A Dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology. By various writers. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

16 OEDIPUS. OENEUS.
Scriptoribus Ecctes. vol. ii. col. 518; Lardner, Credib. put out his own eyes (Apollod. iii. 5. ~ 8; Soph.
book i. c. 162; J. C. Wolfius, Exescit. inz C!atenas Oed. Tyr. 447,713, 731, 774,&c.). From this point
Patrum Graecor., apud Cramer, Praef. ad Catenamn traditions again differ, for according to some, Oedipus
in Evang. SS. Maitthaei et Marci, 8vo. Oxford, in his blindness was expelled from Thebes by his
1840; Cramer, Ml4onitunz ad Catenamn in Epist. sons and brother-in-law, Creon, who undertook the
Cathol. &c. 8vo. Oxford, 1840.) [J. C. M.] government, and he was guided and accompanied by
OE'DIPUS (0l8rrovs), the son of Lains and Antigone in his exile to Attica; but according to
Iocaste of Thebes. The tragic fate of this hero is others he was imprisoned by his sons at Thebes,
more celebrated than that of any other legendary in order that his disgrace might remain concealed
personage, on account of the frequent use which from the eyes of the world. The father now cursed
the tragic poets have made of it. In their hands it his sons, who agreed to rule over Thebes alternately,
also underwent various changesand embellishments; but became involved in a dispute, in consequence
but the common story is as follows. Laiiis, a son of which they fought in single combat, and slew
of Labdacus, was king of Thebes, and husband of each other. Hereupon Creon succeeded to the
locaste, a daughter of Menoeceus (or Creon, Diod. throne, and expelled Oedipus. After long waniv. 64), and sister of Creon. As Laius had no derings Oedipus arrived in the grove of the Erumeissue, he consulted the oracle, which informed him nides, near Colonus, in Attica; he was there
that if a son should be born to him lie would lose honoured by Theseus in his misfortune, and, accordhis life by the hand of his own child. When, ing to an oracle, the Eumenides removed him from
therefore, at length Jocaste gave birth to a son, the earth, and no one was allowed to approach his
they pierced his feet, bound them together, and tomb (Soph. Oed. Col. 1661, &c.; Eurip. Phoen.
then exposed the child on Mount Cithaeron. There init.; Apollod. iii. 5. ~ 9; Diod. iv. 64; Hygin.
he was found by a shepherd of king Polybus of Fab. 67). According to HIomer, Oedipus, tormented
Corinth, and he was called from his swollen feet by the Erinnyes of his mother, continued to reign
Oedipus. When he was brought to the palace, the at Thebes after her death; he fell in battle, and
king and his wife Merope (or Periboea, Apollod. was honoured at Thebes with funeral solenlities
iii. 5. ~ 7) brought him up as their own child. (Od. xi. 270, &c., I1. xxiii. 679). Some traditions
Once, however, Oedipus was taunted by a Co- mention Euryganeia as the mother of the four
rinthian with not being the king's son, whereupon children of Oedipus above-mentioned (Panus. ix. 5.
he proceeded to Delphi to consult the oracle. The ~ 5; Schol. ad Eutrip. Plhoen. 63), and previous to
answer he there obtained was that he should slay his connection with her, he is said to have been the
his father and commit incest with his own mother. father of Phrastor and Laonytus by Iocaste, and
Thinking that Polybus was his father, he resolved to have in the end married Astymedusa, a daughter
not to return to Corinth; but on his road between of Sthenelus (Schol. ad Eurip. 1. c.). Oedipus
Delphi and Daulis he met his real father Laius, himself is sometimes called a son of Laius by Euand as Polyphontes (or Polyphetes, or Polypoetes, rycleia, and is said to have been thrown in a chest
Schol. ad Eurip. Phoen. 39), the charioteer of into the sea when yet an infant, to have been
Laius, wanted to push him out of the way, a scuffle carried by the waves to the coast of Sicyon, to
ensued in which Oedipus slew both Laius and have been received by Polybus, and afterwards to
Polyphontes, and one part of the oracle was ful- have been blinded by him (Schol. ad Earz. Phoen.
filled. The two corpses are said to have been 13, 26). His tomb was shown at Athens, where
buried on the same spot by Damasistratus, king of he also had an heroum. (Paus. i 28. ~ 7, 30, in
Plataeae (Apollod. iii. 5. ~ 8; Paus. x. 5. ~ 2). fin.) [L. S.]
In the mean time the celebrated Sphinx had OENANTHE (Oihvd,',S), mother of Agathocles,
appeared in the neighbourhood of Thebes. She the infamous minister of Ptolemy Philopator, and
had settled on a rock, and put a riddle to every Agathoclea, hisequallyinfamousmistress. Oenanthe
Theban that passed by, and whoever was unable seems to have introduced her children to the king,
to solve it awas killed by the monster. This cala- and through them she possessed, until his death, the
mity induced the Thebans to make known that greatest influence in the government. When,
whoever should deliver the country of it should after the accession of the young Epiphanes, the
be made king, and receive Iocaste as his wife. people rose up against Agathocles and his party,
Oedipus was one of those that came forward, and Oenanthe fled for refuge to the Thesmophorium
when he approached the Sphinx she gave the riddle (the temple of Demeter and Persephone), and here
as follows: " A being with four feet has two feet she implored the aid of the goddesses with superand three feet, and only one voice; but its feet stitious enchantments, and drove away with threats
vary, and when it has most it is weakest." Oedipus and curses some noble ladies who had come to consolved the riddle by saying that it was man,. and sole her. On the next day she was dragged front
the Sphinx thereupon threw herself from the rock. the altar, and, having been brought naked on horseOedipus now obtained the kingdom of Thebes, back into the stadium, was delivered up, with the
and married his mother, by whom he became the rest of the family of Agathocles, to the fury of the
father of Eteocles, Polyneices, Antigone, and Is- multitude, by whom they were torn in pieces.
mene. In consequence of this incestuous alliance (Polyb. xiv. 1l, xv. 29, 33; Plut. Cleomn. 33
of which no one was aware, the country of Thebes Just. xxx. 2; Athen. vi. p. 251, e.) [E. E.]
was visited by a plague, and the oracle ordered OENEUS (OiYEv's). 1. One of the sons of
that the murderer of Laius should be expelled. Aegyptus. (Apollod. ii. 1. ~ 5.)
Oedipus accordingly pronounced a solemn curse 2. A son of Pandion, and one of the eponymic
upon the unknown murderer, and declared him an heroes at Athens. (Paus. i. 5. ~ 2.)
exile; but when he endeavoured to discover him,. 3. A son of Portheus, brother of Agrius and
he was informed by the seer Teiresias that he him- Mlelas, and husband of Althaea, by whom he became
self was both the parricide and the husband of his the father of Tydeus and Meleager, and was thus
mother, locaste now hung herself, and Oedipus the grandfather of Diomedes. He was king of