The Chorus is referring to Oidipous’s victory over the Sphinx, which it identifies first by its physical attributes and then by its capacity for prophetic song (χρησμῳδόν). This is a surprise: Thebes and Oidipous appear heretofore to have looked upon the Sphinx solely as a super-human threat. Mention of the Sphinx’s capacity prophecy implicitly acknowledges its possible service as a medium for communication between gods and mortals. The combination of a communicative function and super-human threat is suggestive of Athenian attitudes towards Delphi. Seeing the Sphinx as a manifestation of Delphi, the audience will perhaps now understand Delphi’s threatening aspect to be an extension of its function. Like the role of the Sphinx in Apollo’s plans for Oidipous, Delphic prophecy may contribute to a complex multi-faceted long-range plan that might include incidents that summon mortals to Delphi and dialogue with the god, which might serve to inform the mortal consulter of the necessity of expiation for impiety. [Gt-a] [Apaon] [Mpea] [Mip] [P] [Aj]