Europa

Greek Daughter of Agenor, king of Tyre (a seaport in Phoenicia) and Telephassa, and the sister of Cadmus, Phoenix, and Cilix. Mother of Minos, Rhadamanthus, and Sarpedon with Zeus; and of Euphemus with Poseidon; wife of Asterion, king of Crete. Europa 53 Europa was famed for her beauty. Zeus fell in love with her and, knowing that the maiden liked to wander on the shore, devised a plan. He turned himself into a snow-white bull and grazed peacefully on the grass near the shore. The beautiful animal enchanted Europa. She caressed him and twined garlands of flowers upon his horns. When the bull gracefully knelt before her, she climbed upon his back, whereupon the bull dashed into the sea and swam with Europa to the island of Crete, which lies south of Greece. There he turned himself into an eagle and mated with Europa. She bore him three sons: Minos, Rhadamanthus, and Sarpedon. Later Europa married Asterion, 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, a symbol of strength and fertility, was the principal cult animal of the eastern Mediterranean. It seems possible that the figure of Zeus was grafted onto an ancient Cretan story. Zeus's capture of Europa may refer to an early Hellenic raid on Phoenicia by Hellenes from Crete, when Taurus, king of Crete, assaulted Tyre during the absence of Agenor and his sons. The Hellenes took the city and carried off many captives, including the king's daughter. The story also represents the contribution of Phoenician civilization to that of Crete, which is symbolized by the bull god.