Greek Mythology: Starting with Becoming the God of the Breeze

"The Sphinx? And the Sphinx from Egyptian mythology at that?"

When Kanas saw the creature in front of him, he recognized its identity at first glance.

The Sphinx is a creature that appears in many mythological works.

Among them, the Sphinx from Greek and Egyptian mythology is the most famous.

The Sphinx in Greek mythology was the offspring of the giant Typhon and the serpent Echidna. It was violent and loved to devour humans. It occupied the gates of Thebes and tortured passing creatures with a riddle of life and death. Those who answered incorrectly were devoured. It was a monster of chaos and a mysterious beast.

The most famous riddle of the Sphinx also originated from this.

But... the Sphinx probably hadn't been invented yet at this time, right?

Even its father Typhon might not have been born, let alone it as its offspring.

Therefore, Kanas could only classify it as the Sphinx of Egyptian mythology.

In any case, there are quite a few types and numbers of sphinxes in Egyptian mythology, including the sphinx with a human-like body that looks similar to the sphinx in Greek mythology.

In Egyptian mythology, the Sphinx is a symbol of benevolence and nobility.

Meanwhile, in the other two separate trial barriers, two more participants also arrived at the end of the trial.

Oceanus was trapped in an endless desert, enduring long periods of scorching heat and drought. The desert winds continuously stripped away the moisture from his body, and his magnificent oceanic divinity was severely suppressed in this arid and desperate environment.

The extremely harsh environment constantly wore down His patience, causing this first Titan, who was already not very good-tempered, to accumulate an overflowing sense of irritability and anger.

When the sandstorm cleared, another Sphinx stood in the middle of His path.

The human figure is solemn and dignified, the lion's body is majestic and heavy, its wings are close to its back and its sharpness is concealed, and its expression is calm and distant, without a trace of ferocity.

On the other side of the barrier, Themis, having traversed the endless yellow sand, also stopped before the Sphinx.

To the onlookers outside, the three barrier scenes appeared identical: a desert, a sphinx, and a scorching sandstorm.

However, the three gods had completely different states of mind and condition.

What's even stranger is that they remembered very clearly that Oceanus and Themis trekked through the desert for a long time, enduring endless torment before finally finding their destination.

Canas remained calm throughout, as if he were at home.

However, the three of them were perfectly synchronized in their trials, and they arrived at their destination at the same time in the footage!

"This must be the power of time."

Seeing this, Tethys, Oceanus's wife, the mother of all waters, and one of the twelve Titans, slowly explained.

At this moment, the wise Him also realized that something was wrong.

The authority over space and time is definitely not a domain that Gaia and Pontus can explore.

Even among all the primordial gods in the Chaos world, none have ventured into these two realms!

So, could this trial be orchestrated by the world consciousness itself?

Is the position of the third-generation God-King so important?

That's right! The position of the third-generation God-King is completely different from the previous two; he has to shoulder the heavy responsibility of resisting the gods from another world!

Furthermore, the third-generation God-King is also responsible for invading other worlds to bring more nourishment to the Chaos world.

That's why the world consciousness of the Chaos world attaches such importance to this election.

Whom did He take a fancy to?

It certainly won't be that idiot Oceanus.

If He were even slightly useful, He wouldn't have been unable to even touch the throne of the second-generation God-King.

Tethys glanced at the spot where Kanas had just been sitting, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath.

"It's over!"

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

The next instant, three deep, solemn, and perfectly unified voices resounded simultaneously within the three barriers.

"O gods of another world, accept the test of your wisdom."

The first round of the Three Trials of the God Kings, the Sphinx's Riddle, has officially begun.

"This trial of wisdom has only one question, and the answer will determine success or failure."

"No shortcuts allowed. The answers are fixed, and all ambiguous or similar answers will be disqualified."

In three deserts, three sphinxes simultaneously raised their heads, their ancient and distant voices resounding throughout their respective spaces.

Question: There is something in the world that is weak and dependent when it is first born, dominates the four directions when it is in its prime, is bound by shackles when it is old, and eventually returns to silence.

"It creates order, but also breeds cages; it nurtures life, but also buries the future."

"What is this object?"

The moment the puzzle was solved, the three spaces fell silent, with only the sound of wind and sand blowing.

The first to break the silence was Oceanus, whose mindset was already on the verge of becoming agitated.

The scorching desert sun made Him feel unbearably hot, and the dry, desolate environment was constantly stripping Him of His water-based essence.

This feeling filled the first Titan, who had spent his life ruling the oceans and was used to everything going smoothly, with resentment and extreme impatience.

He has always believed that power trumps everything and has always despised such convoluted philosophical puzzles.

In His understanding, as long as there is enough power, all things can be suppressed and all order can be reshaped. So-called reasoning and deliberation are just empty talk for the weak.

Faced with the riddle's description of "dominating the four directions, bound by shackles, burying the future," Oceanus actually got incredibly lucky and came up with an answer that perfectly met the requirements.

"strength!"

"At birth, they are weak and can only rely on their parents' existence. As adults, they become powerful and thus dominate the world. In their old age, they are exhausted and thus fade into obscurity."

"So, I guess it's 'power'!"

Oceanus spoke with a face full of joy. He had never expected that he, a god who was not good at thinking, could come up with an answer so quickly.

Surely He has already won this trial?

And it seems that things have indeed turned out as He predicted.

The moment He gave the answer, the gale in the space He was in stopped, and the temperature returned to normal.

The Sphinx, standing in front, lowered its eyes slightly, and the look in its eyes as it looked at Oceanus had changed.

"wrong."

The verdict was delivered in a single, decisive word, shattering Oceanus's initial joy.

Oceanus's pupils contracted sharply, and a surge of overwhelming humiliation and anger welled up in his heart.

He is one of the first Titans, one of the oldest gods, and in terms of seniority, divine power, and profound heritage, he has few rivals in the entire Chaos.

But at this moment, He was defeated by a riddle, and everything was negated by a damned, lowly alien monster!

He instinctively wanted to raise his hand and unleash his divine power to tear apart the fool before him.

The trial rules tightly sealed off all His authority, preventing even a trace of His divine power from leaking out. With no outlet for His immense power, He was trapped in place, forced to endure this blatant humiliation.

He clenched his fists tightly, his face was ashen and ferocious, and his heart was filled with resentment.

Just after Oceanus declared his defeat, Themis from another dimension slowly spoke.

Compared to Oceanus's violent and impetuous nature, Themis was relatively calm and rational. Having long held the concept of fairness and justice, she possessed a thinking ability far exceeding that of ordinary gods, and naturally would not fall into any wrongdoings.

He considered the riddle, pondered for a moment, and then gave the answer:

"This is the law."

"When the law was first established, few people followed it, and the regulations were incomplete, so it was weak."

"When powerful, it rules over all the heavens, establishes order for all things, and dominates the four directions."

"As time goes by, outdated laws become rigid and inflexible, which will shackle living beings and limit the world, eventually fading into silence with the changing times."

Themis's answer accurately captured part of the mystery's essence, revealing the advantages and disadvantages of order and the rise and fall of rules, far surpassing Oceanus's.

But that's about it.

The Sphinx's gaze darkened slightly, still failing to ignite any divine approval, and it calmly pronounced its verdict:

"Half right is also wrong."