Sphinx Concept Development

I was inspired by Xenophon's Anabasis in which he recounts the story of a Greek army fleeing from Persian forces through the Mesopotamian desert and passing by the then already ancient ruins of Nineveh and Assur.

In this version, Xenophon and his band seek to take refuge in the ruins, but find the inner sanctums guarded by an ancient beast, once revered by the Assyrians but now driven mad from ages of solitude. The Lamassu was a divine creature from Sumerian and Assyrian folklore, and is famously depicted in sculptures from cities including Nineveh. Like a sphinx, the Lamassu is a hybrid of human, lion (sometimes bull), and bird forms.