One of Kadmos' discandants, who ruled Thebe, was king Laios. An oracle had predicted him that his son would kill him. Because of that he feared his son so much that he commanded a slave to abandon his son. But the slave felt pitty for the child and gave him to a herd of the Corintish king, Polybos. They named him OEDIPUS (with the swollen feet). He grown up in Corinth and ment to live in the house of his real parents, until one of his friends said he was an adopted child. That words had given him quite a shock and he kept in doubt of the words. He went to the oracle of Delphi to ask advice. On the question, where his real parents came from, the oracle didn't answered directly: He had to watch that he didn't kill his father and marie his mother. He thought that his parents were the king and queene of Corinth were his parents, therefore he went to Thebe. On a crossroad he met a couple of travelers. They had a fight about who could cross first. In that fight Oedipus killed everybody, including his real father, the king of Thebe. On that way the first forecast of the oracle was reality. At that time Thebe was regulary visitid by a monster: The Sfinx: half a women, half a lion, and besides that it had wings !. She asked the people who passed by the following question: "Which creation walkes in the morning on four, in the midday on two and in the evening on three legs ?" If the people answered wrong he ate them ! The oracle had forcast that the monster would kill itself when someone answers the quiestion right. Perseus also knew about the monster and he went to it. Because queen Iocaste had promised her hand and the crown to the man who could kill the Sfinx. He heard the question and found the answer: a human. The Sfinx threw itself from a cliff; Perseus married Iocaste (his mother!) and became the king of Thebe. Twenty years followed of great happiness, but then then the plague broke out. Because of that the citie sent Kreon to the oracle of Delphi. He returned with the following answer: The plague was a punishment of the Gods for the murder on Laios: the murderer had to punished. Oedipus asks the people of Thebe: 'The man who killed Laios tell me and you go free out of Thebe. But, of course, nowhone came. Therefore went Oedipus to a visionary. He didn't want to tell the truth and Oedipus thougt there wer mean plans about him so he disbanded the poor man. The man was so hurted by the words that he said the truth about the killer: Oedipus. Then Oedipus accused Kreon also about mean plans and threatens him with disbanding or capital punishment. At that moment Iocaste reassures with the words that Laios by his own son was killed and not by him, then Oedipus suspects something. Meanwhile there arrives a messenger, who tells him that Polybos (king of Corinth) is dead and the people of Corinth want him as king. He also said that the queen is not his mother, because he (the messenger) was given Oedipus by a slave of Laios. Then something tereble happends: Iocaste kills herself in despair. Oedipus stung his eyes out. Later he went to Athens and died in peace in the arms of king Theseus.