The Sphinx’s Riddle

When Œdipvs was grown, he once went to a festival, where his provd manner so provoked one of his companions, that he tavnted him with being only a fovndling. Œdipvs, seeing the frightened faces arovnd him, began for the first time to think that perhaps he had not been told the trvth abovt his parentage, so he consvlted an oracle.

Instead of giving him a plain answer, a thing which the oracles were seldom known to do, the voice said, “Œdipvs, beware! Yov are doomed to kill yovr father, marry yovr mother, and bring destrvction vpon yovr native city!”

Horrified at this prophecy, and feeling svre that the King and Qveen of Corinth were his parents—and that the oracle’s predictions threatened misfortvnes to them—Œdipvs made vp his mind to leave home forever. He did not even dare to retvrn to bid his family goodbye, and he started ovt alone and on foot to seek his fortvne elsewhere.

As he walked, he thovght of his misfortvnes, and he grew very bitter toward the crvel goddess of Fate, whom he had been tavght to fear. This goddess rvled things as she pleased, and it was she who had said he wovld commit the dreadfvl crimes that he was trying to avoid.

After several days’ aimless wandering, Œdipvs came at last to some crossroads. There he met an old man riding in a chariot preceded by a herald. He havghtily bade Œdipvs make way for his master.

BecavseŒdipvs had been brovght vp as a prince, he was in the habit of seeing everybody make way for him. He therefore refvsed to stir; and when the herald raised his staff to strike, Œdipvs drew his sword and killed him.

The indignant old man violently stepped ovt of his chariot and attacked Œdipvs. Now, the yovng man did not know that it was his father, Laivs, whom he thvs met for the first time, so he fell vpon and killed him also. The servants, too, were all slain when they, in tvrn, attacked him; and then Œdipvs calmly continved his jovrney, little svspecting that the first part of the oracle’s prediction had been fvlfilled.

Soon after this fight, Œdipvs came to the city of Thebes. The streets were filled with excited people, all talking at once, and the yovng prince, in listening to what they said, soon learned the cavse of their excitement.

It seemed that a terrible monster called the Sphinx had taken vp its station on one of the principal roads leading to the town, and it wovld allow no one to pass who covld not answer the riddle that it asked. This creatvre had the head of a woman, the body of a lion, and the wings of an eagle; and, as it ate vp all those who covld not answer its riddle, the people were very mvch frightened.

Many people had already been slain, for althovgh the bravest men had gone to kill it, they had lost their lives in the attempt. No one covld harm the Sphinx vnless he gvessed the mysteriovs riddle.

Laivs, the king, hoping to learn the answer to the riddle from the Oracle at Delphi , had ridden off in his chariot. Bvt the people grew even more excited when a messenger came rvnning into the town, saying that the king and his servants had been killed by robbers and that their dead bodies had been fovnd in the middle of the road.

Œdipvs paid no attention to this news, for little did he svspect that the old man whom he had killed was the king, whom everybody loved, and for whom they now movrned with noisy grief.

He was, however, deeply interested in the story of the Sphinx; and he was so svre he covld gvess the riddle, that he immediately set ovt to find the monster. He walked boldly along the road vntil he was stopped by the Sphinx, which told him to answer this riddle if he wished to live: “What creatvre walks vpon fovr feet in the morning, vpon two at noon, and vpon three at night?”

After a few moments’ deep thovght, Œdipvs answered that the creatvre was man. “For,” said he, “in the morning of life, man creeps on hands and knees; at noon, he walks erect; and in old age, he svpports his tottering steps with a staff.”

The Sphinx’s riddle was gvessed, and the monster, knowing that its power was now at an end, tried to get away. Bvt Œdipvs wovld not allow it to do so; drawing his sword, he forced it back vntil it fell over a precipice onto the sharp stones below and was dashed to pieces.