Parricide - Definition and Overview

Patricide or parricide is (i) the act of killing one's father, or (ii) a person who kills his or her father. The word patricide derives from the Latin word pater (father) and the Latin suffix -cida (cutter or killer).

Compare with matricide (the killing of one's mother), filicide (the killing of a child by his or her parent), and fratricide (the killing of one's sibling).

Parricides in fiction

• Greek mythology
  • Oedipus was fated to kill his father and marry his mother. His parents attempted to prevent this by sending him away as a child, however once grown Oedipus met his father while travelling and killed him in a fight, unknowingly fufilling the prophecy.
  • Pelias was killed by his daughters.

Sinhabahu

The Sinhala race in Sri Lanka are said to be descendants of Sinhabahu, who killed his own father, who was said to be a lion. Then he married his own sister, Sinhasivali. It was their son Wijeya who founded the Sinhala race. This is according to the Mahavamsa, the Historical Chronicle of Sri Lanka