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Oedipus or Œdipus, less commonly Oidipous, was the mythical king of Thebes, son of Laius and Jocasta, who, unknowingly, killed his father and married his mother.

Laius once raped one of his students, Chrysippus and was in turn cursed by Pelops, the boy's father. The weight of this curse bore down onto Oedipus himself. At his birth, it was prophesied that he would kill his father. Seeking to avoid such a fate, Laius had the infant's ankles pierced with a pin (oedipus means "swollen feet" in Greek) and had him exposed (placed in the wilderness to die). His servant, however, betrayed him, handing the boy instead to a shepherd who presented the child to King Polybus and Queen Merope (or Periboea) of Corinth, who raised him as their own son.

Later, warned by the Delphic oracle that he was fated to kill his father and marry his mother, Oedipus, not knowing his real parentage, vowed never to return to Corinth. During his travels, he came to the area around Thebes, where he killed a stranger in a roadside argument, not knowing the man was his father and the king. Oedipus then saved Thebes by answering the riddle of the Sphinx and was rewarded with the now-vacant throne of Thebes and the widowed queen's hand in marriage, with whom he had four children. Divine signs of misfortune and pollution began to appear in Thebes, which caused the king to seek out their cause. Finally, the soothsayer Tiresias revealed to Oedipus that he himself was the source of the pollution. Oedipus discovered he was really the son of Laius and Jocasta and that all of the prophecies had indeed come to pass. Jocasta committed suicide and Oedipus blinded himself by forcing her brooch pins into his eyes.

When Oedipus stepped down as King of Thebes, he gave the kingdom to his two sons, Eteocles and Polynices, who both agreed to alternate the throne every year. However, they showed no concern for their father, who cursed them for their negligence. After the first year, Eteocles refused to step down and Polynices attacked Thebes with his supporters (the Seven Against Thebes). Both brothers died in the battle. King Creon, who ascended to the throne of Thebes, decreed that Polynices was not to be buried. Antigone129 Antigone is an asteroid. There were two women in Greek mythology named Antigone ("like her ancestors"). Both are described below. The best-known Antigone in Greek mythology was the daughter of Oedipus. When Oedipus stepped down as King of Thebes, he g, his sister, defied the order, but was caught. Creon decreed that she was to be buried alive, this in spite of her betrothal to his son Haemon. Antigone's sister, IsmeneIn Greek mythology, Ismene was a daughter of Oedipus and Jocasta. When Oedipus stepped down as King of Thebes, he gave the kingdom to his two sons, Eteocles and Polynices, who both agreed to alternate the throne every year. However, they showed no concern, then declared she had aided Antigone and wanted the same fate. The gods, through the blind prophet Tiresias, expressed their disapproval of Creon's decision, which convinced him to rescind his order, and he went to bury Polynices himself. However, Antigone had already hanged herself rather than be buried alive. When Creon arrived at the tomb where she was to be interred, Haemon attacked him and then killed himself. When Creon's wife, EurydiceIn Greek mythology, there were two women named Eurydice or Eurydik . One woman named Eurydice was the wife of Creon and mother of Haemon. When Oedipus stepped down as King of Thebes, he gave the kingdom to his two sons, Eteocles and Polynices, who both ag, was informed of their death she too took her own life.

This legend inspired Sigmund FreudSigmund Freud ( May 6, 1856 September 23, 1939) was an Austrian neurologist and the founder of the psychoanalytic school of psychology, a movement that popularized the theory that unconscious motives control much behavior. He became interested in hypnotis to come up with the Oedipus complexThe Oedipus complex is a concept developed by Sigmund Freud, who was inspired by Carl Jung (he described the concept and coined the term " complex"), to explain the maturation of the infant through identification with the father and desire for the mother.. It has also inspired several works of art, such as the playA play (noun) is a common literary form, usually consisting chiefly of dialog between characters, and usually intended for performance rather than reading. However, many scholars study plays in this more academic manner, particularly classical plays suchs Oedipus the KingOedipus the King (also known as Oedipus Rex and Oedipus Tyrannos is a Greek tragedy, written by Sophocles around 427 BC. The play was the second of Sophocles' three Theban plays to be produced, but its events occur before those of Oedipus at Colonus or An and Oedipus at ColonusOedipus at Colonus (also Oidipous at Colonos is one of the three Theban plays of Sophocles. It was written ca. 407 BC and was Sophocles' last play. In the timeline of the plays, the events of Oedipus at Colonus occur after Oedipus the King and before Anti by Sophocles, and Stravinsky's opera Oedipus Rex.

See also: Epigonoi, Watu Gunung