The Sphinx is one of the most recognizable symbols of ancient Egypt.  It is the body of a lion with the head of a man or a god.  The sphinx was usually placed near a royal tomb or a temple to guard it.  The idea was copied by other cultures with changes.  The Greek sphinx has wings and a female face.  In India, the sphinx is also shown with a female head and is said to remove the sins of those visiting the temple where the sphinx is found.  Free Mason temples often have a sphinx outside to guard and protect the mysteries.  
    The best known sphinx is the one at the great pyramid.  This sphinx faces east toward the rising sun.  There is a small temple between the paws of the sphinx that resembles the sun temples of Egypt indicating that the sphinx was a solar symbol.  Some legends say the sphinx was a symbol of arcane wisdom.  Another, that the sphinx would ask visitors to solve a riddle and kill those who failed.  The Greeks considered it wise but malevolent.  The Egyptians, however, considered it a divine protector.  
    In one of his best known readings, psychic Edgar Cayce said the Sphinx, a remnant of Atlantean civilization, contains a hidden storehouse of knowledge yet to be discovered.