Sphinxes – earrings
4 000,00 zł
Earrings inspired by an original design from the Hellenistic period. They depict sphinxes decorated with garnets.
In Egyptian mythology, the Sphinx is primarily a guardian figure, standing watch over temples and tombs. In this culture, the sphinx often embodies the god Harmakhet, linking the sun god Ra with the horizon.
According to the Greek mythology the sphinx was a female monster with the body of a lion, the head and breast of a woman, eagle’s wings and, according to some, a serpent’s tail.
In South India, the “sphinx” is known as puruṣamr̥ga (Sanskrit) or nara-simha, meaning “human-lion”. It is found depicted in sculptural art at the entrance to the temples and palaces. It is said by the tradition, to take away the sins of the devotees when they enter a temple and to ward off evil in general. In Sri Lanka, Burma and Thailand the sphinx has a similar role of a protector.
Some Greek myths say, that Hera or Ares sent the Sphinx from her Aethiopian (Ethiopia) homeland to Thebes in Greece where she asked all passersby the most famous riddle in history: “Which creature has one voice and yet becomes four-footed and two-footed and three-footed?” She killed anyone who could not answer. In some lesser accounts, there was a second riddle: “There are two sisters: one gives birth to the other and she, in turn, gives birth to the first. Who are the two sisters?” The answer is “day and night”.
We all know what happened when Oedipus guessed the answer to Sphinx’s riddle. But I personally like an alternative version of this story, which can be found in Jean Cocteau’s retelling of the Oedipus legend: “The Infernal Machine”. The Sphinx tells Oedipus the answer to the riddle in order to kill herself so that she did not have to kill any more, and also to make him love her. He leaves without ever thanking her for giving him the answer to the riddle. The scene ends when the Sphinx and Anubis ascend back to the heavens.
The sphinx imagery has historically been adopted into Masonic architecture and symbolism.
Among the Egyptians, sphinxes were placed at the entrance of the temples to guard their mysteries, by warning those who penetrated within that they should conceal a knowledge of them from the uninitiated. Champollion said that the sphinx became successively the symbol of each of the gods. The placement of the sphinxes expressed the idea that all the gods were hidden from the people, and that the knowledge of them, guarded in the sanctuaries, was revealed to initiates only.
As a Masonic emblem, the sphinx has been adopted as a symbol of mystery, and as such often is found as a decoration sculptured in front of Masonic temples, or engraved at the head of Masonic documents.
Garnets – 6 garnet balls Ø 6mm, 2 garnets Ø 1.5mm, 2 garnets Ø 1mm
Dimensions: max width 1.6 cm, diameter approx. 3 cm, length from ear: approx. 1 cm clasp + 3 cm diameter of earring
Weight: 16 g + 16 g
925 silver gilded with 24k gold
