Oedipus's Tragedy - (1)
In the realm of the living, there exists a land where the temple of Hades stands, known as Thebes.
Though it appeared peaceful, dark clouds loomed over this place...
For a prophecy had been delivered to King Laius and Queen Jocasta of Thebes.
According to the oracle from the temple of Delphi,
Your son will kill his father and lie with his mother.
Upon hearing this prophecy, King Laius was horrified.
The oracle foretold that his own son would slay him and have relations with his wife.
King Laius quietly summoned a shepherd.
"Take this newborn child to a place where no one knows and quietly kill him."
"What...? But... Your Majesty's son..."
"Son or not, if he is destined to kill me and lie with my wife, he cannot be spared."
Thus, the shepherd took the infant and left Thebes.
He departed with the child, but guilt over the necessity of killing the newborn weighed heavily on him.
As he wandered, a couple passing by noticed his distress.
"Good sir, what do you intend to do with that child?"
"Um... that is..."
"If it is difficult for you to raise the child, then leave him to me. Since my foot is swollen, we shall name him Oedipus (swollen foot)..."
They were the king and queen of Corinth, who were in need of a child.
Thus, Oedipus became the son of King Polybus of Corinth.
As Oedipus grew, he heard shocking news during a royal banquet from Polybus's brother.
Though it was the drunken ramblings of a man...
"Ugh... You are not the biological child of your father, Oedipus."
"What do you mean, uncle...?"
"It means that the child your parents received from a shepherd is you... hic!"
The revelation was so shocking that Oedipus went to Delphi to seek the oracle.
If it was the oracle of Apollo, the god of prophecy, he would learn the truth of his birth.
You will kill your father and lie with your mother.
Yet the prophecy did not reveal whether he was the biological child.
It only foretold the tragedy of Oedipus.
Believing that his father and mother were his adoptive parents, Oedipus left Corinth under the cover of night.
His adoptive parents were the king and queen of Corinth, so he thought that leaving would allow him to escape the prophecy.
However...
In a narrow alley, he encountered a group and a conflict arose.
The charioteer, dressed in shabby clothes, demanded that he step aside.
"How can I move in such a narrow alley!"
"Ha! Do you know who is inside this carriage?"
"Seems like some noble, but acting solely on your status is unbecoming."
"You insolent fool! The person inside is the king of a nation!"
Oedipus laughed at the charioteer.
What kind of mad king would wander outside the palace instead of remaining inside?
In the age of myths, the area beyond the city walls was almost lawless.
Centaur, nymphs, and various monsters roamed freely...
It was a wild land where one could easily encounter robbers and thieves.
"If that person inside is a king, then I am the prince of Corinth!"
"What?!"
At that moment, someone inside the carriage reached out and lashed the whip.
The long whip struck Oedipus's head, knocking him down.
"Ugh!"
"You commoner, how dare you! If you do not wish to die, step aside."
"Fine, let's see what you can do!"
Enraged, Oedipus drew his sword and killed the guards and the owner of the carriage,
Only the charioteer barely escaped with his life.
However, the owner of that carriage...
Was King Laius, who was hurrying to receive an oracle to deal with the monster known as the Sphinx that had appeared in Thebes.
Oedipus had, as foretold, slain his own father.
Continuing his journey, Oedipus arrived in Thebes and heard a tale.
"The monster known as the Sphinx is still blocking the roads and causing havoc."
"Ah, the one who devours anyone who cannot answer its four riddles?"
"It is said that the widowed Queen Jocasta will marry whoever defeats the Sphinx."
"If I solve the Sphinx's riddle, can I become the king of Thebes?"
"Many have already gone to Pluto's embrace..."
Oedipus inquired further and headed to where the Sphinx was said to appear.
Upon arrival, he found a large creature with the body of a lion and the head of a human.
He immediately challenged the monster.
"Oh... a challenger? If you cannot answer my four questions, I shall eat you."
"Quickly, give me your riddles, monster."
"There are two sisters who give birth to each other; what are they?"
"Day and night."
"What grows in the morning, shrinks at noon, and begins to grow again in the afternoon, only to disappear at night?"
"Shadow."
"What creature walks on four legs in the morning, two legs at noon, and three legs in the evening?"
"Man."
Oedipus answered the three questions in an instant.
The great monster, the Sphinx, growled and bared its teeth.
But surely, it would not be able to answer the last question!
"What is the god that all mortals fear the most, yet simultaneously wish for his grace?"
Oedipus pondered for a moment.
There are many gods who embody both fear and desire.
Zeus's thunder is feared, but everyone longs for the blessings of the heavens.
Goddess Hera is the protector of marriage and family, yet she is wrathful towards infidelity...
Goddess Artemis is the goddess of hunting, but she also embodies the aspect of plague...
Many gods possess contradictory traits.
Yet this monster appeared near Thebes.
The widely revered god in Thebes is Dionysus, the god of wine and madness...
"The god of the underworld and mercy, Pluto."
"Growl!!!"
The answer to the final question is...
The ruler of the underworld, feared by all, yet showing a gentle side to the living, the merciful god Pluto.
Even the mint, a symbol of the god Pluto, could be found growing throughout Thebes.
"Growl! I... to such a creature!"
Unable to bear the shame, the Sphinx leaped off a cliff and took its own life.
Thus, Oedipus married his own mother, Queen Jocasta, and became the king of Thebes.
The prophecy had been perfectly fulfilled.
As king of Thebes, Oedipus ruled with benevolence, bringing prosperity to the land.
Thanks to the treasure of the royal family, the necklace of Harmonia, he maintained a youthful appearance with Jocasta, and they had children together.
However... one day, a plague began to spread in Thebes.
"Oedipus, your majesty! Today, dozens have died from the plague!"
"Gather the dead and cremate them with mint leaves. Separate the patients from the people..."
"The plague's intensity is alarming. Would it not be wise to consult the oracle at Delphi?"
"Huh..."
Wise Oedipus took every possible measure, yet for some reason, the plague continued to grow stronger.
Eventually, he sent for Creon, Jocasta's brother, to receive the oracle.
According to the priest at Delphi...
The plague will not cease until the parricide who has married his mother is punished.
Upon hearing this, King Oedipus was filled with rage.
"Such a parricide exists! If I find him, I shall blind him!"
And so, he summoned the blind prophet Teiresias to seek out the parricide.
Teiresias had been cursed to become a woman after killing a mating snake,
Living as a woman for seven years before killing another snake and returning to his male form.
Having been cursed twice by the snake to change gender, he was summoned by Zeus and Hera...
The reason was due to an argument between Zeus and Hera.
"Teiresias, you have lived as both a man and a woman, so you can judge whose words are true."
"What do you wish to ask me, my lords?"
"Since you have experienced both male and female lives, you can make the right judgment. Which orgasm is stronger, that of a man or a woman?"
"That is..."
After a moment of contemplation, Teiresias answered.
"If a man's orgasm is 1, then a woman's orgasm is 9."
"Haha! Hera! Am I not right?"
"Ugh..."
Teiresias was blinded by Hera's wrath, but out of pity, Zeus granted him the gift of prophecy and a long life.
Anyway, when Oedipus faced the blind prophet alone, Teiresias grasped everything at a glance.
After a long sigh, the prophet finally spoke.
"The parricide is... your late father Laius's son, and you have married his wife..."
"What... what did you say?!"
If Oedipus had been a foolish man, he would have angrily chased the prophet away.
But he was a wise king, having bested the Sphinx in a battle of wits.
'Teiresias, endowed with the gift of prophecy, speaks the truth.
And if I hear such a prophecy, I could kill him.'
The expression of King Oedipus, filled with confusion, twisted further.
'Before the king of Thebes, he speaks of death.
How could it be a lie!'
"Ugh... Aaaah!!!"
Bang!
"Your... Your Majesty?! I heard you were meeting with the prophet...?!"
"No... Your Majesty...!"
At that moment, the oracle's words from Delphi flashed through his mind.
You will kill your father and lie with your mother.
Oedipus immediately mounted his horse and galloped out of Thebes.
A whirlwind of self-loathing, rage, and resentment engulfed him.
The wife he loved was his mother! The parricide he had slain was his own kin!
Because of him, a plague ravaged Thebes, and countless people died!
"Uaaah!! Damn it! Damn it!!"
He ran to the mountains, where no one was around, and struck the ground in fury.
After a while, as he fumed with anger, he moved his hands toward his own eyes.
To keep the vow of blinding the parricide.
At that moment,
"Oh dear... A mortal suffers due to Ares's curse..."
As Oedipus was about to gouge out his own eyes, he paused at the sudden voice of an old woman.