The Sphinx is a character from The Adventures of Puss in Boots. The Sphinx is the guardian of the Hourglass, an ancient and powerful artifact kept isolated in the great desert. All of those seeking to take the Hourglass must answer all five of the Sphinx's riddles. If someone gives the wrong answer to the fifth riddle the Sphinx eats them. The Sphinx claims to have been doing her job for many years, a gazillion is one of the numbers she throws out but she may have been exaggerating, though it is good to note everything around her is in ruins.
History[]
The Sphinx was born a twin to Callista to two unnamed parents at some point before the series took place. The two sisters use to be rather close with Calista having given The Sphinx her tattoos. However as their parents kept telling the other to be like the other their differences became more extreme and a division grew between them. The Sphinx kept with the tradition of riddles and got a job as guardian of the Hourglass in a magnificent structure (that now lies in ruins) and thus was deemed the more civilized. Calista got a job guarding the Forest of Fountains and abandoned riddles, instead obliterating all intruders when not asleep under a tree atop a hill she found and thus was deemed the more savage. As time past on the structure around The Sphinx deteriorated, memory of her became less, those who hired her past away, and all she had left to motivate her was knowledge that she's better than her sister. This would last for at least a thousand years.
Personality[]
She has a thick valley girl accent and appears to greatly dislike her job, wishing to be doing something that helps people instead of protecting an hourglass. She's also very sassy and strong-willed. She often ends sentences with "or some junk." The Sphinx is also deeply opinionated. She also is a sleepyhead, constantly sleeping on the job.
Powers and Ability[]
The Sphinx is a legendary magical being with great power. She has the natural ability of flight and great magic abilities, which namely include banishing people back to where they started if they fail to answer her riddles correctly. She does this by blasting a magic fire from her wings. Interestingly, she doesn't appear to actually need to know where they start from, as Puss in Boots never mentioned where he started from. She can also set her paws on fire for fighting.
When she banishes people for getting a riddle wrong they may travel back and answer another four riddles before she has to eat them. (At least, that's how it is when she is guarding the hourglass.)
Relationships[]
As guardian of the Hourglass of Eurythion, she was not very friendly and was committed to her job, even though she did not like it very much. Later, however, she allies herself with the people of San Lorenzo (mainly Puss), protecting their town from bandits because she wishes to do something to help people.
In the episode Fountain, it is revealed that the Sphinx has a sister by the name of Callista. She is far more fierce and aggressive than her sibling and can breathe fire. Callista also looks exactly like the Sphinx but without the tattoos.
Character Planning and Development[]
The Sphinx in The Adventures of Puss in Boots draws inspiration from The Sphinx of the Greek tradition in regards to asking riddles and devouring people. Though unlike her inspiration, who protected the road to Thebes, the Sphinx from The Adventures of Puss in Boots asks five riddles instead of one and protects a magical hourglass. The appearance of the character is a nod to the Sphinx breed of cat and is closer to older Egyptian depictions of the Sphinx prior to a particular pharaoh having his face carved into a particularly notable structure of the same name. These depictions of winged lions where still common in lower Egypt and the lands of Nubia and the realm of Ethiopia.
The Adventures of Puss in Boots character was created by Doug Michael Langdale who previously worked on Dreamwork's animated adaptation of Cleopatra in Space as it's showrunner. Doug Langdale also created The Sphinx's sister Callista who was first introduced in S1E6 "Fountains" thus introducing that relationship to the character. It was however the writer Julia Yorks who expanded Callista and The Sphinx's history through S4E10 "Small Change" where in Callista had been the one to give The Sphinx her tattoos and for the strife between the twin sisters having been from both parents insisting they be more 'like your sister'.
One of the tattoos The Sphinx has is also established as referencing the Obelisk of Night which Calista had seen at some point but doesn't remember where. This tattooing would have taken place while the two sisters where still young and prior to either of them having settled into their roles as Guardians of the Hourglass and the Fountains. The reveal that the Obelisk is in San Lorenzo is at times thought to indicate that Callista had visited back when the city had a tourist industry (so prior to the Great Mage Sino putting a protective spell over the city), had seen the Obelisk of Night before it was moved to San Lorenzo, or happened to have seen one of the souvenirs of the Obelisk with such souvenirs having once been sold in San Lorenzo (before the protective spell was cast) according to Angus the Sheep in S4E12 "Little Lamb". Most of The Sphinx's character was governed by Julia Yorks' writing from Seasons three to six.
Trivia[]
- This certain Sphinx is most likely based on the Greek Sphinx of Greek mythology, rather than the Egyptian Sphinx.
- Despite being most likely based on the Greek Sphinx, she is only part cat and bird. The Sphinx in Greek mythology is described to have "the head of a woman, the body of a lion, and wings of a bird."
- Following up on this, in myth, the Sphinx asks one riddle before devouring her victim. This Sphinx is rather generous, giving 5 chances.
- In myth, the Sphinx guarded the road to Thebes.The Sphinx has a sister named Callista. (She makes her first appearance in Fountains.)
- The first episode she appeared in was "Sphinx."
- The Sphinx‘s sister’s name is Callista, and it is unknown whether or not she has a more “human-sounding“ name, or one more likely to be used by people.
- The Sphinx's tattoos give hints to the Obelisk of Night.
- In the Chinese Mandarin dub of the show, she refers to herself as Callista's “姐姐”， which translates to older sister in English. It is unknown if this is also the case in the English dub.
- In the Bloodwolf episode, it was revealed that the Sphinx's fear is losing her wings by them being teared apart.
Gallery[]
.jpg "Th (26).jpg (10 KB)")
.jpg "Th (27).jpg (10 KB)")
.png "Schermopname (204).png (1.23 MB)")
.png "Schermopname (203).png (1.7 MB)")
.png "Schermopname (195).png (2.03 MB)")
.png "Schermopname (194).png (2.2 MB)")
.png "Schermopname (227).png (2.05 MB)")
.png "Schermopname (489).png (1.84 MB)")
.png "Schermopname (494).png (2.3 MB)")
.png "Schermopname (495).png (1.35 MB)")
.png "Schermopname (496).png (1.48 MB)")
.png "Schermopname (497).png (1.79 MB)")
.png "Schermopname (498).png (1.96 MB)")
.png "Schermopname (502).png (1.67 MB)")
.png "Schermopname (503).png (2.07 MB)")
.png "Schermopname (599).png (1.98 MB)")
.png "Schermopname (601).png (1.82 MB)")
.png "Schermopname (627).png (1.13 MB)")
.png "Schermopname (652).png (1.23 MB)")
.png "Schermopname (701).png (2.3 MB)")
.png "Schermopname (823).png (2.09 MB)")
.png "Schermopname (916).png (1.53 MB)")
.png "Schermopname (915).png (1.55 MB)")
.png "Schermopname (913).png (1.44 MB)")
.png "Schermopname (911).png (1.5 MB)")
.png "Schermopname (910).png (1.62 MB)")
.png "Schermopname (909).png (1.49 MB)")
.png "Schermopname (908).png (1.92 MB)")
.png "Schermopname (907).png (1.6 MB)")
Appearances[]
| The Adventures of Puss In Boots Season One | ||
| "Hidden" Absent |
"Sphinx" Appears | |
| "Brothers" Absent |
"Duchess" Absent | |
| "Adventure" Absent |
"Fountains" Appears | |
| "Bravery" Absent |
"Golem" Absent | |
| "Boots" Absent |
"Sword" Absent | |
| "Mouse" Absent |
"Goblin" Absent | |
| "Star" Absent |
"Pigs" Absent | |
| "Luck" Appears | ||
| The Adventures of Puss in Boots Season Two | ||
| "Dragon" Absent |
"Moles" Absent | |
| "Mermaid" Absent |
"Bees" Absent | |
| "Squad" Absent |
"Spells" Appears | |
| "Scimitar" Absent |
"Stories" Appears | |
| "Sphere" Absent |
"Si" Absent | |
| "No" Absent | ||
| The Adventures of Puss in Boots Season Three | ||
| "Bootless Cries" Absent |
"Sullen Earth" Absent | |
| "Ugly Duckling" Absent |
"The Muscle" Absent | |
| "Sword's Man" Appears |
"Escape Goat" Appears | |
| "Copy Cat" Absent |
"Coin Toss" Absent | |
| "King Pickles" Absent |
"Pirate Booty" Appears | |
| "Cat Fish" Absent |
"Parrot Booty" Absent | |
| "Skeleton Town" Absent | ||
| The Adventures of Puss in Boots Season Four | ||
| "Familiar Feeling" Absent |
"In Dreams" Absent | |
| "Fluteus Maximus" Absent |
"Prey Time" Appears | |
| "Breaking Good" Appears |
"Written By" Absent | |
| "Fancy Beast" Absent |
"Titan Up" Absent | |
| "Boar Games" Absent |
"Small Change" Appears | |
| "Little Lamb" Appears |
"The Obelisk" Appears | |
| "The Bloodwolf" Appears | ||
| The Adventures of Puss in Boots Season Five | ||
| "Second to One" Appears |
"Not a Drill" Absent | |
| "Caballo Sin Cabeza" Absent |
"My Fair Demon" Absent | |
| "Too Many Cats" Appears |
"Before They Hatch" Absent | |
| "The Iceman Melteth" Appears |
"Swine and Roses" Absent | |
| "The Great Stink" Absent |
"Dances with Dingoes" Absent | |
| "Remember Me Not" Absent |
"Through Caverns Measureless" Absent | |
| "A Savage Place" Absent | ||
| The Adventures of Puss in Boots Season Six | ||
| "Save the Town" Absent |
"Save the Cat" Appears | |
| "Lost and Foundlings" Absent |
"The Scarlet Panther" Absent | |
| "Pajuna Serves Spirits" Absent |
"One Last Jobs" Absent | |
| "Like a Fox" Absent |
"Not a Date" Absent | |
| "Flock the Boat" Absent |
"All Hail, Puss!" Appears | |
| "The Moving Finger Writes" Absent |
"And, Having Writ, Moves On" Absent | |