“Which creature in the morning goes on four legs, at mid-day on two, and in the evening upon three, and the more legs it has, the weaker it be?”
She strangled and devoured anyone unable to answer.
Oedipus solved the riddle.
Bested at last, the tale continues, the Sphinx then threw herself from her high rock and died. An alternative version tells that she devoured herself. Thus Oedipus can be recognized as a "liminal" or threshold figure, helping effect the transition between the old religious practices, represented by the death of the Sphinx, and the rise of the new, Olympian gods.
So, what is the answer?
If you know, post it in the Comments below.
Man, when we are a baby we crawl on all fours, when we grow up we walk on two, and when we get older we need a walker and need help walking.
ReplyDeleteOmgosh i lovet this riddle! Matt is right, it's a man. When we are born, we walk on all fours. As we grow up, we walk on our two legs. And when we get old, we need a cane to help us move around. :)
ReplyDeleteWait i meant just "man". Not a single man because the riddle is referring to mankind/human race.
ReplyDeleteNow a riddle for you!
ReplyDelete"Father and son were in a horrific car accident. They were both rushed to the hospital. The father was taken immediately taken to the ICU and the son was taken to the OR. The surgeon walks in, looks at the boy and says 'I cannot operate in this boy, for he is my son.' How is this possible?
a man sweet i win
ReplyDeleteWhat Matt R. said
ReplyDeleteI guess it would be hard for a mother to operate on her son. I hope they're both going to be okay!
ReplyDelete(Good riddle!)