able to win over his animal nature, to gain resurrection in a new capacity for himself as an Angel of God to leave for the Spiritual World.

But here again I would like to return to the beginning of this topic and remember that the Great Sphinx was created precisely as a guardian of the House of the Gods. The very understanding of the guardian is quite interesting in the Primordial Knowledge and has been reflected more than once in the epic of the peoples of the world. Therefore, on guard, as part of the legend of the Sphinx, I would like to dwell separately in the second part of this presentation.

Guardian

The legend of the Sphinx is one of the examples of how in ancient beliefs, legends, fairy tales. Myths and legends reflected the Primordial Knowledge. They open up to the walker spiritual path. But it happens when something more is hidden in such beautiful and poetic works. When an obscure connection glides like a light shadow from ancient Greece to even wiser ancient Egypt. In the Primordial Knowledge, the victory of a Man over his Animal nature is invariably accompanied by the passage of a guard.

The guardian guarding the House of the Gods is Harmachis. Yes, that's right, the first glance at the Giza complex gives the impression that the Great Sphinx is guarding the pyramids. But still, its main purpose is the Lotus Temple. This underground structure is hidden under it, the entrance to which is located in the paws of the Lion. Although, nevertheless, the Spiritual World is a native home for every person. A world where Angels live in Love, about which it is said in the preface to the book Anastasia Novykh "AllatRa".

For me, Harmachis is the logical conclusion of the legend of the Sphinx, which points so beautifully and unpretentiously to the historical figure - Horus. Gore was real face who lived and ruled in Egypt for many years. We are taught that the characters in legends and myths are fictional. So it would be possible to treat this person. But the Egyptian priest Manathon left us more than a specific mention of him. In the book of Anastasia Novykh “Ezoosmos. Primordial of Shambhala” refers to Gor as a strong spiritual personality. His work is inextricably linked with the spiritual development of mankind. And the ancient Egyptians, realizing the value of the acquired knowledge, sought to consolidate them in folk art, monuments of architecture, culture and life, including the sculpture of the Great Sphinx. After all, it was not for nothing that this majestic statue was originally called Harmakhis, which means "Mountains in the sky."

If you write about Horus, then I think you should definitely start with Osiris - the father of Horus. Osiris inherited the throne of the ruler of Egypt and began to rule it with the kindness of a wise ruler. The Egyptians admit that these were truly golden times for their country. Many nations submitted to Osiris without any coercion, voluntarily. And in all the affairs of this ruler, his wife, Isis, was his faithful friend and assistant. But Osiris was put to death by Set, as they say, without shedding even a drop of divine blood. Then, over time, the body of Osiris was dismembered by Set into 14 parts and scattered throughout Egypt. Isis collected all the parts of the body of Osiris and 14 temples were built in the places where they were found. From these rebuilt temples, Egypt developed in the future.

Horus grew up and defeated Set. He was able to revive his father, but Osiris did not want to return to the material world and remained in the afterlife. He transferred power to Horus, who took the throne of the ruler of Egypt. Horus had 4 sons: Amset, Hapi, Duamutef and Kebeksenuf. The four sons of Horus, in the original spiritual sense, and there are four Essences of man. They are present at the court of Osiris and they are assigned the role of defenders of the throne of Osiris. The acquired knowledge says that, having defeated his Animal nature, a person subdues four Essences and they all become defenders. And one more fact about the defenders: Thoth ordered the Egyptians to keep and protect Horus when Isis gave birth to him, saying that without him Egypt would plunge into darkness and chaos.

Being saved, after his formation, Horus, figuratively speaking, became the guardian of the House of the Gods. In the Knowledge, it is separately highlighted that one who follows the Path spiritual development A person must definitely meet with him, answer sincerely and honestly to the question: “Who am I?”, defeat his Animal nature and pass the most important exam in Life. Horus may not be directly the same Guardian (although how can I know for sure), but through his image the Knowledge about the path of Immortality is transmitted. Anastasia Novykh so inspiredly wrote about the passage of this Guardian in the book "Sensei-IV":

“Spiritual experience is the result of a life in which your spirituality should manifest itself in everything: in thoughts, deeds, actions, spiritual practices and, first of all, helping people in the name of good, because this is the closest path to God. Human love is not in vain, for it purifies the soul and bestows the power of creation. Prayers and meditations are not meaningless, for they are as good for a person's spiritual growth as nourishment for a fetus that is gaining strength. Hope in God is not false, because in it is hidden the essence that connects us directly with Him. So, to be a real Human being and to truly approach God means to manifest the Light of your soul into the world more and more every day and to ensure that in this Light there is not even a hint of the presence of a shadow. Only then can you pass the Guardian and reconnect with the true Source of Light."

Let's look at the image of the Guardian, drawn by Anastasia Novykh. Somehow it looks a little like Horus or the Great Sphinx, but it seems to me that their essence is very close.

Having passed the Guard, having passed the exam for spiritual maturity of the attestation commission chaired by the Lord of Shambhala, a Man boldly enters the Spiritual World, or, in other words, into the House of the Gods, while still alive, and becomes a part of the Boundless himself.

So in the legends of ancient Greece, in the symbolism of Egypt, grains of spiritual Knowledge about the essence of human life. In addition to the Great Sphinx, you can find other sources of true Knowledge. But at the same time, on the basis of the legend of the Sphinge/Fix, it is clear how the consciousness opposes the process of the spiritual liberation of Man, how steadily it overwrites the primordial Knowledge, distorts it. Yes, the devil can distort the true meaning of spiritual Knowledge in the minds of people, but he cannot erase the Great Sphinx. For time itself fears the Pyramids

Mythological creatures of the peoples of the world [Magical properties and interaction] Conway Dinna J.

14. Mysterious Sphinx

14. Mysterious Sphinx

The Egyptian, Greek Sphinx and Sphinxes that existed in other cultures have always fascinated people. Some of us remember that the meaning of the Sphinx, like other magical, mythical creatures, is much deeper than is known or admitted now.

Egyptian Sphinx

The image of the Egyptian Sphinx is familiar to us from the destroyed monument, standing next to with pyramids. This ancient statue, carved from a giant stone, is located just outside of Gaza and is an image of a reclining lion with an obviously male human head. Currently, the statue of the Sphinx is destroyed and significantly damaged and is only an echo of its former beauty. When the Muslims took over Egypt, fanatical adherents of this religion deliberately cut off the nose of the statue, calling it a sinful idol.

In the eyes of the ancient Egyptians, who called him "hu", he symbolized the four elements and the Spirit, as well as all the science of the past, which is lost to us. Despite the fact that the statue of the reclining Sphinx is located near the Great Pyramid, the Sphinx was built much later than this famous building.

The Egyptian Sphinx is different from the Greek. It is believed that he is male, as he is wearing a headdress with long linens falling over his shoulders, and a royal uraeus (cobra). He has no wings. Meanwhile, many ancient authors claimed that the Sphinx is an androgynous being, possessing both male (positive) and female (negative) creative powers. It seems that the Egyptian Sphinx, a regal but mysterious creature, was the guardian of the underworld, that parallel world, which initiates speak of as a place of great initiations.

The Egyptian Sphinx is almost seventy feet high and over a hundred feet long. According to estimates, its weight is several hundred tons. It is possible that the original statue was covered with a layer of plaster and painted in sacred colors. Outwardly, the Sphinx was the embodiment of the sun god, so his head was decorated with a royal headdress, his forehead was a cobra (uraeus), and his chin was a beard. Both the cobra and the beard were once chipped off. The beard was discovered between the front paws of the Sphinx during its excavations from the layer of sand covering the statue.

Egyptian Sphinx

The main mass of the body of the Sphinx is carved from a monolithic giant stone, and the front paws are carved from smaller stones. The version that this stone could be a monolithic rock that was originally located there caused a lot of controversy. Analysis of the limestone from which the statue was carved showed that it contained a huge number of small sea creatures, indicating a strong possibility that the stone was quarried elsewhere.

The temple, the altar located between the paws, and the steps leading up to the Sphinx were built much later. This was probably done by the Romans, who restored many Egyptian monuments.

Between the front paws of the Sphinx is a huge stele of red granite with a hieroglyphic inscription on it that the Sphinx is a guardian. Some hieroglyphs on this stele describe an unusual dream-vision of the eighteenth dynasty pharaoh Thutmose IV, who appeared to him while he was sleeping in the shadow of the Sphinx.

Then Thutmose was still a prince. Tired during the hunt, the prince lay down to take a nap in the shade of an ancient statue, and he dreamed that the Sphinx turned to him with a request to remove the sand that bound him and restore its former beauty. And in gratitude, he promised to reward Thutmose with the double crown of Egypt. Apparently, Thutmose honored this request (although the part of the stele describing this is too badly damaged to make it impossible to read the text in full), because he became Pharaoh Thutmose IV.

Conservatively minded archaeologists, historians and scientists are firmly convinced that the Sphinx was carved in the image of one of the great pharaohs as a funerary offering. However, ancient historical sources, which these "specialists" left without attention, set out a different version of the purpose of the Sphinx.

The ancient philosopher Iamblichus wrote that the Egyptian Sphinx closed the entrance to the sacred underground chambers and galleries, where adherents of secret knowledge underwent certain tests. The entrance to the Sphinx was carefully closed by huge bronze gates, and the way to open them was known only to individual high priests and priestesses. If the initiate secret knowledge was not completely ready, the intricate maze of passages inside the statue again returned him to the beginning of the path. If he found Right way in the labyrinth, then moved from one ritual hall to another. And only if the initiate was recognized as ready for the great sacrament of initiation, he or she was escorted to a deep tunnel leading under the sands of the desert from the Sphinx into the Great Pyramid.

George Hunt Williamson states that these underground temples hold precious metal slabs, papyrus scrolls, and clay tablets containing ancient information.

In order to refute the claims of the ancient authors, over the years metal rods were inserted into the Sphinx and not a single passage or hall was found inside it. However, in October 1994 information Agency The Associated Press reported that workers trying to rebuild the ruined parts of the Sphinx made a fantastic discovery: they discovered an unknown ancient passage leading deep into the Sphinx. And yet, antiquities experts still don't know who built it, where it leads, or what its purpose was.

Sometimes the Sphinx was represented with the head of a hawk, and not with a human. Egyptian Sphinxes have always been depicted lying down. Sphinxes were often placed on both sides of the entrance to the temple to guard it.

However, images of Sphinxes have been found in cultures older than the Egyptians. It is determined that the stone sculptures of the Sphinxes found in Mesopotamia were created at least five thousand years earlier than the Egyptian Sphinx in Gaza. Similar figures carved in stone have been found throughout the Middle East. Even in Ancient Greece there was a legend about the Sphinx.

Greek Sphinx

The Greek Sphinx is a creature with the head and chest of a woman and wings. She was aggressive, verbose, predatory, as she loved to eat human flesh. The word "Sphinx" comes from the Greek spiggein ("tightly bind", "strangle").

Of all the Greek Sphinxes, the Theban is the most famous. She had a female head and breast, the body and clawed paws of a lion, the tail of a dragon and the wings of a bird. Little is known about her origins, although according to one legend, she was the offspring of Typhon and Echidna. According to another version, Ortre and Chimera were her parents. Her favorite place was a cliff on the road leading to Thebes, where she lay in wait for travelers and asked them a riddle heard from the Muses. Those who did not give the correct answer, she killed. In the end, Oedipus managed to answer correctly.

Greek Sphinx

Other legends claim that the Greek Sphinx sometimes moved around the country from one place to another. They also mark several directions between the various Greek islands that the Sphinx chose.

The Greek Sphinx loved to talk to her victims and torture them before killing them. If the victim managed to escape, her rage was terrible. Jung compared this creature to the archetypal image of the Terrible Mother. The throne of Zeus at Olympia was decorated with a pattern depicting Sphinxes carrying off children. These drawings could indicate a symbolic connection between Zeus and the Sphinx, which, perhaps, carried out the god's orders for retribution.

Other Sphinxes

The oldest Assyrian, Persian and Phoenician Sphinxes were male, they had beards and long curly hair. However, after the XVII century BC. e. images of winged female Sphinxes appeared in Assyrian carvings. In ancient Phoenicia, both female and male individuals were depicted. The Hittites carved statues of creatures with the bodies of a lion and human heads from stones. Like the Greek Sphinx, the Babylonian Sphinx was female. Legends say that the Sphinxes of the Middle East had great wisdom, rarely revealed their knowledge and were pleased that people revered them.

In Roman mythology, the Sphinx was female and wore a urea on her forehead. Perhaps she borrowed her female appearance from her Greek counterpart, but she adopted many attributes from the Egyptian Sphinx. Surprisingly, images of this mysterious creature were also found among the ruins of Mayan cities on the Yucatan Peninsula.

All Sphinxes own all known languages both modern and ancient. They also know all kinds of magic that once existed, and at the present time forgotten by people. They are adept at the use of magical spells, and in addition, appreciate all kinds of precious stones, precious metals and books, especially ancient ones.

Basically, males of this species are larger than females, they also have greater physical strength. If the male Sphinx gets angry or challenges someone, its deafening roar can be heard from miles away.

The females of this species are actually smarter than the males, but the males also have superior wisdom and knowledge. The Sphinx Woman is more inclined to help people in poetry, prose, riddles and general knowledge.

This mysterious creature serves as a reminder that humans have spiritual wings, human heads (or minds) and animal bodies. Protecting the sacred ancient secrets, the Sphinx lies at the gates of superconsciousness and does not allow those who are not ready to enter to it. The meeting with the Sphinx heralds a time of spiritual growth, and possibly new love.

Psychological characteristics: positive A person who knows when to remain silent and when to speak. Negative- someone who likes to challenge people on an intellectual level, and if they turn out to be "less smart", destroy them with words. A person who uses the skill to show his superiority.

magical properties: the scope of the Sphinx is the initiation, the end of the cycle; elemental magic, meeting with the Dark Mother, receiving instructions from Her. The Roman and Greek Sphinx were symbols of a quick-tempered nature and causeless destruction. The Greeks associated the Sphinx with initiation and death. It was believed that the Sphinx is a mysterious magical creature, owns the deepest secrets of the universe, but keeps complete silence.