Oedipus

King Laius of Thebes was destined to be killed by his offspring, and therefore chose to be childless. Nevertheless, he still longed to have an heir to his throne, and so he kidnapped Chrysippus (son of King Polybius). But Chrysippus died, and his father Polybus cursed Laius by saying that he would live to see his son die at his hand.

After a few years, Lokaste did indeed have a son. However, Larios had him thrown in the forest, tied with a thong, and in addition, his legs were mutilated. None of this happened; on the contrary, the boy was given into the care of a shepherd, from whom he came to Polybius. Polyb and his wife brought him up as their son. After Oedipus grew up and discovered that he was not the son of Polybus, he went to Delphi to find out whose son he really was. There, Pythia revealed to him only that he would one day kill his own father, marry his mother, and put a curse on his children.

To prevent this prophecy, Oedipus went as far away from Polybius' kingdom as possible, namely to Thebes. Outside the city he met an old man in a chariot, who whipped him with a whip to clear the way, and then struck him with a stick. An angry Oedipus struck the old man so hard that he killed him. Little did he know, however, that the old man was his true father. King Laius had just returned from Delphi with advice on how to free the city from the Sphinx. The whole of Thebes was in mourning.

So the hero went to the mountain where the Sphinx would ask him her question. But he knew that if he answered it wrong, the Sphinx would kill him. "Which animal has only one voice, but sometimes has two legs, sometimes three, sometimes four, and is weakest when it has the most?" Oedipus answered, "Man, because as a toddler he climbs on all fours, in his youth he stands firmly on two, and in his old age he leans on a stick. "After this answer the Sphinx threw herself into the sea and died, whereby Thebes was delivered. Oedipus was celebrated and at the same time elected the new king of Thebes. He married the widow Lokaste (his real mother) and they had two daughters (Antigone and Ismene) and two sons (Eteocles and Polyneices).

When Apollo sent a plague on Thebes, Creontas was sent to Delphi for advice on how to get rid of the plague. And the advice was, "Drive the murderer King Laius out of the city". So Oedipus immediately announced a search for the murderer. The blind seer Teiresias declared that he knew who the murderer was. When urged, he pointed to Oedipus. But he, of course, would not admit it and assumed it was a conspiracy against him, led by Creontas. But Lokaste revealed that she had a son and what had happened to him. This was confirmed to the king by several people, including the slave who had taken her son into the forest.

Lokasté then broke down and committed suicide in her chamber. Oedipus gouged out his eyes in despair, and even the people turned their backs on him and demanded his expulsion from Thebes. Although the new king, Creontas, stood up for him, nothing changed and Oedipus had to leave. His daughter Antigone also left the city with him and subsequently accompanied him for the rest of his life. On the other hand, his sons Eteocles and Polyneices wanted nothing to do with him.

When Oedipus arrived at Athens and appeased the goddess of vengeance, Erynia, he asked the Athenians to bring their king, Theseus, to him. Before this could happen, however, it was revealed that his sons, Eteocles and Polyneices, had begun to war with each other over the throne. Surprisingly, both wanted Oedipus to stand by their side. According to the oracle, whoever gets Oedipus will win. It was Theseus who protected Oedipus from violence, and Oedipus cursed his sons. Zeus then ended his troubled journey. Oedipus bade farewell to his daughters, whom he had entrusted to the protection of Theseus, and went himself to Hades, the realm of the dead.

Today, the term "oedipal complex" (or "oedipus complex") is used in psychoanalysis to refer to a son's strong affection for his mother and his harsh to aggressive tendencies towards his father.