Episode 46: The King of the Underworld is Tired

Episode 46: The Tragedy of Oedipus – (1)

In the world of the living, the only country with a temple dedicated to Hades was Thebes.

Even in this seemingly peaceful place, a dark cloud loomed over the land...

The King of Thebes, Laius, and Queen Jocasta had received a terrible prophecy.

According to the oracle from the Temple of Delphi:

"Your son will kill his father and sleep with his mother."

King Laius was horrified upon hearing this prophecy.

A prophecy stating that his own son would kill him and have relations with his wife.

King Laius secretly summoned a shepherd.

“Take this newborn baby to a place where no one will find him and quietly kill him.”

“What? But... Your Majesty, this is your son...”

“Son or not, if he will kill me and sleep with my wife, I cannot let him live.”

The shepherd, holding the infant, left Thebes.

He set off for a quiet place, prepared to fulfill the king's command.

However, burdened with guilt over the thought of killing a newborn, the shepherd hesitated.

At that moment, a passing couple noticed him.

“Hey there, what are you planning to do with that baby?”

“Oh… well...”

“If you’re struggling to raise the child, leave him with us. He seems to have swollen feet, so let’s name him Oedipus (swollen foot).”

They were the royal couple of Corinth, who were longing for a child.

Thus, Oedipus became the son of Polybus, King of Corinth.

Years later, when Oedipus had grown up, he heard a shocking statement during a royal banquet from Polybus' brother.

Although he was drunk on wine...

“Hic… You are not the true son of my brother, Oedipus.”

“What do you mean by that, Uncle...?”

“My brother and his wife received you from a shepherd… Hic!”

Shocked by this revelation, Oedipus decided to visit Delphi to hear the oracle.

If it was a prophecy from Apollo, the god of oracles, he could find out about his origins.

“You will kill your father and sleep with your mother.”

However, the prophecy did not reveal whether he was the biological son of his parents.

It only foretold the tragic fate of Oedipus.

Believing that the prophecy referred to his adoptive parents, Oedipus left Corinth in the middle of the night.

If his adoptive parents were the King and Queen of Corinth, leaving would mean he could avoid the prophecy.

But then…

He encountered a group of travelers in a narrow alleyway, and a dispute broke out.

The driver of the carriage began to argue with him, demanding that he clear the way.

“How am I supposed to move in such a narrow alleyway?”

“Ha! Do you know who is in this carriage?”

“Judging by your arrogance, it must be some noble, but acting entitled based solely on status is never a good look.”

“You insolent fool! Inside this carriage is none other than a king!”

Oedipus scoffed at the driver.

What kind of mad king would wander outside the city rather than stay within the safety of his palace?

In the mythological era, areas outside the city walls were practically lawless zones.

Centaurs, nymphs, various monsters, and all sorts of non-human creatures roamed about...

It was a wild land, no different from a domain of bandits and thieves.

“If the man inside is truly a king, then I must be the prince of Corinth!”

“What?!”

At that moment, someone inside the carriage, overhearing the conversation, extended a hand and whipped Oedipus on the head.

“Ugh!”

“How dare you, commoner! If you don't wish to die, get out of the way!”

“Alright, let’s see who wins this!”

Enraged, Oedipus drew his sword and killed the guards and the person in the carriage,

Only the driver barely managed to escape with his life.

However, the person in the carriage...

Was none other than King Laius, who was on his way to seek an oracle regarding the Sphinx terrorizing Thebes.

Thus, Oedipus had unknowingly killed his own father, just as the prophecy foretold.

* * *

As Oedipus continued his journey, he eventually reached Thebes and heard a story.

“They say the Sphinx is still blocking the road and causing havoc.”

“Ah, that monster that devours anyone who can't solve its four riddles?”

“Queen Jocasta has declared that she will marry the one who defeats the Sphinx.”

“If I solve the Sphinx's riddles, does that mean I can become the King of Thebes?”

“Dozens have already ended up in Pluto's embrace...”

Oedipus, intrigued, asked for directions and made his way to the place where the Sphinx was.

When he arrived, he saw the massive creature with the body of a lion and the head of a human.

He immediately challenged the beast.

“Oh? Another challenger? If you cannot answer my four riddles, I shall devour you.”

“Just give me the 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 starts growing again in the afternoon before disappearing at night?”

“A shadow.”

“What creature walks on four legs in the morning, two legs at noon, and three legs in the evening?”

“A human.”

Oedipus quickly solved all three riddles.

The massive beast, a fusion of lion and human, the Sphinx, snarled and bared its teeth.

However, you won’t be able to solve this last riddle!

“What god do all mortals fear the most, yet also wish to receive blessings from?”

Oedipus pondered for a moment.

There were so many gods whose fear and grace coexisted.

Zeus’s thunderbolt was terrifying, yet everyone wished for the blessings of the sky.

Hera, the goddess who protected marriage and family, also unleashed fury upon infidelity...

Artemis, the goddess of hunting, was also linked to plagues...

Many gods embodied these dual aspects.

But this monster appeared near Thebes.

And the god widely worshipped in Thebes was Dionysus, the god of wine and madness…

“The god of the underworld and mercy, Pluto.”

“Grrrrr!!!”

The answer to the final question was...

The ruler of the underworld, whom everyone feared, but who also showed a merciful side to the living—Pluto.

You could tell just by looking at the symbol of Pluto, the mint plants that grew throughout Thebes.

“Grrrr! To think that I… would be defeated by a mere human!”

Unable to bear the humiliation, the Sphinx leapt off a cliff and killed himself.

Thus, Oedipus married his own mother, Queen Jocasta, and became the king of Thebes.

The prophecy was fulfilled to perfection.

* * *

As king of Thebes, Oedipus ruled wisely and led the city to prosperity.

Thanks to the necklace of Harmonia, a treasure passed down through the Theban royal family, Jocasta maintained a youthful appearance, and together, they bore children.

However, one day, a plague began to spread in Thebes.

“O King Oedipus! Today, dozens have died from the plague!”

“Gather the dead and cremate them with mint leaves. Separate the sick from the rest of the populace…”

“The plague’s power is relentless. Perhaps you should seek an oracle from Delphi?”

“Sigh…”

Though wise Oedipus took every possible measure,

For some reason, the plague only grew worse.

In the end, he sent Jocasta’s brother, Creon, to receive an oracle.

According to the priest at Delphi...

The plague would not disappear until the abomination who had killed his father and married his mother was punished.

Upon hearing this, King Oedipus became enraged and declared,

“To think that such a wretch exists! Once we find him, I will blind him myself!”

To find the abomination, he summoned the blind Oracle Tiresias.

Tiresias had once killed a pair of mating snakes and, as a result of a curse, was transformed into a woman.

After living as a woman for seven years, he killed another pair of snakes and was turned back into a man.

Having twice been cursed by snakes to change genders, Tiresias was once called before Zeus and Hera.

The reason was a quarrel between Zeus and Hera.

“Tiresias, since you’ve lived as both a man and a woman, you can settle this argument.”

“What is it you wish to ask me, O gods?”

“Since you’ve lived as both a man and a woman, you are capable of making a fair judgment. Whose orgasm is stronger, a man’s or a woman’s?”

“Well…”

After pondering for a moment, Tiresias answered.

“If a man’s orgasm is a 1, then a woman’s is a 9.”

“Haha! Hera, see? I was right!”

“Hmph…”

Angered, Hera cursed Tiresias with blindness, but Zeus, pitying him, granted him the gift of prophecy and long life.

In any case, Tiresias, standing before Oedipus, understood everything at a glance.

After a long sigh, the weary prophet finally spoke.

“That abomination… is you, Your Majesty. You are the son of the late King Laius and the one who married his wife.”

“What… what did you say?!”

Had Oedipus been a foolish man, he would have lashed out and driven the prophet away.

But he was wise enough to defeat the Sphinx in a battle of wits.

‘Tiresias’s prophecy must be true. And even though I could kill him for telling me this, he still speaks.’

The expression on Oedipus’s face grew more and more twisted with confusion.

‘He dares to speak of death before me, the King of Thebes. How could this be a lie?’

“Aaahhhh!!!”

Boom!

“Y-your Majesty?! You’ve returned from seeing the Oracle…?!”

“No… His Majesty…!”

In his mind, the prophecy of the oracle from Delphi flashed by.

You will kill your father and sleep with your mother.

At once, King Oedipus mounted his horse and rode out of Thebes.

Overwhelmed by maddening guilt, anger, and resentment, all these emotions swept over him.

The wife he loved was his mother! And the abomination who killed his father was none other than himself!

Because of me, a plague has spread in Thebes, and countless citizens have died!

“Aaahhhh!! Damn it! Damn it all!!”

Oedipus galloped all the way to a desolate mountain, beating the ground in fury.

After panting for a while in his rage, he moved his hands towards his eyes.

To fulfill his vow to blind the abomination.

At that moment,

“Oh dear… how one mortal suffers because of Ares’s curse…”

As Oedipus was about to gouge out his eyes, he was stopped by the voice of an old woman.

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