Labdacus, king of Thebes, was a descendant of Cadmus.His son Laios later succeeded to the throne and married Jocasta, daughter of Menocus of Thebes.After Laios and Jocasta got married, they were childless for a long time. Desiring an heir, he went to the temple of Apollo at Delphi and asked an oracle: "Laios, son of Labdacus! You will have a son. But you know, Fate has ruled , you will die at his hand. This is the will of Zeus, the son of Cronus. He listened to the curse of Pelops, saying that you have robbed his son." Laios committed a crime when he was young. He made this mistake when he was expelled from his native country, and grew up in the Peloponnese, where he lived among the courtesies of his guests in the palace of King Pelops.However, he avenged his kindness by abducting Chrysippus, son of Pelops, during the game at the Nemi River.

Chrysippus was the illegitimate son of Pelops and the goddess Acesioke.He is beautiful, but has an unfortunate fate.His father waged a war to rescue him from Laius, but his half-brothers Atreus and Thyestes were instigated by their mother Hippodamia to kill him up. Knowing his sinfulness, Laius believed in this oracle, so he separated from his wife for a long time so as not to have children.But their deep love made them ignore the oracle's warning, and they often slept together in the same bed. As a result, Jocasta gave birth to a son for her husband.When the child was born, the parents thought of the oracle again.In order to prevent the fulfillment of the prophecy, three days after the child was born, they sent people to pierce the baby's feet with nails, tied them with ropes, and placed them under the barren mountain of Catalyon.But the shepherd who carried out this cruel order took pity on the innocent baby and handed him over to another shepherd who was tending the sheep for Polybus, king of Corinth, on the same hillside.The shepherd who carried out the order went back and lied to the king and his wife Jocasta that he had carried out the order.The couple believed that the child had died or been eaten by wild animals, so they believed that the oracle would not be fulfilled.They thought in their hearts that the son was dead and they could not kill the father.

They comforted themselves with this, and still lived in peace. The shepherd of King Polybus untied the rope on the child's upper foot. Because he didn't know his origin, he named the child Oedipus, which means swollen foot.He took the child to Corinth and gave it to King Polybus.The king took pity on the abandoned baby and gave the child to his wife Merobe.Merobe treated him like his own son.Oedipus grew up believing that he was the son and heir of King Polybus, who had no other children besides himself. But an accident made him fall from the peak of confidence to the abyss of despair.There was a Corinthian who was always jealous of his special status.At a banquet, because he was drunk, he called Oedipus loudly, saying that he was not the king's own son.Oedipus was deeply irritated.Early the next morning, he came to his parents and asked them about it.Polybus and his wife were very angry with the gossip, and tried to reassure their son with words.Oedipus heard the love in their words, and though he was moved, doubt still gnawed at his heart, for what the man had said had grieved him so much.Finally, he quietly came to the temple of Delphi, praying to the oracle, hoping that the sun god would prove that what he had heard was completely slanderous.But Phoebus Apollo did not give him an answer. On the contrary, he gave him a new and more terrible prophecy of misfortune: "You will kill your father, you will marry your biological mother, and give birth Hateful offspring."

Oedipus was terrified when he heard this, because he always believed that the kind Polybus and Merobe were his biological parents.He never dared to go home again, fearing that the god of fate would instruct him to kill his father Polybus.Besides, he feared that if the gods made him lose his mind, he would wickedly marry his mother Merobe.How terrible it is!He decided to go to Bioseia. When he came to the crossroads between Delphi and Dauria, he saw a carriage driving towards him. In it sat a strange old man, a messenger, a coachman and two servants. The coachman saw a person approaching from the opposite direction and roughly told him to get out of the way.Oedipus, impatient by nature, swung his hand at the impolite coachman.Seeing how arrogant he was, the old man in the car raised his whip and hit him hard on the head.Oedipus was so angry that he swung the walking stick beside him and hit the old man vigorously, knocking the old man over from the carriage.A struggle ensued, and Oedipus had to fend off three men, but being young and strong, he knocked the gang down and went away alone.

He thought it was only in self-defense that he had taken revenge on that vile Biosian who, by virtue of his numbers, had tried to hurt him.What's more, the old man he met didn't have any signs to show his prominent status.But in fact, the old man killed by Oedipus was Laius, king of Thebes, his biological father.At that time the king was going to the temple of Pythia. In this way, the oracle, which both father and son were careful to avoid, was tragically fulfilled.