Dark Secrets of the Sphinx – Mythical Beasts

How did the sphinx become an evil monster and why has it survived for more than 4000 years?

Thousands of years ago sphinxes were among the most popular mythical monsters of the ancient world. The Great Sphinx at Giza in Egypt is the most famous of them all, but the origins of this strange mutant beast are shrouded in mystery. Why did the pharaohs depict themselves as mythical monsters with the body of a lion? At Luxor, archaeologists resurrect an entire army of sphinxes, built to guard Egypt’s powerful god, Amun-Ra. The Egyptians saw the sphinx as a living statue and a noble guardian but why did the ancient Greeks portray it as an evil man-eating monster?

For thousands of years, civilisations believed in mythical beasts – Dragons, Cyclops, Giants, Vampires and Sea Monsters. They still fascinate us today, but where did the stories of these fabled creatures come from? How much truth lies behind the legends, and what can these myths tell us about the medieval and ancient people that created in them? This series combines action-packed location filming and computer-generated animation, with experts in archaeology and palaeontology, to unearth the secrets behind some of the most famous and terrifying mythical beasts.

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