Eteocles and Polynices (true glory and much strife) In Greek mythology, sons of Oedipus and Jocasta (or Euryganeia); brothers of Antigone and Ismene. Both sons had insulted their blind father, Oedipus, by giving him a cup that had once belonged to Laius and by giving him a portion of meat not fit for a king. Oedipus cursed both sons. They were to rule jointly after their father’s death. Eteocles refused to surrender the throne when his brother’s turn came. In the ensuing war both brothers were killed in one-to-one combat. Aeschylus’s Seven against Thebes and Euripides’ The Phoenician Woman deal with the tragic tale.
SOURCE:
Encyclopedia of World Mythology and Legend, Third Edition – Written by Anthony S. Mercatante & James R. Dow– Copyright © 2009 by Anthony S. Mercatante