ABSTRACT
The literature of Greek mythology tells us about children who escaped from death, were adopted and had a place in history. On the myth of Oedipus, his father Laius, the king of Thebes, was warned by the Oracle of Delphi about the curse that would take the son to kill his father and to marry with his mother, Jocasta. Laius abandoned his son, who was received by a pastor and baptized as Oedipus and adopted by the king of Corinth. Oedipus, aware of the curse, escapes and kills Laius, unaware that he was his father and marries Jocasta, not knowing that she was his mother. Jocasta commits suicide and Oedipus stabbed out his eyes. According to Sorosky, Baran, & Reuben (1989), Oedipus’s mourning over his need to understand the mystery of his birth and myths are full of references to mysteries about origins. Adoption is probably the most universal method used by society at all times to ensure the continuity of the family. Regarding illegitimacy, we observe the myth of Hercules, who was the most celebrated hero of Greco-Roman culture. Hercules was the bastard son of Zeus, Jupiter to the Romans, with the mortal Alcmene. Hera, the wife of Zeus, hated the fruit of his husband’s infidelity. To appease the wrath of his wife, Zeus baptized the boy as Hercules, with the meaning of “Glory of Hera.” Hercules was a demigod, with human, divine, and strong attributes. Yet his existence continued to inflame his “foster mother,” which led to the madness and murder of his wife and children, believing they were his enemies.
