Œdipus
Family: Thebes · Role: hero · First appears: Book 1 · Chapter 28
At birth, Laius had Œdipus exposed on Mount Cithæron after his ankles were pierced. Later, at the Cross-roads, Œdipus killed Laius; he also married Jocasta, his mother. The account says that Œdipus learned in a dream the oracle previously known only to Theban kings, and that he killed the Sphinx after defeating her with a force brought from Corinth.
The account identifies Euryganea, daughter of Hyperphas, as the mother of Œdipus’s children: Polynices and Eteocles are named among his sons. At Thebes, Dædalus was said to be his contemporary when he reigned there. After Œdipus’s death, his bones were brought from Thebes and placed in a tomb; Mecisteus later went to Thebes and competed in funeral games held in his honour. He was also commemorated in a hero-chapel with Pirithous, Theseus and Adrastus.
Relationship record
Book 1 · Chapter 28
- with Mecisteus (interaction) “since Homer records that Mecisteus went to Thebes after the death of Œdipus and was a competitor in the funeral games held in his honour there.”
- with Sophocles (Sophocles gave an account concerning Œdipus's death.) “for I could not credit Sophocles’ account about the death of Œdipus”
Book 1 · Chapter 30
- with Pirithous (Pirithous and Œdipus were jointly associated with the hero-chapel.) “a hero-chapel of Pirithous and Theseus and Œdipus and Adrastus”
- with Theseus (Theseus and Œdipus were jointly associated with the hero-chapel.) “a hero-chapel of Pirithous and Theseus and Œdipus and Adrastus”
- with Adrastus (Œdipus and Adrastus were jointly associated with the hero-chapel.) “a hero-chapel of Pirithous and Theseus and Œdipus and Adrastus”
Book 2 · Chapter 20
- child: Polynices “there are some full-length statues of Polynices, the son of Œdipus, and all the chief warriors that died with him in battle fighting against Thebes.”
Book 2 · Chapter 36
- child: Polynices “and the foundations of the house of Hippomedon, who accompanied Polynices the son of Œdipus in his attempt against Thebes.”
Book 4 · Chapter 3
- child: Polynices “Polynices the son of Œdipus”
Book 5 · Chapter 19
- child: Polynices “the sons of Œdipus, Polynices has fallen on his knees”
- child: Eteocles “the sons of Œdipus, Polynices has fallen on his knees, and Eteocles is pressing him hard.”
Book 9 · Chapter 5
- parent: Laius (Œdipus is Laius's son.) “Œdipus, who was fated after all when he grew up to kill his father”
- parent: Jocasta (The passage rejects Jocasta as the mother of Œdipus's children, but the broader mythic genealogy makes her his mother; the quote does not state it directly.) “But how could they soon make it publicly known, if Œdipus had 4 children by Jocasta? So they were the children of Euryganea the daughter of Hyperphas”
- married with Jocasta (The immediately preceding sentence identifies Laius's son Œdipus as the subject.) “He also married his mother.”
- married with Euryganea (Euryganea is presented as the mother of Œdipus's children, implying a union with Œdipus.) “So they were the children of Euryganea the daughter of Hyperphas”
- child: Polynices (Œdipus is Polynices's father.) “Polynices departed from Thebes, fearing that the curses of his father would be fulfilled”
- child: Eteocles (Eteocles is identified as Œdipus's son elsewhere in the surrounding genealogy, but this quote does not state it directly.) “And on his return he quarrelled with Eteocles”
- with Homer (Homer is cited as the authority) “My authority for this view is Homer, who in his Odyssey has the following lines.”
Book 9 · Chapter 25
- child: Polynices “the sons of Œdipus had a single combat and killed one another. ... as she could not easily lift up with all her zeal the corpse of Polynices”
- child: Eteocles “the sons of Œdipus had a single combat and killed one another. ... the funeral pile of Eteocles which was blazing”
Book 9 · Chapter 26
- with Sphinx (Œdipus slew the Sphinx.) “till Œdipus slew her after vanquishing her with a superior force, which he brought from Corinth”
- enemies with Sphinx “till Œdipus slew her after vanquishing her with a superior force, which he brought from Corinth”
Book 10 · Chapter 5
- parent: Laius (Laius is identified contextually as the father whose murder by Œdipus is described.) “As you go on from thence you will come to the Cross-roads, where they say Œdipus murdered his father. There are records indeed of the woes of Œdipus in all parts of Greece. So it seems it was fated. For directly he was born they pierced his ankles, and exposed him on Mount Cithæron in Platæa. He was brought up at Corinth and the country near the Isthmus. And Phocis and the Cross-roads here were polluted by his father’s blood. Thebes has attained even more celebrity from the marriage of Œdipus and the injustice of Eteocles. To Œdipus the Cross-roads here and his bloody deed there caused all his subsequent woes, and the tombs of Laius and his attendant are in the very middle of the place where the 3 roads meet, and there are unhewn stones heaped up on them.”
Book 10 · Chapter 17
- with Dædalus (They were contemporaries.) “Dædalus, who was a contemporary of Œdipus when he reigned at Thebes”
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Extracted from the original text of Pausanias' Description of Greece. Made with Rho MD.