Apart from sounding like ‘oida’ or ‘I know’, (see with its resemblance to the Greek word oida (“I know”)) Oedipus is more conventionally linked to ‘swollen ankles’, which refers to this origin story.

This has many implications for the story.

• You could argue that his name is a curse, revealing his origin as well as incriminating him with the knowledge of the truth.
• You could argue that his name is evidence of the inability to escape one’s fate.
• It is also one of the turning points in the story - the lowly herdsman was the one who ‘set’ the king ‘free’. It serves as evidence of Oedipus’ vulnerability.