The myth of Zeus and Europa is a popular tale and over the centuries has been depicted by many artists including Rembrandt. His masterpiece painted in 1632 shows the Phoenician lady being carried away across the sea by Zeus disguised as a white bull, her handmaidens looking on horrified from the shore. Though her servants are suitably shocked, Europa herself sits comfortably sidesaddle on the bull's back, steadying herself by grasping one of the horns. Perhaps she was not entirely unwilling to give in to Zeus' attentions. The god, Ovid tells us, was enamoured of her because of her beauty and once in Crete could not resist showering her with gifts as a sign of his appreciation. As well as a necklace made by Hephaestus, he also gave her Talos, the giant bronze statue, which became the guardsman of Crete (circling the island three times daily), Laelaps, the dog that always caught his prey, and a javelin that always hit its target. These gifts were to be inherited by Minos, Zeus and Europa's eldest son, who went on to rule Crete and become a renowned figure at the head of the Minoan civilisation, three generations prior to the Trojan war. According to myth, Minos received the laws by which Crete was to be ruled directly from Zeus himself.

Europa was the daughter of Agenor, the king of Tyre and son of Poseidon, so her lineage was already of a high and noble order, but her association with Zeus established her as a key figure in Greek mythology, assuming the stature of goddess among the Cretans. In addition, the highest compliment was paid to her when Zeus later inscribed the image of the bull in the stars, thus forming the constellation Taurus. Bull riding was a popular pastime in Crete but whether the myth inspired the activity or the activity recalled the myth is impossible to say. The bull imagery in Cretan mythology resurfaces later with the legend of the Minotaur, a ferocious beast with the head of a bull and the body of a man, imprisoned by Minos in the Cretan labyrinth.

The earliest literary reference to Europa is in Homer's Illiad, and the story of her abduction by Zeus is described by Ovid in his Metamorphosis. Other references reveal that Europa had two further sons, the brothers of Minos, Rhadamanthys and Sarpedon, and a famous brother, Cadmus, who founded Thebes while searching for his abducted sister. Today we cannot forget Europa, as the modern continent of Europe derives its name from her.

Learn more about this author, Milton Johanides.
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