Laius, king of Thebes, was warned by an oracle that his
newborn son was a threat to his life. He sent the baby off with
a herdsman to have him snuffed but the fellow decided t’was
best he just hang him from a tree by his feet.
Polybus, herdsman from Delphi, found the babe a swaying’ in the
breeze and brought him home to the missus. They named him Swollen
Foot, AKA OEdipus, and in this home he grew to manhood.
Laius being on his way to Delphi met a man on the narrow
chariot path. Road rage ensued and Oedipus killed Laius, whom you may
now recall, was his Dad.
So, Oedipus moved to Thebes.
By answering her riddle he rid the city of the Sphinx and in gratitude,
the people of Thebes made him their new king… and he married the queeeeen.
Thebes became ravaged by famine and pestilence and the oracle let slip the plot
Queen Jocasta killed herself and OEdipus, went mad, tore out his eyes, and wandered away from
Thebes, till after a tedious period of miserable wandering,
found the termination of his wretched life.
