Almost all Europeans know that the name of the continent they inhabit is related to that of a mythological woman who was kidnapped by Zeus. The queen of Crete, Europa, appears on the watermarks and hologram of euro banknotes since May 2013. The image of Europe on the European currency is taken from a Greek krater kept in the Louvre museum, but its myth is a recurring theme in the art of the old continent. Join us at to learn about the Myth of Europe: the Phoenician princess who was kidnapped by Zeus and became queen of Crete.
Myth of Europa, kidnapped by Zeus and queen of Crete
Europe was a princess daughter of Agenor and Telefasa, kings of Phenicia. One day she was in a meadow near a beach picking flowers with her friends. Zeus, who was passing by, noticed her and fell madly in love. of the young woman. Filled with desire, the father of the gods decided to kidnap her to consummate their love freely. For it turned into a bull with skin of a resplendent white color and with horns in the shape of a crescent moon and mixed with the animals of the king’s herd. Europe saw it and, amazed by the luminous color of its skin and its beautiful appearance, approached the magnificent animal. which turned out to be so peaceful that he lay down on the ground at his feet. She, without any fear, caressed him and ended up sitting on his back. Zeus took advantage of that moment to run towards the sea carrying the girl on his back who was screaming and clinging to his horns. Swimming, the bull He left the coast towards the island of Crete.
Once on the island, Zeus revealed who he was and they consummated their love. The myth of Europe tells that they had three sons named Minos, Rhadamantis and Sarpedon. When Zeus left her, he made her queen of Crete and married her to Asterion, who adopted her children. Zeus in memory of that love created the constellation of Taurus, which has the shape of a bull.
1. The children of Europa and Zeus according to the myth of Europa
When the three sons of Europa and Zeus died, they became the three judges of the Underworld.. They were at the point where three roads started and decided on the destiny of the souls: if they had been neither virtuous nor evil, their destination was the Fields of Asphodel, if they were impious or evil they went to Tartarus and only the best, Like the heroes, they headed to Elysium.
In some versions of the Myth of Europe they are made the parents of two more children: Carnos, who was a fortune teller and lover of Apollo, and Alagonia, the princess who founded the city of Alagonia, whose exact location is unknown today.
2. Zeus’ gifts to Europe
According to the Europa myth, in addition to a necklace made by Hephaestus, Zeus gave Europa three gifts: Talos, a giant which protected the coasts of Crete from any attack and which was made of bronze, a dog named Lélape who never let any prey escape and finally a hunting javelin that always hit its target.
3. Why the continent is called Europe
Legend has it that when his daughter abducted by Zeus disappeared, Agenor, king of Phoenicia, went to a cliff facing the sea and turning his gaze to Creteisland considered antechamber to the continent, desperate He repeatedly called his daughter: Europe! Europe! And from that moment The lands, from Crete to the ends of the continent (west), received that name.
Beyond the myth, many linguists believe that the name Europe has a Semitic root in the word «ʔrb» (“hrb”), which means “sunset” or “west”. In Assyrian the same word was «irib» and in Aramaic «ereb.» Since looking at it from the perspective of the middle east, the sun sets in Europe, which It is the land that lies to the westit is not unreasonable to think that the origin of the name Europe was in those expressions that indicated the «western lands» or the place where the sun set.
The myth of Europa shows us another of Zeus’s transformations for his amorous conquests. The bull is also an animal that we see in various myths related to the ancient Greeks such as that of the Minotaur. Did you know the myth of Europe? Did you know that the female effigy that is present in the hologram of the euro banknotes was the face of Europe? Do you remember other places where we can see the image of the mythical queen of Crete? Share your opinion with us! If when reading this post you have thought about visiting some places in Europe, allow us to recommend the 10 most visited cities in Europe. They will surely excite you!