| Europa | |
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Real Name |
Europa |
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First Appearance |
Greek Myth |
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Created by |
Greek Myth |
Origin[]
Europa, in Greek mythology, the daughter either of Phoenix or of Agenor, king of Phoenicia. The beauty of Europa inspired the love of Zeus, who approached her in the form of a white bull and carried her away from Phoenicia to Crete. There she bore Zeus three sons: Minos, ruler of Crete; Rhadamanthys, ruler of the Cyclades Islands; and, according to some legends, Sarpedon, ruler of Lycia. She later married Asterius, the king of Crete, who adopted her sons, and she was worshipped under the name of Hellotis in Crete, where the festival Hellotia was held in her honour.
Europa was given marvelous gifts by Zeus: a bronze man called Talos to guard her, a hunting dog that always caught its quarry, and a javelin that never missed. Europa’s father, meanwhile, sent his sons to find Europa, but when each of them failed in this quest they each settled down elsewhere, with Europa’s brother Cadmus, notably, founding Thebes. She was also a popular figure of art, ancient as well as postclassical, and her myth remains one of the best-known tales of Zeus’ amorous adventures.
Public Domain Appearances[]
All published appearances of Europa from before January 1, 1930 are public domain in the US.
Some notable appearances are listed below:
Public Domain Literary Appearances[]
- Iliad
- Catalogue of Women by Hesiod
- Metamorphoses by Ovid
- Tanglewood Tales by Nathaniel Hawthorne - Though his story titled "Dragon's teeth" is largely about Cadmus, it begins with an elaborate albeit toned down version of Europa's abduction by the beautiful bull.
- De Mulieribus Claris
Notes[]
- The continent of Europe is named after her.