Zeus's Love Affairs (Part 4) - Taurus and Europa
Europa was the prized gem of King Agenor of Phoenicia.
She once had a dream in which two women argued over her, both wanting her to go with them. One of them claimed that she was destined to be Zeus's lover. These two women symbolized Europe and Asia.
Upon waking, Europa was confused. But she quickly dismissed it as just a dream and went to join her friends on the grassy shores.
In the heavens above, Zeus witnessed Europa's beauty and was smitten. He noticed a herd of nearby cows and came up with a plan: he transformed himself into a white bull with a crescent moon mark and mingled with the herd, gradually getting closer.
Europa soon took notice of Zeus, after all, she had never seen such a beautiful bull before.
Zeus acted docile and friendly, allowing the girls to pet him and eat the flowers and leaves they offered. Finally, he lay down, indicating that the girls could even ride on his back. Encouraged by her friends, Europa did just that.
Once Zeus's "trick" succeeded, he slowly walked towards the sea with her. And when the girls were distracted by their laughter and chatter, he plunged into the ocean. Despite Europa's cries for help and the calls from the people on the shore, he never looked back.
Europa was taken to the island of Crete, where Zeus transformed back into his true form as the king of gods. It was then that Europa realized she had been deceived, but there was nothing she could do.
She settled there and gave birth to three sons, with her eldest, Minos, becoming the king of Crete. To compensate her, Zeus named the land after her: Europa, which also became the etymology of the word "Europe."
And to commemorate this successful seduction, Zeus elevated his bull form into the starry sky, creating the "Taurus" constellation.
