(Ἰοκάστη/Iokástē, in older sources also Ἐπικάστη/Epicaste). Daughter of Menoeceus, sister of Creon, wife of Laius, mother and later wife of Oedipus. In spite of the negative oracle of Apollo in Delphi, Laius fathers Oedipus with I. After his birth, Oedipus is abandoned, later kills his father and, after solving the puzzle of the Sphinx, marries his mother. In the older sources, the gods reveal the incest (Hom. Od. 11, 271-280), whereupon I. kills herself. Here, I. usually has two sons (Phrastor, Laonytos), who are killed in the…
Iocaste(232 words)
Cite this page
Harder, Ruth Elisabeth (Zürich), “Iocaste”, in: Brill’s New Pauly, Antiquity volumes edited by: Hubert Cancik and , Helmuth Schneider, English Edition by: Christine F. Salazar, Classical Tradition volumes edited by: Manfred Landfester, English Edition by: Francis G. Gentry. Consulted online on 28 March 2024 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/1574-9347_bnp_e526280>
First published online: 2006
First print edition: 9789004122598, 20110510
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