Introduction
Europa is a Phoenician princess, daughter of King Agenor of Tyre and sister of Cadmus, best known for being carried off by Zeus, disguised as a magnificent white bull, to the island of Crete. She is, by him, the mother of Minos, Rhadamanthus and Sarpedon, and the continent of Europe is traditionally said to take its name from her.
This figure marks the point where the genealogy of the gods gives way to the genealogy of heroes. A fuller account of their adventures belongs to a separate treatment of the Greek Heroic Cycle; this article covers their divine parentage and place in that transition.
Family
- Husband: Zeus
- Sons: Minos, Rhadamanthus, Sarpedon
The bull and the abduction
Zeus, smitten with Europa, transformed himself into a tame, beautiful white bull and mingled with her father's herds. Europa, charmed by the gentle animal, climbed onto its back to play, whereupon it rushed into the sea and swam with her all the way to Crete.
Sons and the search
On Crete, Europa bore Zeus three sons: Minos, Rhadamanthus and Sarpedon. Her brother Cadmus was sent by their father to find her, and, failing, went on instead to found the city of Thebes, a story that connects Europa's own myth to the founding legend of another major Greek city.