Europa (mythology) Family Herodotus Zeus Europe Ovid

Sources differ in details regarding her family but agree that she is Phoenician. Most commonly, she is said to be the daughter of the Phoenician King AgenorIn history and Greek mythology, Agenor (which means very manly ) was a king of Tyre. His wife was Telephassa. Family Some sources state that Agenor was the son of Poseidon and Libya; these accounts refer to a brother named Belus. According to other source and Queen TelephassaIn Greek mythology, Telephassa also known as Argiope was Queen of Tyre. She had several children, including Europa, Cilix and Cadmus. Her husband was Agenor. Or possiblibly her husband was Phoenix in version in which Cadmus and Europa and their brothers a of TyreTyre (native Phoenician ur Akkadian urru Hebrew or , Greek Tyros Arabic as-Sur is an ancient Phoenician city in Lebanon on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, about 23 miles, in a direct line, north of Acre, and 20 south of Sidon. Sidon was the oldest Pho. Other sources, such as the IliadThe Iliad is, alongside The Odyssey one of the two major Greek epic poems traditionally attributed to Homer, a blind Ionian poet. The Iliad and the Odyssey were considered by Greeks of the classical age and after as the most important works in Ancient Gre, claim that she is the daughter of Agenor's son, PhoenixFor other uses of the name Phoenix, see Phoenix (disambiguation The phoenix (also rarely spelled phenix is a mythical bird, sacred in ancient Egypt. Said to live for 500 or for 1461 years, the phoenix is a solitary male bird with beautiful gold and red pl. It is generally agreed that she had two brothers, CadmusDragon's teeth by Maxfield Parrish, 1908 Cadmus or Kadmos (Greek: ), in Greek mythology, was the son of the king of Phoenicia and brother of Europa. His father is either Agenor or Phoenix son of Agenor. See Agenor and Phoenix. After his sister had been ca, who brought the alphabet to mainland Greece, and CilixIn Greek mythology, Cilix was a son of the King of Tyre and brother of Cadmus and Europa. He father was either Agenor or Phoenix son of Agenor. See Agenor and Phoenix. Zeus saw Europa gathering flowers and immediately fell in love with her. Zeus transform who gave his name to CiliciaIn ancient geography, Cilicia ("Ki-LIK-ya") formed a district on the southeastern coast of Asia Minor (modern Turkey), north of Cyprus. Cilicia extended along the Aegean coast east from Pamphylia, to Mount Amanus (Giaour Dagh), which separated it from Syr in Asia Minor. After arriving in Crete, Europa had three children: Minos, Rhadamanthus, and Sarpedon. She married Asterion; and then later, Asterius. According to mythology, her children were fathered by Zeus.

2 Herodotus

According to Herodotus, Europa was kidnapped by Minoans who were seeking to avenge the kidnapping of Io, a princess from Argos.

3 Zeus

According to legend, Zeus was enamored of her and decided to seduce or rape her, the two being near-equivalent in Greek myth. He either transformed himself into a white bull (or possessed one) and mixed in with her father's herds. While Europa and her female attendants were gathering flowers, she saw the bull and caressed his flanks and eventually got onto its back. Zeus took that chance and ran to the sea and swam, with her on his back, to the island of Crete. He then revealed his true identity and Europa became the first queen of Crete. Zeus gave her three gifts: Talos, Laelaps and a javelin that never missed. Zeus later re-created the shape of the white bull in the stars which is now known as the constellation Taurus. Some legends relate that this same bull was also encountered by Hercules, and that it eventually fathered the Minotaur.

4 Europe

The continent of Europe is called Europa in all Germanic languages (except English), and in all Slavic languages which use the Latin alphabet, as well as in Greek and Latin. Her name appeared on postage stamps commemorating the " United Europe ", which were first issued in 1956.

5 Ovid

The poet Ovid wrote the following depiction of Zeus' seduction:

And gradually she lost her fear, and he

Offered his breast for her virgin caresses,

His horns for her to wind with chains of flowers

Until the princess dared to mount his back

Her pet bull's back, unwitting whom she rode.

Then—slowly, slowly down the broad, dry beach—

First in the shallow waves the great god set

His spurious hooves, then sauntered further out

Till in the open sea he bore his prize

Fear filled her heart as, gazing back, she saw

The fast receding sands. Her right hand grasped

A horn, the other lent upon his back

Her fluttering tunic floated in the breeze.

6 References

Apollodorus, Bibliotheke, III, i, 1-2
Herodotus, The Histories, Book 1.2
Ovid, Metamorphoses, 862, translation by A.D. Melville ( 1986), p.50

Greek mythological people

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1 Family