#queen lectures

Halad calls the Sphinx the Ethiopian, and says to use that instead of Sphinx (now I could go into how Sphinxes likely come from Lamassu which Halad is but another time).

Ethiopian (Αἰθιοπία) is a Greek word, it means most closely "burnt face" but was understood more as "dark face". It was used by various Greek mythological writers and Greek ancient historians to refer to a large area of people, specifically the parts populated with black POC. (If you wish for an example, the Andromeda myth holds a usage of it for Andromeda herself, and specifically compared her skin tone to Perseus's light skin tone).

But! Halad is a Lamassu, which is not Greek they are Sumerian originally. The language he spoke was likely Sumerian (as if it were Greek I'd expect Ethiopian to translate with the rest of the words), and Ethiopian was how Bracken understood it most closely.

Now, we can go with this and just say Halad was referring to the Sphinx as dark-faced/skinned but! Lamassu are divine guardians, some considered them actual Gods, and they warded off evil. Sphinxes came from them (as in the idea, Lamassu were the earliest version of a Sphinx like being). Him being insulted by the one who chained him like such being called a being connected to him in a fashion would be fitting.

Thus I think it is far more likely for Halad to be referring to the Sphinx as "the dark one" or something along similar lines, not referencing his skin tone (calling him the Ethiopian is like calling Biden "the American" or "the white skinned" it's way too vague), but instead referencing his shadow charmer powers.

As he was guarding the exit to the prison, it seems likely to me his original duty was keeping watch over Nagi Luna, as she's the only being of great evil we know for sure was there before the Sphinx took over, and thus the Sphinx getting his powers from her and working towards her goal marks him as someone of equal evil for Halad.

Ergo: I think Halad actually was calling the Sphinx something related to his powers, but "dark" was somewhere in the meaning, which Bracken promptly understood as referencing his skin tone (as bracken is very pale) and ergo translated to "dark skinned" (via Ethiopian).

Also it's super funny to imagine Bracken getting worried about how Halad was referring to the Sphinx and imagining him trying to explain race theory to Halad who is more than lost.