 Arriving at Thebes, a city in turmoil, Oedipus encounters the Sphinx, a legendary beast with the head and breast of a woman, the body of a lioness, and the wings of an eagle.The Sphinx, perched on a hill, was devouring Thebans and travellers one by one if they could not solve her riddle.The precise riddle asked by the Sphinx varied in early traditions, and is not explicitly stated in "Oedipus Rex", as the event precedes the play.