Research source

GREEK FESTIVALS-- ELEUSINIAN MYSTERIES, 196 THESMOPHORIA, 197 DIONYSIA, 197 PANATHENAEA, 199 DAPHNEP

Date of account: Ancient material presented in a nineteenth-century survey
Source: Myths and Legends of Ancient Greece and Rome
Reference: Myths and Legends of Ancient Greece and Rome · selected passage 114
Rights: public_domain
Language: English retelling of Greek and Roman traditions
Translation: E. M. Berens
Record updated: 2026-08-24

Record summary

Laius, king of Thebes, the son of Labdacus, and a direct descendant of Cadmus, was married to Jocaste, the daughter of a noble Theban

Published source text

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Source passage

Source text · mention only

Laius, king of Thebes, the son of Labdacus, and a direct descendant of Cadmus, was married to Jocaste, the daughter of a noble Theban. An oracle having foretold that he would perish by the hand of his own son, he determined to destroy the infant to whom Jocaste had just given birth. With the consent of his wife, whose affection for her husband overcame her love for her child, he pierced the feet of the babe, bound them together, and handed the infant over to a servant, with instructions to expose him on Mount Cithaeron to perish. But instead of obeying this cruel command, the servant intrusted him to a shepherd who was tending the flocks of Polybus, king of Corinth, and then returned to Laius and Jocaste, and informed them that their orders had been obeyed.

Historical context

Contextual commentary · mention only

This is a passage from a historical religious or interpretive text. Its genre, manuscript history, translation and place within its own tradition are part of the evidence and must remain visible.

Modern context

Contextual commentary · mention only

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