Europa, << yu ROH puh >>, in Greek mythology, was the beautiful daughter of Agenor, king of the city of Tyre in Phoenicia. The god Zeus fell in love with her. He disguised himself as a handsome white bull and tempted Europa to climb on his back. Zeus then swam to the island of Crete and made love to her. Zeus and Europa had three sons. They were Minos, Rhadamanthys, and Sarpedon.
Agenor ordered his sons to search for Europa, but they never found her. One of these sons, Cadmus, founded the Greek city of Thebes while searching (see Cadmus). Europa eventually married Asterius, the king of Crete.
The continent of Europe is named for Europa. Zeus’s disguise as a bull is commemorated by the constellation Taurus and as a sign of the zodiac.
