In 476 BC, the poet Pindar wrote a Second Olympian Ode that described the infant son of King Laius. The child's ankles were pierced and tethered together so he could not crawl. Laius ordered this punishment to prevent a prophecy from coming true. Apollo had told Laius at Delphi that any son born to him would kill his father. A shepherd found the abandoned baby on a mountainside near Cithaeron. He did not leave the child to die as Laius intended. Instead, the shepherd passed the boy to another herdsman who gave him to Polybus and Merope of Corinth. They raised the child as their own because they had no children of their own. The infant was named Oedipus after the swelling from the injuries to his feet.
The Tragic Hero's Journey
Oedipus walked along three roads crossing at Daulia when he met a chariot driven by an older man. That man was actually his birth father, King Laius. They fought over who had the right to go first. Oedipus killed Laius and most of his guards during the struggle. Only one slave survived the attack and fled into a frontier district of Thebes. Continuing toward the city, Oedipus encountered a Sphinx blocking all travelers. She asked them a riddle about what walks on four feet in the morning and two in the afternoon. Oedipus answered correctly with the word Man. The Sphinx jumped off a cliff in embarrassment or died by his hand depending on the version. Creon announced that whoever solved the riddle would become king and marry Queen Jocasta. Oedipus took the throne and married the widowed queen without knowing she was his mother. Years later, a plague struck Thebes affecting crops and livestock.Sophocles' Theban Cycle
Sophocles wrote three plays concerning the fate of Thebes during and after Oedipus reign. These works include Oedipus Rex, Oedipus at Colonus, and Antigone. Originally written for separate festival competitions many years apart, they are not a true trilogy. The plays contain inconsistencies among them yet often appear under a single cover. In Oedipus Rex, the people beg the king to discover the cause of their suffering. Creon returns from Delphi with news that Apollo wants the murderer of Laius found. Tiresias warns Oedipus not to seek the killer but Oedipus remains in denial. A messenger arrives from Corinth declaring King Polybus dead which makes Oedipus believe he escaped fate. The truth emerges when the herdsman confirms the baby was actually Laius son. Jocasta hangs herself inside the palace. Oedipus blinds himself using pins from her dress and begs Creon to exile him forever. In Oedipus at Colonus, the wanderer finds refuge outside Athens where Theseus takes care of him. He curses his sons Eteocles and Polynices before dying peacefully at Colonus.