The abduction of Europe by Zeus

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 Zeus

According 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.

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.

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.


King Agenor sends off his sons on a quest to find and bring back Europa

When his daughter was abducted Agenor sent off his sons Phoenix Cilix and Cadmus to bring her back or never return. Since the journey was unsuccessful, they decided to create new homes for themselves(To Phoenicia, Cilicia and Thebes).


Agenor and Cadmus:K. Stenger 1791.

Telephassa (meaning the ‘’one who shines from afar’’) accompanied her son Cadmus on the quest to find Europa.They travelled to the island of Rhodes where Cadmus dedicated a brazen cauldron to Athene of Lindus, and built Poseidon’s temple, leaving a hereditary priesthood behind to care for it.
Next, they touched Thera and build a similar temple, and finally reached the land of the Thracian Edonians.
Before arriving in Thrace, Telephassa fell ill and died, and Cadmus proceeded on foot to the Delphic Oracle.

The divine mating

According to Loucian of Samosata, Zeus brought Europe to his birth place, the Dictaion Andron Cave, located in the South-Eastern part of Crete and forced her to make love with him.

Inside Dicteon Andron Lasithi, Crete.

According to another Cretan legend, this divine mating may have took place in ‘Gortyn’ or Gortyna, an ancient city south of Crete (few kilometers from Phaistos)under the shadow of a platanos (plane tree)which became since then an evergreen tree.

The Platanos tree where the divine mating too place.

Normally, Plane-trees are deciduous trees (losing their leaves in the winter). This particular plane tree is one of the 50 evergreen plane trees documented in Crete. For the Cretans this particular plane-tree has ‘magical properties’ assigned to it, and can bring many offspring’s  if you collect some leaves from it.

Zeus gives Europa gifts for protection

Before Zeus decided to abandon his mortal lover and return to Olympus he gave her three presents to protect her from any harm. Under the orders of Zeus, Hephaestus created the powerful silver giant Talon or Talos (Greek: Tάλως) to be Europa’s guardian.Talos had one vein, which went from his neck to the ankle, bound shut by only one bronze nail.


Athenian volute-crater.The Argonauts destroy Talos with Medea’s help by tapping his vital fluid c.400-390 BC.

Talos would circle the islands shores three times a day to guard Crete and Europa from invaders and pirates, throwing rocks from time to time. 

Talos is often depicted on Greek artifacts as having enormous wings, looking like a kind of guardian angel''.
Zeus also gave Europa Laelaps (Ancient Greek: Λαῖλαψ, meaning the storm-wind) a fierce female hunting dog that never failed to catch what was hunting, and a magic javelin that was always precise on the focused target.



Greek coins from Phaistos.330-350 B.C. Talos and the dog Laelaps and Zeus transformed into bull.

Soon after their mating, Zeus lost his interest on Europa, and arranged her a marriage with the Crete King Asterion. He raised the children his wife had with Zeus (Minos and Rhadamanthys) as his own and when he died he gave his throne to Minos.

Artistic representations of the abduction of Europe by Zeus

The mythical love of Zeus and Europe has been the theme for many artistic representations and achievements in the ancient and recent times.Ancient Mosaics representing the abduction of Europe by Zeus can be found on several archaeological areas across Greece, such as the   3rd century mosaic of the abduction of Europe by Zeus  in the Sparta Archeological Museum, and  the mosaic of the 3rd century B.C in  the ancient city of the island of Ko's.

Ko’s mosaic showing the abduction of Europa, 3rd century B.C.

In the palace of Vergina (ancient Aigai) one of the most beautiful mosaics of the abduction of Europe  in Macedonia was recently uncovered.



King Phillips palace was enormous even for today. It could fit 3 Parthenons, was one and half times bigger than the Greek Parliament, covering aproximetely 15 acres.
This magnificent two storey palace (13,6 meters tall) had walls made of stone limestone and bricks, decorated with colored mortar (blue,red,ochre) from Theranian earth.It had several rooms and floors covered with mosaics and geometrical depictions and a beautiful Corinthian type roof covered with bricks.

Apart from its magnificent look and built, this palace had beautiful clear analogies.It was built according to the Pythagorian theorem and the music analogy and musical climax The Pythagorians made through the cube symbolizing the earth and the combination of its elements (using the number 8 which is the harmonic mean of the number of sides in the cube (6) and the number of edges (12) ie the edge conditions of the musical analogy).

The palace was ready possibly at 336BC when the wedding celebrations of his daughter Europa took place.
According to the chief of the excavation in ancient Aiges Ms Kottaridou, ''Phillip has chosen the theme of Europe’s abduction for the floor of the most important room of the palace not accidently.This magnificent king who had named his daughter Europa, may have thought himself as a European conqueror'', made clear Ms Kotaridou, thinking that the palace in Aiges could be the ‘’Parthenon of Macedonia’’.

Excavations on the ancient city of Zeugma (Turkey), called ''the Seleukia of Euphrates'' in the Hellenistic era, revealed two amazing mosaics- one depicting Triton, and another one depicting the myth of the abduction of Europe by Zeus.

Triton or Tritos was the son of Poseidon and Amphitrite.

Triton was a fish from the waist below and his strong blow would make sounds of huge waves of the angry seas. Before long Poseidon an Amphitrite’s precious son Triton had many babies from many mermaids.

Mosaic:Zeugma(Turkey) The Abduction of Europe by Zeus

USEFUL TIPS

Getting to Gortyna-Gortyn

To travel by yourself to Gortyn, drive south out of Iraklio (Heraklion) following the road toward Mires (also spelled Moires). Keep going south. Signs will alert you to Gortyn which appears suddenly out of olive groves along the right side of the road when coming from Heraklion.
• Gortyn Tickets: 4 Euro
• Open: daily from 8am to 7:30pm (but it's a good idea to check if going late in the season.)

Getting to Vergina (Ancient ‘Aiges’)

The municipality of Vergina(ancient ‘Aiges’,is situated 13 kilometres northeast of Veroia, the capital of Imathia, and aproximetely 80kilometres northwest of Thessaloniki.Vergina stands at the bottom of Pierian Mountain, 120 metres above sea. Population is about 2000 people.
To get to Vergina by bus, go from Thessaloniki KTEL Main Terminal to Veria, and take a bus to the site from there. If going by train, get off at Veria Station. A local "blue" bus takes passengers from the outlying station into town, where you can take the KTEL bus. Be attentive if coming by car: the route is not well marked from Pella.
• Cost: EUR 8
• Open: June-Oct., Mon. noon-7, Tues.-Sun. 8-7:30; Nov.-May, Tues.-Sun. 8:30-3.00

Getting to Dictaion Andron

Dikti or Dicte (Greek: Δίκτη) (or Lassithiotika Ori, Greek: Λασιθιώτικα Όρη) is a mountain range on the east of the island of Crete in the prefecture of Lassithi. Dictaion Andron cave is located on Psichro. It is 48km east of Heraklion and 52km west of Agios Nikolaos, near the village Psichro.From there take a 800m walk, or hire a mule.Open: October to March, daily from 8:30-15:00.April to September daily from 8:30-19.00.
Entrance Fee: adults 2.50 Euro. Mule 6 Euro.