Laius
The year 320 to 310 BC captures a moment frozen in clay on an Apulian red-figure hydria. This ancient vessel depicts King Laius of Thebes carrying off the son of Pelops, king of Pisa. Laius taught the boy how to drive a chariot while holding him captive. Some accounts place this event during the Nemean Games. Hyginus records that Laius abducted and raped the king's son Chrysippus. Other sources suggest he simply carried him away to Thebes. This act established Laius as the originator of pederastic love in myth. He became known as the first pederastic rapist according to many interpretations. The abduction is thought to be the subject of one of Euripides' lost tragedies. Laius returned to Thebes after Amphion and Zethus had died in his absence. He then claimed the throne for himself.
Laius received a terrifying message from Delphi regarding his future offspring. The oracle commanded that he must not have a child or the child would kill him. Another version recorded by Aeschylus stated the city could only be saved if Laius died childless. One night Laius was drunk when he fathered Oedipus with Jocasta. Jocasta was the daughter of Menoeceus and a descendant of the Spartoi. Laius ignored the divine warning despite its severity. He ordered the infant Oedipus exposed on Mount Cithaeron with feet bound. Perhaps the baby was staked to the ground instead. A shepherd took the child but lacked resources to raise him. King Polybus and Queen Merope of Corinth adopted the boy. They raised Oedipus to adulthood without revealing his true parentage.
Mount Cithaeron served as the desolate place where infant Oedipus lay abandoned. His feet were bound tightly against the cold earth. A shepherd found the helpless child and carried him away. This shepherd did not possess enough resources to look after the baby. He gave the infant to King Polybus and Queen Merope of Corinth. These rulers raised Oedipus as their own son. Years later Oedipus desired to know more about his origins. He consulted the Delphic Oracle for answers. The oracle told him he must not go home or he would kill his father. Oedipus believed he was from Corinth and set out toward Thebes. He sought to avoid the fate predicted by the gods. His journey led him directly into a fatal encounter.
The road called Cleft Way became the site of a deadly confrontation. Laius traveled to Delphi because omens indicated his son might return to kill him. Oedipus refused to defer to the king when they met on this narrow path. Laius' attendants ordered Oedipus to yield but the young man resisted. Angered, Laius either rolled a chariot wheel over Oedipus' foot. Or perhaps he struck the youth with his whip instead. Oedipus killed Laius and all but one of his attendants. That single survivor claimed it was a gang of men who attacked them. Damasistratus, the king of Plataea, buried Laius where he died. The murder remained unpunished in the eyes of the law. Thebes soon suffered a disease as divine punishment for the crime.
Many descendants of Cadmus met tragic ends throughout history. Whether this resulted from violating hospitality laws remains unclear. Laius had carried off his host's son and raped him. He also ignored the Oracle's warning not to have children. Some theories suggest the entire line of Cadmus was cursed by Ares. Cadmus killed a serpent which angered the god of war. Other accounts blame Hephaestus for resenting Cadmus marrying Harmonia. Harmonia was the daughter of Ares and Aphrodite. She was also Hephaestus' straying wife at that time. The curse affected many generations following Laius' death. The house of Cadmus became synonymous with inevitable doom.
Apollodorus documented varying accounts of Laius' life in his Library text. Pausanias recorded details about Laius in Description of Greece volume 9 section 5.6. These ancient texts provide different versions of the abduction story. Apollodorus states Laius was raised by regent Lycus after Labdacus died. Amphion and Zethus usurped the throne while Laius was away. They smuggled the young prince out before their attack. Hyginus offers an alternative version in Fabulae number 85. His account places the abduction during the Nemean Games instead. Scholars compare these sources to understand the myth's evolution. Each author presents slightly different details about the same events. The variations reveal how oral traditions shaped written records over centuries.
Ancient pottery from 320 to 310 BC depicts the abduction scene vividly. An Apulian red-figure hydria now sits in the Archaeological Museum of Fiesole. Modern artists continued exploring Laius' tragic story for millennia. Joseph Blanc painted The Murder of Laius by Oedipus around 1889. This artwork hangs in the Nicholas Catsimpoolas Collection at Boston Public Library. Ancient vase painters captured the moment when Laius carried off Chrysippus. Their images show chariot wheels and bound figures in dynamic poses. These visual records complement the written accounts found in classical texts. Artists used Laius' story to explore themes of fate and violence. The image remains a powerful symbol of Greek tragedy today.
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Common questions
Who was Laius of Thebes and what did he do to Chrysippus?
Laius was the king of Thebes who abducted and raped Chrysippus, the son of Pelops. This act established Laius as the originator of pederastic love in myth according to many interpretations.
What prophecy did Laius receive from Delphi regarding his children?
The oracle commanded that Laius must not have a child or the child would kill him. Another version recorded by Aeschylus stated the city could only be saved if Laius died childless.
Where did Oedipus abandon infant Laius on Mount Cithaeron?
Mount Cithaeron served as the desolate place where infant Oedipus lay abandoned with feet bound tightly against the cold earth. A shepherd found the helpless child and carried him away to King Polybus and Queen Merope of Corinth.
How did Laius die during the encounter at the Cleft Way?
Oedipus killed Laius and all but one of his attendants after refusing to yield on the narrow path. That single survivor claimed it was a gang of men who attacked them while Damasistratus buried Laius where he died.
Why were descendants of Cadmus cursed throughout history?
Some theories suggest the entire line of Cadmus was cursed by Ares because Cadmus killed a serpent which angered the god of war. Other accounts blame Hephaestus for resenting Cadmus marrying Harmonia, who was also Hephaestus' straying wife at that time.
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2 references cited across the entry
- 2journalPlutarch's Amatorius: A Commentary on Plato's Theories of Love?John M. Rist — December 2001