Europe Named After Greek Mythology Princess Fact Checked

Skip to main content · Nick Metcalfe, New Mills, UK Europa - a lover of Zeus from Greek mythology. To protect her from his jealous wife, Zeus appeared as a white bull who swam to safety across the ocean with Europa on his back

In Greek mythology, Europa (/jʊəˈroʊpə, jə-/; Ancient Greek: Εὐρώπη, romanized: Eurṓpē ... ) was a Phoenician princess said to have been abducted by Zeus in the form of a bull.

; Attic Greek pronunciation: [eu̯.rɔ̌ː.pɛː]) or Europe is the name of the following figures: Europa, one of the 3,000 Oceanids, water-nymph daughters of the Titans Oceanus and his sister-spouse Tethys. In some accounts, her mother was called Parthenope and her sister was Thrace. Europa was the mother of Dodonaeus (Dodon) by Zeus. Europa, second wife of Phoroneus and mother of Niobe. Europa, a Phoenician princess ...

Europa is a figure from Greek mythology who later gave her name to the continent of Europe. In one popular version of her story Europa was a Phoenician princess who was abducted by Zeus and whisked off to Crete; King Minos, he of the labyrinth ...

The name Europa has a rich tapestry of meaning and origin woven from Greek mythology and ancient geography. It is derived from the Greek word "Eurṓpē" (Εὐρώπη), which itself is of uncertain etymology.

Its origin is generally traced back to the Greek word "Eurṓpē" (Εὐρώπη), which itself has uncertain origins but is often suggested to be derived from the combination of "eurys" (εὐρύς), meaning "wide" or "broad," and "ops" (ὤψ), meaning "face" or "eye."

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As is so often the case with women in Greek mythology, she disappears from sight once she has fulfilled her purpose. But her memory has been kept alive. After all, an entire continent – Europe – has been named after the Phoenician princess.

She was powerless to defend herself against Zeus due to the fact he is, of course, the omnipotent deity of the Greek world but still her story fades to the background. It is Zeus, Ovid and Horace who have the final say in the matter with Europa’s side of the story seemingly non-existent. I think we can learn a lot from this myth aside from the fanticised origin of Europe’s name.