An analogy is drawn between the city-states of Benin, which flourished in Africa between the tenth and the twentieth centuries, and Thebes, the ancient Greek city where the mythical drama of Oedipus took place. In the orally transmitted folklore history of Benin there appears to be a strong theme of father-son rivalry for the royal throne, which is an essential element in the Oedipus myth regarding the ruling of Thebes. The author discusses Fromm's contention that the essence of the Oedipus myth and complex is father-son rivalry, rather than incestuous desire for the mother. He concludes that there is a need to differentiate between the Oedipus myth and the oedipus complex. The former, with its emphasis on the struggle for power within the framework of a society, is more relevant for understanding sociopolitical evolution; the latter is evidence of the emergence of the individual as an autonomous entity, differentiated from society.