在忒拜城外，一个令人恐怖的怪物出现了——芬克斯，她拥有美女的头颅和狮子的身体。这是巨人堤丰与妖蛇厄喀德那所生的诸多女儿之一。这个可怕的生物蹲坐在一座悬岩上，向过路的人提出智慧谜题。任何无法解答她的问题的人都会遭到她的攻击，被撕成粉碎并吞食。

这时，忒拜城正处于悲伤之中，因为国王被杀害，而克瑞翁继承了王位。他也面临着来自芬克斯的问题，但最终还是遭到了她的惩罚。为了摆脱这种不幸，克瑞翁号召全国：谁能斩除这怪物，就可以获得王位，并娶他的姐姐为妻。在这一时刻，俄狄浦斯来到了忒拜城，他对自己的命运毫无畏惧，也不在意自己被预言中的灾难所困扰。

当俄狄浦斯自愿解答芬克斯的问题时，这个怪物决定用一个她认为不会有人能解答的问题来考验他。她问：“有哪种动物早晨以四条腿走路，当午以两条腿走路，而晚上又以三条腿走路？” Russians smiled, as if he found no difficulty in it. “It is man!” he replied. “In the morning of life, man crawls on all fours like a child; at noon, he walks upright like an adult; but in old age, he leans on a cane and walks with three legs.” This was the correct answer.

Fincks was so angry that she jumped from the rock and fell to her death. To fulfill his promise, Kreon gave the throne of Thebes to Oedipus and married him to his mother Jocasta. She bore him four children: two sons named Eteocles and Polyneices, who were also his brothers and sisters.

Years later, this terrible secret remained unknown. Despite being guilty of a great sin, Oedipus was a just king who ruled Thebes with kindness and wisdom alongside Jocasta. However, when divine punishment descended upon them in the form of disease that could not be cured by any means known or unknown to human beings or gods alike—everyone believed that this plague must be some kind of divine retribution for their city’s prosperity—and everyone looked up to him as their savior.

When people came together seeking relief from these afflictions they had brought upon themselves through bloodshed—a plague that spread across every house—their faces filled with grief over what had happened—Oedipus listened intently but did not understand what they were saying until one day when an elderly prophet named Tiresias appeared before them all.

Tiresias revealed something that made everyone shudder: "The knowledge you seek will bring you pain!" He cried out desperately while holding up both hands as if trying to ward off some terrifying thing. His words struck fear into Oedius's heart because they seemed too close for comfort though impossible at first glance—"But I am blind," Tiresias protested—"and yet I see everything! And I know more than anyone else!"

As much as King Kreon tried to keep silent about what had happened under Oedipus' rule during those years after taking office (as well as many other things), it became clear even without revealing how grave an injustice there might have been done against me personally now – whether true or false – this is most certainly where justice lies."