In
Greek mythology,
Eteocles (; ) was a king of
Thebes, the son of
Oedipus and either
Jocasta or
Euryganeia. The name is from earlier
*Etewoklewes , meaning "truly glorious".
Tawagalawas is thought to be the
Hittite rendition of the name. Oedipus killed his father
Laius and married his mother without knowing his relationship to either. When the relationship was revealed, he was expelled from Thebes. The rule passed to his sons Eteocles and
Polynices. However, because of a curse from their father, the two brothers did not share the rule peacefully. Eteocles was succeeded by his uncle,
Creon.
