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Laius, king of Thebes, got a wife Jocasta,[1] who bore him a son Oedipus. After he was born, the father received an oracle saying that the son would sleep with his own mother; and he ordered him to be thrown out onto the mountain[side] and his feet enclosed in wood. A farmer named Meliboeus found him and raised him[2] and named him Oidipous [Swell-foot] because he had his feet [podes] swollen by the wood, the so-called kouspos.[3] Once he grew to manhood he became a robber. At this point the so-called Sphinx[4] appeared, a woman hideous and beastly in form, for having got rid of her(?) man and having clenched her hand and having seized some difficult terrain, she would murder those who passed by. So Oedipus, after hatching a clever scheme, joined himself in piracy with her. Then waiting for the time which he wanted, he took her in an ambush, and those with her. The dumbstruck Thebans acclaimed him as their king. Laios got mad at them and made war against them but after being hit in the head by a rock he died. Jocasta was then afraid she would lose her monarchy so she led Oedipus in and appointed him as king. She became his wife, ignorant that she was also his mother. She bore him two sons, Eteocles and Polyneices; but later on when she learned that he was her son, she told this to her child. When he heard that he took some nails and after fixing them in his eyes he died, leaving the kingdom to his two sons, who ruled for one year. But once they conceived a hatred of each other, they made war against each other, and Polyneices, pursued by Eteocles, went to Argos [Myth, Place] and married the daughter of king Adrastus. Then he went on a campaign against Thebes and in single combat with Eteocles he slew him dead and he was himself slain by him; their allies then retired home.

*oi)di/pous: *la/i+os, o( *qhbw=n basileu/s, e)/sxe gunai=ka *)ioka/sthn, e)c h(=s ge/gonen au)tw=| pai=s *oi)di/pous. tou/tou gennhqe/ntos, xrhsmo\n e)/laben o( path/r, o(/ti th=| i)di/a| au)tou= mhtri\ migh/setai o( pai=s: kai\ keleu/ei au)to\n ei)s o)/ros r(ifh=nai kai\ cu/lw| perikleisqh=nai tou\s po/das au)tou=: o(\n eu(rhkw\s gewrgo\s o)no/mati *meli/boios a)neqre/yato kai\ *oi)di/poda w)no/mase dia\ to\ w)gkwme/nous e)/xein tou\s po/das u(po\ tou= cu/lou, tou= kaloume/nou kou/spou. gegonw\s de\ a)ndrei=os e)lh/|steue: kaq' o(\n xro/non kai\ h( legome/nh *sfi\gc a)nefa/nh, gunh\ duseidh\s kai\ qhriw/dhs th\n fu/sin, a)pobalou=sa ga\r to\n a)/ndra kai\ sunagagou=sa xei=ra kai\ to/pon katalabou=sa du/sbaton tou\s pario/ntas e)fo/neuen. o( ou)=n *oi)di/pous deino/n ti bouleusa/menos di/dwsin e(auto\n met' au)th=s lh|steu/ein: kai\ e)pithrh/sas kairo\n o(\n h)bou/leto, lo/gxh| a)nairei= au)th\n kai\ tou\s met' au)th=s. oi( de\ *qhbai=oi qauma/santes a)nabow=sin au)to\n basile/a. o( gou=n *la/i+os a)ganakth/sas kat' au)tw=n tou/tois e)pa/gei po/lemon kai\ li/qw| blhqei\s th\n kefalh\n teleuta=|. h( de\ *)ioka/sth foboume/nh th=s basilei/as e)kpesei=n a)/gei to\n *oi)di/poda kai\ xeirotonei= basile/a: kai\ gi/netai tou/tou gunh/, a)gnoou=sa o(/ti mh/thr au)tou= e)stin. e)/sxe de\ a)p' au)tou= ui(ou\s du/o, *)eteokle/a kai\ *polunei/kh: u(/steron de\ tou=to maqou=sa, o(/ti ui(o\s au)th=s e)stin, ei)=pen au)to\ tw=| paidi/. o( de\ a)kou/sas e)/laben h(/lous kai\ ph/cas toi=s o)fqalmoi=s au)tou= e)teleu/ta, e)a/sas th\n basilei/an toi=s du/o ui(e/sin, oi(\ e)basi/leuon par' e)niauto/n: kai\ ei)s e)/xqran e)lqo/ntes e)pole/mhsan a)llh/lois, kai\ e)diw/xqh u(po\ *)eteokle/ous kai\ a)pelqw\n *polunei/khs ei)s to\ *)/argos e)/ghme tou= basile/ws *)adra/stou th\n qugate/ra kai\ strateu/sas h)=lqen e)pi\ ta\s *qh/bas kai\ monomaxh/sas *)eteoklei= a)nairei= au)to\n kai\ au)to\s a)nh|re/qh u(p' au)tou=: oi( de\ su/mmaxoi a)nestra/fhsan oi)/koi.

David Whitehead (added notes and keyword) on 11 April 2002@05:38:48.
William Hutton (cosmetics) on 29 May 2003@13:14:21.
David Whitehead (added x-ref; augmented keywords) on 30 May 2003@03:07:19.
David Whitehead (another keyword) on 2 October 2005@11:01:56.
David Whitehead (another note; more keywords; cosmetics) on 5 August 2013@05:24:39.
David Whitehead on 5 August 2014@04:05:15.
Catharine Roth (tweaked translation) on 17 March 2021@23:24:36.

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