Polynices

This article is about a mythological character. For the genus of sea snails, see Polinices.
Antigone on the side of Polynices, Jean-Joseph Benjamin-Constant, 1868

In Greek mythology, Polynices (also Polyneices) (/ˌpɒlɪˈnaɪsiːz/; Ancient Greek: Πολυνείκης, romanized: Polyneíkes, lit. 'manifold strife' or 'much strife'[1]) was the son of Oedipus and either Jocasta or Euryganeia and the older brother of Eteocles.[2] When Oedipus was discovered to have killed his father and married his mother, Oedipus was expelled from Thebes, leaving Eteocles and Polynices to rule. Because of a curse put on them by their father, the two sons did not share the rule peacefully. During a battle for control over Thebes, the brothers killed each other.[3]

  1. ^ Hard, Robin (2004). The Routledge Handbook of Greek Mythology. Routledge. ISBN 0415186366.
  2. ^ Sophocles. Oedipus at Colonus.
  3. ^ "The Oedipus Plays". SparkNotes.com. Retrieved December 8, 2012.