Europa

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Greek Daughter of Agenor, king ofTyre (a seaport in Phoenicia) and Telephassa, andthe sister of Cadmus, Phoenix, and Cilix. Mother ofMinos, Rhadamanthus, and Sarpedon with Zeus;and of Euphemus with Poseidon; wife of Asterion,king of Crete.Europa 53Europa was famed for her beauty. Zeus fell in lovewith her and, knowing that the maiden liked to wanderon the shore, devised a plan. He turned himselfinto a snow-white bull and grazed peacefully on thegrass near the shore. The beautiful animal enchantedEuropa. She caressed him and twined garlands offlowers upon his horns. When the bull gracefullyknelt before her, she climbed upon his back, whereuponthe bull dashed into the sea and swam withEuropa to the island of Crete, which lies south ofGreece. There he turned himself into an eagle andmated with Europa. She bore him three sons: Minos,Rhadamanthus, and Sarpedon. Later Europa marriedAsterion, the king of Crete, who adopted her sons.She was worshiped as a goddess after her death.The story of Europa and the bull is very old.It probably refers back to a time when the bull, asymbol of strength and fertility, was the principalcult animal of the eastern Mediterranean. It seemspossible that the figure of Zeus was grafted onto anancient Cretan story.Zeus's capture of Europa may refer to an earlyHellenic raid on Phoenicia by Hellenes from Crete,when Taurus, king of Crete, assaulted Tyre duringthe absence of Agenor and his sons. The Hellenestook the city and carried off many captives, includingthe king's daughter. The story also represents thecontribution of Phoenician civilization to that ofCrete, which is symbolized by the bull god.