The ''Oedipodea'' () is a lost

poem Poetry (from the Greek language, Greek word ''poiesis'', "making") is a form of literature, literary art that uses aesthetics, aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language to evoke meaning (linguistics), meanings in addition to, or in ...

of the

Theban cycle __NOTOC__ The Theban Cycle () is a collection of four lost epics of ancient Greek literature which tells the mythological history of the Boeotian city of Thebes.West, M.L. (2003), ''Greek Epic Fragments'', Loeb Classical Library, no. 497, Cambr ...

, a part of the

Epic Cycle The Epic Cycle () was a collection of Ancient Greek epic poems, composed in dactylic hexameter and related to the story of the Trojan War, including the '' Cypria'', the ''Aethiopis'', the so-called '' Little Iliad'', the '' Iliupersis'', the ' ...

(). The poem was about 6,600 verses long and the authorship was credited by ancient authorities to Cinaethon (), a barely-known poet who probably lived in Sparta.

Eusebius Eusebius of Caesarea (30 May AD 339), also known as Eusebius Pamphilius, was a historian of Christianity, exegete, and Christian polemicist from the Roman province of Syria Palaestina. In about AD 314 he became the bishop of Caesarea Maritima. ...

says that he flourished in 764/3 BC. Only three short fragments and one testimonium survived. The ''Oedipodea'' told the story of the

Sphinx A sphinx ( ; , ; or sphinges ) is a mythical creature with the head of a human, the body of a lion, and the wings of an eagle. In Culture of Greece, Greek tradition, the sphinx is a treacherous and merciless being with the head of a woman, th ...

and

Oedipus Oedipus (, ; "swollen foot") was a mythical Greek king of Thebes. A tragic hero in Greek mythology, Oedipus fulfilled a prophecy that he would end up killing his father and marrying his mother, thereby bringing disaster to his city and family. ...

and presented an alternative view of the

myth. According to Pausanias,Pausanias. ''Description of Greece'', 9.5.10-1; West, ''Fr.'' 1. Cinaethon states that the marriage between

and his own mother,

Jocasta In Greek mythology, Jocasta (), also rendered as Iocaste ( ) and EpicasteHomer, ''Odyssey'', Vol. XI11.271/ref> (; ), was Queen of Thebes through her marriages to Laius and her son, Oedipus. She is best known for her role in the myths surroundi ...

, was childless; his children had been born from another engagement with

Euryganeia In Greek mythology, Euryganeia (, ''Eurygáneia'') was a Theban queen. Family Euryganeia was either a daughter of Hyperphas, and thus, sister to Euryanassa. In some sources, she was described as Jocasta's sister, which would make her Oedipus' ...

(), daughter of Hyperphas (). That is all we know about these two characters. A small glimpse of Cinaethon's style survives in

Plutarch Plutarch (; , ''Ploútarchos'', ; – 120s) was a Greek Middle Platonist philosopher, historian, biographer, essayist, and priest at the Temple of Apollo (Delphi), Temple of Apollo in Delphi. He is known primarily for his ''Parallel Lives'', ...

's ''On the Pythia's Oracles'' 407b: "he added unnecessary pomp and drama to the oracles".

References

Select editions and translations

Critical editions

* . * . * . * .

Translations

* . **. English translation with facing Greek text; now obsolete except for its translations of the ancient quotations. * . Greek text with facing English translation

Bibliography

* . {{Authority control 8th-century BC books 8th-century BC poems Theban Cycle Lost poems