Ruiz Franklyn
Mrs Windish
7th Hr.
12/20/17
Oedipus the Great That’s right, we are talking about the Greek legend Oedipus, king of the city of Thebe. He has one of the oddest stories in greek mythology because he was left in the mountains to die, he killed the great Sphinx and he married his Mother.
Oedipus has one of oddest stories in Greek mythology considering his prophecy was just to odd and disturbing. His prophecy was that any son born from King Laius and Queen Jocasta would kill his own father and marry his mother (insest is not okay). When Oedipus was born his father was trying to avoid their prophecy, (like they even could) so he pierced Oedipus’s ankles and gave him to a sheep herder to send him into the mountains to die. The sheep herder could not let pour little Oedipus in the mountains to die, so he took the child to King Polybus and Queen Merope who ruled the city of
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Not knowing who the men were he killed both the charioteer and his father thus fulfilling the first half of his prophecy. He continues on his way to Thebe when he was stopped by a Sphinx that told him to answer it’s riddle or die. So he asked the Sphinx for the riddle and the Sphinx replied with “Who crawls on all fours as a baby; he walks on two legs as an adult; and needs a walking stick when old.”. Oedipus had to think long and hard about his answer for his life depended on it, and finally he gave his answer to the beast Oedipus answer was “Man, who crawls on all fours as a baby; he walks on two legs as an adult; and needs a walking stick when old.”. Oedipus gave the correct answer and after that the Sphinx fell over and killed itself. (“Oedipus”) this is odd because the thought of killing your father and then a beast that terrorises people is something that would come right out of a dream. (“The Oedipus Plays”) his symbol is the