The Story of Oedipus
Oedipus was the son of King Laius and Queen Jocasta of Thebes. An oracle warned Laius that his son would kill him, so he had the newborn's ankles pinned together and ordered him left on a mountainside. A kind shepherd gave the baby to a shepherd from Corinth, and he was raised as a prince by the childless King Polybus and Queen Merope, who named him Oedipus, meaning swollen foot.
As a young man, Oedipus heard a drunken guest at a feast claim that he was not his parents' real son. He went to the oracle at Delphi for the truth, but the oracle only told him that he would kill his father and marry his mother. Horrified, and believing Polybus and Merope were his parents, he vowed never to return to Corinth.
On the road, at a place where three roads met, Oedipus quarreled with an old man in a chariot who tried to push him out of the way. In the fight that followed, he killed the man and most of his servants. He did not know that the old man was Laius, his real father.
Thebes at that time was terrorized by the Sphinx, a monster with the body of a lion and the head of a woman, who killed everyone who could not answer her riddle. She asked what walks on four legs in the morning, two at noon and three in the evening, and Oedipus answered that it was man, who crawls as a baby, walks upright as an adult and uses a cane in old age. The Sphinx threw herself to her death, and the grateful Thebans made Oedipus king and gave him the widowed Queen Jocasta as his wife, and they had four children: Eteocles, Polynices, Antigone and Ismene.
Years later, a plague struck Thebes, and the oracle declared that it would end only when the murderer of Laius was found and driven out. In Sophocles' play Oedipus the King, Oedipus vowed to find the killer. Step by step, through the blind prophet Tiresias and the old shepherd who had saved him, he uncovered the terrible truth.
When Jocasta realized what had happened, she hanged herself. Oedipus took the gold brooches from her dress and blinded himself with them, saying he could not bear to see the world he had ruined. He left Thebes as an exile, guided by his faithful daughter Antigone.
After years of wandering, Oedipus reached Colonus near Athens, where King Theseus welcomed him. There he died in a mysterious way that only Theseus witnessed, and his grave was said to protect Athens ever after. Before his death he cursed his sons, who later killed each other in the war of the Seven Against Thebes, and his story became one of the best known tragedies ever written.
Famous Myths About Oedipus
The Abandoned Child
An oracle warned King Laius of Thebes that his son would kill him, so he had the baby Oedipus left on a mountainside with his ankles pinned. A shepherd saved the child, and he was raised as a prince in Corinth.
The Crossroads
Hearing a prophecy that he would kill his father and marry his mother, Oedipus fled Corinth to avoid the fate. At a crossroads he quarreled with a stranger and killed him, not knowing the man was Laius, his real father.
The Riddle of the Sphinx
The Sphinx was killing every traveler near Thebes who could not answer her riddle about what walks on four legs in the morning, two at noon, and three in the evening. Oedipus answered that it was a man, the Sphinx destroyed herself, and the grateful Thebans made him king and gave him the widowed queen Jocasta as his wife.
The Terrible Truth
When a plague struck Thebes, Oedipus vowed to find the killer of Laius and slowly uncovered that he himself was the murderer and that Jocasta was his mother. Jocasta took her own life, and Oedipus blinded himself with the pins from her dress.
Oedipus's Family Tree
Parents of Oedipus
Partners of Oedipus
Children of Oedipus
Frequently Asked Questions About Oedipus
Who was Oedipus in Greek mythology?
Oedipus was a king of Thebes who unknowingly killed his father and married his mother, fulfilling a terrible prophecy. His story is told in Sophocles's tragedy Oedipus Rex.
Who were Oedipus's parents?
Oedipus was the son of King Laius and Queen Jocasta of Thebes. Warned that his son would kill him, Laius had the baby abandoned with his ankles pierced, which is why his name means swollen foot.
What was the riddle of the Sphinx?
The Sphinx asked what walks on four legs in the morning, two at noon and three in the evening. Oedipus answered that it was man, who crawls as a baby, walks upright as an adult and uses a cane in old age, and the Sphinx destroyed herself.
What did Oedipus do when he learned the truth?
When Oedipus discovered what he had done, Jocasta hanged herself and he blinded himself with the pins from her dress. He then went into exile, guided by his daughter Antigone.
How did Oedipus die?
Oedipus died at Colonus near Athens, where Theseus welcomed him. According to Sophocles, the gods took him from the earth in a mysterious way that only Theseus witnessed.
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