Names of the Sphinx
How often is the Great Sphinx referred to by ancient Egyptians?
Great Sphinx of Giza
It is not known by what name the creators called their statue, as the Great Sphinx does not appear in any known inscription of the Old Kingdom, and there are no inscriptions anywhere describing its construction or its original purpose. In the New Kingdom, the Sphinx was called "Hor-em-akhet" (; Hellenized: "Harmachis"), and the pharaoh Thutmose IV (1401–1391 or 1397–1388 BC) specifically referred to it as such in his Dream Stele. The commonly used name "Sphinx" was given to it in classical antiquity, about 2000 years after the accepted date of its construction, by reference to a Greek mythological beast with a lion's body, a woman's head and the wings of an eagle (although, like most Egyptian sphinxes, the Great Sphinx has a man's head and no wings). The English word "sphinx" comes from the ancient Greek Σφίγξ (transliterated: ), apparently from the verb σφίγγω (transliterated: / ), after the Greek sphinx who strangled anyone who failed to answer her riddle. The name may alternatively be a corruption of the ancient Egyptian "Ssp-anx" (in MdC), a name given to royal statues of Dynasty IV (2575–2467 BC) and later in the New Kingdom (c. 1570–1070 BC) to the Great Sphinx more specifically, although phonetically the two names are far from identical. Medieval Arab writers, including al-Maqrīzī, call the Sphinx "balhib" and "bilhaw", which suggest a Coptic influence. The modern Egyptian Arabic name is أبو الهول (, ).