Theban kings in Greek mythology the pact, and Polyneices was banished from Thebes. Polyneices fled to the court of King Adrastus of Argos to raise an army, known as the "Seven Against Thebes". In this war, Polyneices and Eteocles were each slain by the other, thus fulfilling Oedipus' curse. After the deaths of Polyneices and Eteocles, Jocasta's brother "Creon", who before had governed Thebes after the death of Laius and after the exile of Oedipus, became regent for Eteocles' son Laodamas. It was during one of Creon's reigns that Heracles was born in Thebes. Creon served as protector of Heracles, his stepfather Amphitryon, and mother
Oedipus directed at Merope – but there is no hint of that). Freud reasoned that the ancient Greek audience, which heard the story told or saw the plays based on it, did know that Oedipus was actually killing his father and marrying his mother; the story being continually told and played therefore reflected a preoccupation with the theme. The term oedipism is used in medicine for serious self-inflicted eye injury, an extremely rare form of severe self-harm. Oedipus Oedipus (, ; "Oidípous" meaning 'swollen foot') was a mythical Greek king of Thebes. A tragic hero in Greek mythology, Oedipus accidentally fulfilled