Europa (consort of Zeus)
In Greek mythology, Europa (/jʊəˈroʊpə, jə-/; Ancient Greek: Εὐρώπη, Eurṓpē, Attic Greek pronunciation: [eu̯.rɔ̌ː.pɛː]) was a Phoenician princess from Tyre, Lebanon and the mother of King Minos of Crete. The continent of Europe is named after her. The story of her abduction by Zeus in the form of a bull was a Cretan story; as classicist Károly Kerényi points out, "most of the love-stories concerning Zeus originated from more ancient tales describing his marriages with goddesses. This can especially be said of the story of Europa."
| Europa | |
|---|---|
Europa on the back of Zeus turned into a bull. A fresco at Pompeii, contemporaneous with Ovid. | |
| Abode | Crete |
| Personal information | |
| Born | Tyre, Phoenicia, (modern-day Lebanon) |
| Parents | Agenor with either Telephassa or Argiope; alternatively Phoenix and Perimede |
| Siblings | Cadmus, Cilix, Phoenix |
| Consort | Asterion, Zeus |
| Children | Minos, Rhadamanthys, Sarpedon, Crete, Alagonia, Carnus |
Europa's earliest literary reference is in the Iliad, which is commonly dated to the 8th century BC. Another early reference to her is in a fragment of the Hesiodic Catalogue of Women, discovered at Oxyrhynchus. The earliest vase-painting securely identifiable as Europa dates from the mid-7th century BC.