Europa was the daughter of the King Agenor of Sidon (Greek: Ἀγήνωρ, "heroic, manly, leader of Men") and Queen Telephassa of Tyre (Greek: Τηλέφασσα, "far-shining") or else called Argiope. Europe’s brothers were Cadmus (Greek: Κάδμος) the founder of Thebes, Cilix (Greek: Κίλιξ) the founder of Cilicia and Phoenix (Greek: Φοῖνιξ) the founder of Phoenicia.
According to an old legend, Europa(Greek: Eυρώπη, meaning''with broad shining forehead'')had a dream when she was young. In this dream two continents, in the forms of two women, were arguing over her. Asia, one of the women, maintained that since Europa had been born in Asia she belonged to it. The other woman, or continent, which was nameless, said that her birth was not important, and that Zeus would give it to her.
This Phoenician mortal woman would pass to immortality, thousands of years later when her name was given to the continent.
The abduction of Europe by ZeusAccording to the Hellenic mythos Zeus the King of Gods was struck down by love as soon as he came across the young and beautiful Europa who was gathering flowers with other maidens near a seashore somewhere in the east of the Mediterranean.
Terracotta figurine of Europa and the bull, Athens (460-480 B.C)
Terracotta figurine of Europa and the bull,from Beotia(470-460 B.C)
To seduce Europa and abduct her, Zeus transformed himself into a white bull. This bull was far prettier than any other, smelled of flowers and lowed musically, that made all the maidens including Europa wanting to pet him.
In Metamorphoses the poet Ovidious gives a vivid representation of the divine bull
“He moved among the cows, more beautiful than they or other bulls,
he strolled spring grasses, white as the snow untouched
by southern rains or footprint on the ground,
huge, silky muscles at his neck and silvered dewlaps hanging,
horns as white as if a sculptor’s hand had cut them out of pearl.
And no one feared his look, forehead and eye were gracefully benign…
Agenor’s daughter gazed at him in wonder.”
(Ovid, Metamorphoses II.849-59)
Rembrant:The abduction of Europa,1632
As soon as Europa slid on the bulls back he charged off plunging into the sea, swimming away from the sheashore.
Enlèvement d'Europe by Nöel-Nicolas Coypel, c. 1726
When Europa saw Poseidon and the Nereid’s rode dolphins’ accompanying them and heard the blow of Triton’s horn, realized that the bull had to be a God. She pleaded him to let her go, but Zeus had already set off for the island of Crete.
Enlèvement d'Europe by Nöel-Nicolas Coypel, c. 1726
When Europa saw Poseidon and the Nereid’s rode dolphins’ accompanying them and heard the blow of Triton’s horn, realized that the bull had to be a God. She pleaded him to let her go, but Zeus had already set off for the island of Crete.
To reward the bull for his services Zeus placed him among the stars as the constellation "Taurus".
Τhe Pleiades:a cluster of stars in the constellation of Taurus,Nasa photo.
It is one of the brightest and closest open cluster containing over 3,000 stars.
Τhe Pleiades:a cluster of stars in the constellation of Taurus,Nasa photo.
It is one of the brightest and closest open cluster containing over 3,000 stars.
Thousands of years later when the telescope was invented and the smallest of Jupiter’s Galilean moons became visible(6th of January 1610), was given the name "Europa".
The Galilean satellites: Io, Europe, Ganymede and Callisto.
