Green Park Gates Sphinx

There are twin Sphinx at the carriage trail gates entrance to Green Park on Piccadilly in London’s West End.

The two identical bronze sculptures, which face each other across the top of the gates, are probably both representations of the Greek Sphinx.

The Greek Sphinx is a female monster with the head and breast of a women and the body of a lion. Traditionally the Greek Sphinx also had eagle’s wings, but these are missing here at Green Park.

In Greek Mythology the Sphinx was summoned by to Thebes by the Gods to punish people of the town. When Oedipus solve The Riddle Of The Sphinx by answering with one word “Man” the Sphinx threw herself off the mountain top and was killed on the rocks below.