Iocaste
Quick Summary
In Greek mythology, Iocaste (also spelled Jocasta) was the queen of Thebes and the wife of Laius. Unbeknownst to them, their son Oedipus was fated to kill his father and marry his mother. Laius and Iocaste attempted to abandon their infant son, Oedipus, but he survived and was adopted by the king and queen of Corinth.
Later, Oedipus unknowingly killed Laius in a dispute and, upon arriving in Thebes, solved the Sphinx's riddle. As a reward, he became king and married Iocaste. When the truth of their incestuous relationship was revealed, Iocaste hanged herself, and Oedipus blinded himself.123
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- Antigone
…of Oedipus and his mother, Jocasta. After her father blinded himself upon discovering that Jocasta was his mother and that, also unwittingly, he had slain his father, Antigone and her sister Ismene served as Oedipus’ guides, following him from Thebes into exile until his death near Athens. Returning to Thebes,…
Read More…of Oedipus and his mother, Jocasta. After her father blinded himself upon discovering that Jocasta was his mother and that, also unwittingly, he had slain his father, Antigone and her sister Ismene served as Oedipus’ guides, following him from Thebes into exile until his death near Athens. Returning to Thebes,…
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OedipusBirth, abandonment, and adoption…when his wife, Jocasta (Iocaste), bore a son, he had the baby exposed (a form of infanticide) on the mountain Cithaeron. (Tradition has it that the name “Oedipus,” which means “Swollen-Foot,” was a result of his feet having been pinned together, but modern scholars are skeptical of that etymology.)…
Read More…when his wife, Jocasta (Iocaste), bore a son, he had the baby exposed (a form of infanticide) on the mountain Cithaeron. (Tradition has it that the name “Oedipus,” which means “Swollen-Foot,” was a result of his feet having been pinned together, but modern scholars are skeptical of that etymology.)…
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