Chapter 2 The Story of Oedipus-2

Shortly after Oedipus killed his father, a winged monster, the Sphinx, appeared outside the city of Thebes.She has the head of a beauty and the body of a lion.She is one of the daughters of the giant Typhon and the basilisk Echidna.Echidna gave birth to many monsters, such as Cerberus, the three-headed dog of hell, Hydra, the hydra of Lerna, and Chimera, which breathes fire. Sitting cross-legged on a boulder, the Sphinx posed all kinds of riddles to the residents of Thebes, and those who could not answer the riddles were torn up and eaten by her.The monster appeared at a time when the whole city was mourning the king's murder by an unknown passerby.Creon, brother of queen Jocaster, now reigns.The Sphinx was so dangerous that he devoured the son of King Creon, because he passed by and failed to answer the riddle.Creon had no choice but to post a notice publicly, announcing that whoever could get rid of the monster outside the city would get the throne and marry his sister Jocaster as his wife.

At this moment, Oedipus came to Thebes with his staff.Dangers and rewards challenged him, and since he was under the pressure of an ominous oracle, he did not value his own life, so he climbed the rock, saw the Sphinx sitting cross-legged on it, and Volunteer to solve riddles.The Sphinx was very cunning, and she decided to give him a riddle that she thought was very difficult to solve.she says: "Walking on four legs in the morning, on two legs at noon, and on three legs in the evening. Of all living things, this is the only one that walks on a different number of legs. The time when the legs are most used is when the strength and speed are the least."

Oedipus couldn't help smiling when he heard the riddle, thinking it was easy. "This is man," he answered, "in infancy, the morning of life, a feeble child, crawling on two legs and two hands; in manhood, at the noon of life, Of course, I only walk on two legs; but in old age, it is the twilight of life, so I have to rely on crutches, as if walking on three legs." He guessed right, and the Sphinx was so ashamed that he jumped off the rock in despair and fell to his death.Creon kept his promise, gave Oedipus the kingdom, and betrothed Jocasta, the king's widow, to his wife.Of course Oedipus does not know that she is his biological mother.

After marriage, Jocasta bore Oedipus four children, first twins, Eteocles and Polynices; later two daughters, the eldest named Antigone. , the younger one is called Ismene.These four are not only the children of Oedipus, but also his younger siblings.