Laius- Greek FigureMortal"King of Thebes"
Also known as: Laios and Λάιος
Titles & Epithets
Domains
Description
The oracle warned Laius that any son he fathered would kill him and marry his mother. He had the infant's ankles pinned together and left him to die on Mount Cithaeron — but the child survived, and years later killed Laius at a crossroads without knowing who he was.
Mythology & Lore
Exile and the Crime Against Chrysippus
Laius was a descendant of Cadmus and heir to the throne of Thebes, but he spent his youth in exile. After his father Labdacus died and the usurper Lycus seized power, the young Laius was taken in by King Pelops of Pisa. While a guest at Pelops's court, Laius committed the crime that would curse his entire lineage: he abducted and assaulted the young Chrysippus, Pelops's beloved son. This violation of xenia — the sacred bond of guest-friendship — provoked Pelops's curse upon Laius and his descendants.
The Oracle's Warning
After Laius returned to Thebes and reclaimed his throne, he married Jocasta, sister (or daughter, in some accounts) of Creon. When Laius consulted the oracle at Delphi about having children, the Pythia delivered a terrifying prophecy: any son born to him would kill his father and marry his mother. Laius attempted to avoid fatherhood, but Jocasta conceived nonetheless.
The Exposure of Oedipus
When the child was born, Laius acted to prevent the prophecy's fulfillment. He had the infant's ankles pierced and pinned together — giving the child the name Oedipus, "swollen foot" — and ordered a shepherd to leave the baby on the wild slopes of Mount Cithaeron to die. But the shepherd, moved by pity, gave the infant to a Corinthian herdsman instead. The child passed to King Polybus of Corinth, who raised Oedipus as his own son, never revealing his true origins.
Death at the Crossroads
Years later, Laius set out from Thebes for Delphi, traveling with a small retinue. At a narrow crossroads where three roads met — the split of Daulis, between Delphi and Daulis — he encountered a young man traveling in the opposite direction. Laius's herald ordered the stranger to yield the road, and when he refused, struck him. The young man, who was Oedipus, struck back and killed Laius and every attendant except one who fled. Oedipus did not know the man he had killed was his father; Laius did not recognize the son he had condemned to die.