Xah Lee, 2006-09
Europa↗ is a woman in Greek mythology. She is mostly known as the naming of Europe, and the rape by Zeus, knows as “Europa and the Bull”, where Zeus, the all-powerful pussy-loving male god, changed himself into a bull, and seduced and copulated with Europa.
Here's a few passage from Wikipedia:
According to legend, Zeus was enamored of her and decided to seduce or rape her, the two being near-equivalent in Greek myth. He transformed himself into a white bull and mixed in with her father's herds. While Europa and her female attendants were gathering flowers, she saw the bull and caressed his flanks and eventually got onto its back. Zeus took that chance and ran to the sea and swam, with her on his back, to the island of Crete. He then revealed his true identity, and Europa became the first queen of Crete. Zeus gave her three gifts: Talos, Laelaps and a javelin that never missed.
(Talos↗ is a automaton that defends her island, and Laelaps↗ is a dog that'll never fail to catch the prey.)
Here's a description of abduction of Europa in Metamorphoses (poem)↗ by Ovid↗ (43 BCE - 17 CE).
And gradually she lost her fear, and he Offered his breast for her virgin caresses, His horns for her to wind with chains of flowers Until the princess dared to mount his back Her pet bull's back, unwitting whom she rode. Then — slowly, slowly down the broad, dry beach — First in the shallow waves the great god set His spurious hooves, then sauntered further out 'til in the open sea he bore his prize Fear filled her heart as, gazing back, she saw The fast receding sands. Her right hand grasped A horn, the other lent upon his back Her fluttering tunic floated in the breeze.
In western society, countless artworks have drawn into Europa and the Bull. Here's a few sample.
above: Pompeii, Europa and the Bull, fresco in Pompeii, 1st century CE.
above: left: Italian commemorative coin. Right: Greek commemorative coin, featuring Europa and her Bull. (Source↗ 2008-03)
above: «Europa carried away by a bull (bronze sculpture). (full size) Present given by American citizens to captain Johnssen after completing the maiden voyage of the express-steamer EUROPA in 1930. Deutsches Schiffahrtsmuseum, Bremerhaven, Germany» Photo by Hannes Grobe source↗. ‡
above: Europa on the Bull, by Carl Milles, University of Tennessee. ‡.
above: A sculpture at Seat of the European Parliament in Strasbourg↗, France. (Photo by Elwood j blues, 2007-08) (Source↗ 2008-03)
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Page created: 2005-02. © 2005 by Xah Lee. (excluding mirrored pages or images.)