You may have heard about his odd complex.

His name appears in Freud’s index

Cause he loved his mother.

His rivals used to say quite a bit

That as a monarch he was most unfit,

But still and all they had to admit

That he loved his mother.

He loved his mother like no other.

His daughter was his sister and his son was his brother.

One thing on which you can depend is

He sure knew who a boy’s best friend is.

When he found what he had done

He tore his eyes out one by one

A tragic end for a loyal son

Who loved his mother.

From a song by Tom Lehrer

Oedipus (pronounced as “ED-uh-pus”, or if pronouncing the Greek diphthong Oe as a long e sound, “EED-uh-pus”) most likely meaning “swollen-footed”) was a mythical Greek king of Thebes.

Oedipus was the son of Laius and Jocasta and became king of Thebes after killing his father, solving the riddle of the Sphinx and unknowingly marrying his mother. After Oedipus became king, his sons fought over the throne and killed each other.

Most of what is known of Oedipus comes from a set of plays by Sophocles: “Oedipus the King”, “Oedipus at Colonus”, and “Antigone”

.5th century B.C.E

Most writing on Oedipus comes from the 5th century BC, though the stories deal mostly with Oedipus’ downfall. Various details appeared on how Oedipus rose to power.

Laius hears a prophecy that his son will kill him. Fearing the prophecy, Laius pierces Oedipus’ feet and leaves him out to die, but a herdsman finds him and takes him away from Thebes. Oedipus, not knowing he was adopted, leaves home in fear of the same prophecy that he would kill his father and marry his mother. Laius, meanwhile, ventures out to find a solution to the Sphinx’s riddle. As prophesized, Oedipus crossed paths with Laius and this leads to a fight where Oedipus slays Laius. Oedipus then defeats the Sphinx by solving a mysterious riddle to become king. He marries the widow queen Jocasta not knowing it is his mother. A plague falls on the people of Thebes. Upon discovery of the truth, Jocasta hangs herself. After Oedipus is no longer king, Oedipus’ sons kill each other.

The riddle of the Sphinx that he solved was this:

“What is that which has one voice and yet becomes four-footed and two-footed and three-footed?” The answer was MAN–as a baby he crawls on his hands and feet; as he grows older , he walks on two feet; and as an old man, he uses a cane or walking stick to help him.

He is found in Sophocles’ play of the same name, and Sigmund Freud named a psychological complex after him.