The oracle

Oedipus was a prince from Thebes, a beautiful city in ancient Greece. When he was still a baby, his parents, King Laius and Queen Jocasta, heard a very frightening prophecy from a seer. The seer told them that their child, Oedipus, would one day kill his father and marry his mother!

Inclusion in the forest

His parents, frightened by the prophecy, decided to leave little Oedipus far away in the mountain, hoping that this would protect him from bad fate. However, a shepherd found the baby and took him to Corinth, where he raised him as his own child.

At the Oracle of Delphi

Oedipus grew up in Corinth, without knowing his true origins. One day, however, he heard some people calling him adopted and questioning his origin. Puzzled, he decided to visit the Oracle of Delphi to find out the truth.

The Revelation of Prophecy

In the oracle, Oedipus learned of the terrible prophecy that he would kill his father and marry his mother. Believing that his parents were the ones who raised him in Corinth, he decided to run away to protect them and avoid his fate.

Meeting with his father

On the way, however, he met a man at a crossroads and, not knowing that it was his real father, King Laius, killed him in an argument. So, without knowing it, he fulfilled the first part of the prophecy.

Sphinx

Oedipus continued his journey and reached Thebes, where he found the city in great danger. A terrible monster, the Sphinx, was terrorizing the inhabitants with a riddle that no one could solve. The riddle was:

"What creature walks in the morning on four legs, at noon on two legs and at night on three legs?"

Answer of the puzzle

No one could find the answer and the Sphinx was putting them in danger. But Oedipus, thinking carefully, answered:

"The man. At the beginning of his life, when he is a baby, he walks on all fours. When he grows up and becomes an adult, he walks on two legs. And when he gets older, he uses a cane, so he walks with three legs."

Wedding

The Sphinx, surprised by the correct answer, disappeared and the city of Thebes was saved. The inhabitants, grateful, made Oedipus king and gave him Queen Jocasta as his wife, not knowing that she was his mother.

New oracle

Over the years, the city of Thebes faced new difficulties and diseases. Oedipus decided to send a messenger to the Oracle of Delphi to seek advice from the god Apollo. The messenger returned with the answer that the difficulties would only end when the old king's murderer, Laius, was found.

Revealing the truth

Oedipus began searching for the murderer and called upon the seer Tiresias to help him. Tiresias, after much pressure, revealed that Oedipus was the murderer of Laius. At first, Oedipus refused to believe it, but as he investigated further, he discovered the truth about his origins.