Laius, Oedipus's father is one perl program:

#!perl -w

my $jocasta = '/dev/jocasta'; # laius marries jocasta

# i reckon tis his kingdom the there roads are in, so let's let him bu
+ild them, to the point where he and oedipus meet
open FH,">/home/laius/crossroad";
print FH "$$\n";
close FH;

symlink("/home/laius/crossroad","/dev/path1");
symlink("/home/laius/crossroad","/dev/path2");
symlink("/home/laius/crossroad","/dev/path2");

# he open a named pipe to his wife
if  (
    system('mknod',  $jocasta, 'p')
            &&
    system('mkfifo', $jocasta) ){
    die "mk{nod,fifo} $path failed (maybe i have body odor?)";
}

no strict; # the device was yet to be invented

# i think this is obvious
open STDOUT,">$jacosta";
my $stamina = times();
while(times()-$stamina < 40){ # starting to age, are we?
    close STDOUT;
    open STDOUT,">$jacosta";
}

my $fertility = (20_000_000 + rand (110_000_000)) * 2 *(1+rand()); # a
+pproximate sperm count

# many different sperm cells!
for (my $i = 1; $i < $fertility; $i++){
    print "sperm variation ".(1_000_000_000 * rand() * rand() * rand()
+ * rand())."\n";
}

close STDOUT; # we're done

NOP: {
    sleep 10; # not a successful spouse
    redo NOP;
}

$SIG{__WARN__} = sub { oracle() };
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Whilst Jocasta, Oedipus's mother, and the parent process is another:

#!perl

INIT { # she reaches puberty, i guess
    
    open STDIN,"/dev/jocasta'";
    # and at some point
    no strict;

}


@sperm = <STDIN>;
@sperm = grep { $_ = not $_ } @sperm; # about half make it in
@sperm = grep { $_ > .5 } @sperm; # weak ones die later
@sperm = sort { $b <=> $a } # fittest are ahead
@sperm = @sperm[0 .. int($#sperm / 2)]; # the weaker ones die still

$winner = shift @sperm; # one makes it, and
undef @sperm; #the rest die

sleep(9 * 30 * 24 * 60 * 60); # approximately 9 months later
give_birth('oedipus');


# later came oedipus and made 4 little buggers
for (my $i = 1; $i <= 4; $i++){
    @sperm = <STDIN>;
    
    @sperm = grep { $_ = not $_ } @sperm; # about half make it in
    @sperm = grep { $_ > .5 } @sperm; # weak ones die later
    @sperm = sort { $b <=> $a } # fittest are ahead
    @sperm = @sperm[0 .. int($#sperm / 2)]; # the weaker ones die stil
+l
    
    $winner = shift @sperm; # one makes it, and
    undef @sperm; #the rest die
    
    sleep(9 * 30 * 24 * 60 * 60); # approximately 9 months later
    give_birth($i);
}

kill KILL => $$; # oh my! she found out!

sub give_birth(){
    return if fork; # error checking is like crying over spilt milk.
    if ($_[0] eq 'oedipus'){
        chdir("/"); # oedipus is disassociated
        fork && exit;
        $^W = 1;
        sleep (30 * 12 * 30 * 24 * 60 * 60); # approximately 30 years 
+later
        local $SIG{__WARN__} = sub { oracle() }
        open FH,"/dev/path".(int(rand(3)+.5));
        local $_ = <FH>;
        close FH;
        kill KILL => $_;
        
        chdir("/home/jocasta");
        
        # and he too
        my $jocasta = '/dev/jocasta';
        for ($j = 0; $j < 4; $j++){ # four of them
            if  (
                system('mknod',  $jocasta, 'p')
                        &&
                system('mkfifo', $jocasta) ){
                die "mk{nod,fifo} $path failed (maybe i have body odor
+?)";
            }
                
            no strict;
            
            open STDOUT,">$jacosta";
            my $stamina = times();
            while(times()-$stamina < 240){
                close STDOUT;
                open STDOUT,">$jacosta";
            }
            
            my $fertility = (20_000_000 + rand (110_000_000)) * 2 *(1+
+rand());
            
            for (my $i = 1; $i < $fertility; $i++){
                print "sperm variation ".(1_000_000_000 * rand() * ran
+d() * rand() * rand())."\n";
            }
            close STDOUT;
        }
        
        close STDIN; # and now he's blind
    }
}
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sorry about the line wraps, but i guess it's not that important... nothingmuch/nothingmuch@mac.com