Europa - Greek Mythology
The myth of Europa's abduction by Zeus
In Greek mythology Europa was
the mother of King Minos of Crete, a woman with Phoenician origin of high lineage, and for whom the continent Europe was named. The story of her abduction by Zeus in
the form of a white 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'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 mid-7th century BC.
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