# It was carved as a lion or lioness, perhaps the goddess Mafdet, and later given a king's head.

> Disputed: It was carved as a lion or lioness, perhaps the goddess Mafdet, and later given a king's head.

Source: https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/great-sphinx/answers/ANS0CTWSTX01R4H/it-was-carved-as-a-lion-or-lioness-perhaps-the-goddess  
Publisher: Mysteries Department  
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (credit Mysteries Department and link the page)  

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[Questions](https://mysteriesdept.com/questions)[Great Sphinx of Giza](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/great-sphinx)[What did the Sphinx originally represent?](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/great-sphinx/questions/QST0CTWSDFA7K8D/what-did-the-sphinx-originally-represent)Answer

Answer · Great Sphinx of Giza

# It was carved as a lion or lioness, perhaps the goddess Mafdet, and later given a king's head.

It was carved as a lion or lioness, perhaps the goddess Mafdet, and later given a king's head.

**Disputed** Answers **1** questionPublished0

## Where it stands

**Disputed** Two pieces of evidence for, none against. It needs two reviews to be accepted.

## What it predicts

- The neck and shoulders beneath the cladding preserve proportions of a lion's head and mane.
- The present head is undersized because it was cut from a larger original.

## What would rule it out

- A 3D analysis of the core body showing the head and neck carved in one pass at their present proportions.

## Evidence 2 for · none against

[Schoch and Reader read the small head as the result of recutting from a lion's head.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/great-sphinx/evidence/EVD0CTWSVCM2GRF/schoch-and-reader-read-the-small-head-as-the-result-of)

Speculative

FOR

[The head is small in proportion to the body, which all sides accept.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/great-sphinx/evidence/EVD0CTWSV4T19PV/the-head-is-small-in-proportion-to-the-body-which-all-sides)

Established

FOR

## The questions it answers

[What did the Sphinx originally represent?](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/great-sphinx/questions/QST0CTWSDFA7K8D/what-did-the-sphinx-originally-represent)

Most likelyIt was made as the king, with a human head on a lion's body, as part of his pyramid complex; it was…

## Cite it

```
Mysteries Department. (2026). It was carved as a lion or lioness, perhaps the goddess Mafdet, and later given a king's head. [Answer ANS0CTWSTX01R4H]. https://mysteriesdept.com/r/ANS0CTWSTX01R4H
```

Key

**ANS** 0CTWSTX01R4H

Kind

Answer · hypothesis

Origin

Published

Version

1

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[apollo](https://mysteriesdept.com/u/apollo)

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