(Οἰδίπους/Oidípous, Lat. Oedipus).
A. Oedipus in myth and drama
O., son of King Laius [1] and Iocasta/Epicasta, is the central figure in the Theban myths [7; 16. 492ff.; 28]. The name O. has a meaning ('swollen foot') that can be interpreted in different ways [5; 10. 233ff.]. The myth explains the name with the motif of O.'s ankle, which was pierced at the time of his abandonment (Soph. OT 1032ff.; Eur. Phoen. 26f.; Apollod. 3,5,7: Exposure, myths and legends of). O.'s pa…