important question

[Daniel6]

I have an important question, why is Europe called that? in mythology Europa was a woman who was raped by Zeus in the form of a bull

 

[NoXInvia]

I have an important question, why is Europe called that? in mythology Europa was a woman who was raped by Zeus in the form of a bull

The word "Europe" derives directly from Europa (Εὐρώπη), the figure in Greek mythology as detailed in the provided Britannica entry:
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Europa-Greek-mythology .

Europa, in Greek mythology, the daughter either of Phoenix or of Agenor, king of Phoenicia. The beauty of Europa inspired the love of Zeus, who approached her in the form of a white bull and carried her away from Phoenicia to Crete. There she bore Zeus three sons: Minos, ruler of Crete; Rhadamanthys, ruler of the Cyclades Islands; and, according to some legends, Sarpedon, ruler of Lycia. She later married Asterius, the king of Crete, who adopted her sons, and she was worshipped under the name of Hellotis in Crete, where the festival Hellotia was held in her honour.

More info: https://www.britannica.com/story/where-does-the-name-europe-come-from

THE RAPTURE OF EUROPE
The etymology of the word Europe derives from Eureia Opē, meaning "Opening of Inner Vision." In the myth of Europa, we encounter the symbolism of knowledge itself, while the tale of Cadmus embodies the seeker in pursuit of that wisdom.
Cadmus founded the city of Thebes in Greece to honor his cherished birthplace, Thebes in Egypt.

When Zeus abducted Europa from Phoenicia, her parents—King Agenor (agan + anēr = pious man) and his wife Telephassa (tēle + phaos = vision from afar)—commanded their son Cadmus to set sail with ships and an army to retrieve her.
One sunlit day, Europa wandered to the meadows by the seashore with her friends, eager to play and gather flowers. There, she met the god Zeus, who was instantly struck by Eros upon beholding her beauty. To draw near, he transformed into a bull and frolicked playfully at her side.

He was breathtakingly magnificent: snow-white (not of the earth, but pure light), with gracefully spiraled horns and a gaze of gentle serenity. Leaping along the shore, he lowed with such sweet tenderness that Europa boldly climbed onto his back. In that moment, Zeus surged toward the sea, plunged into the waves with her astride him, and began to swim.

Terrified, Europa clutched his horn with her left hand to steady herself, while her right gripped her billowing veil. Miraculously, the sea grew instantly calm (for the knowledge of the world's mysteries must be held aloft, far from the profane). Erotes fluttered nearby, skimming just above the waves, their voices raised in a wedding hymn. Nereids surfaced to escort them, riding dolphins and clapping in joy, their bodies mostly bare. Tritons danced in circles around the maiden, and as the crescendo, two Tritons bore Aphrodite herself—reclining in a seashell—sprinkling the bride with a cascade of blossoms (Aphrodite to the Earth, as the Higher Self is to the Personality).

This divine procession unfolded from Phoenicia to Crete. There, Zeus bore knowledge to the island of his own nurturing, igniting the grand Minoan civilization that would radiate across the entire Mediterranean basin.
Zeus—the Mind (Dia-noia)—is seized by Eros for knowledge, yearning fiercely to claim it. Through the impregnation of finite consciousness, he bridges the chasm between the divine and the human realms.

Cadmus roamed the world in search of his sister, but unable to find her—and unwilling to return without her—he founded the city of Cadmeia, or Thebes, in Boeotia, settling there with his companions. A cow revealed the precise site (the feminine aspect of Solar forces). With Athena's aid, he slew a dragon—offspring of Ares—that guarded the god's sacred spring, earning an eight-year sentence of servitude as punishment.

Upon its completion, Ares not only pardoned Cadmus but bestowed his daughter Harmonia as his bride. Following Athena's counsel, Cadmus sowed the dragon's teeth into the soil (where Thebes' Seven Gates would rise). Armed and furious Spartoi warriors sprang forth, but Cadmus outwitted them by hurling stones; mistaking the throws for attacks from their own ranks, they turned on one another and perished.

Only five endured—Echion, Udaeus, Pelorus, Hyperenor, and Chthonius—who joined Cadmus to establish Thebes. There, Cadmus (k)ad-ō, or Ionically kēdō = to sing or psalm) wed Harmonia, daughter of Ares and Aphrodite, before journeying with her to Illyria. Their union—the Sacred Marriage—unveils the intelligible alphabet: the code of cosmic connection and communication.
From Zeus and Europa sprang three sons, the great transformers of the Mediterranean world.

This isn't surface myth—it's a key to Europe's soul: from abduction to apotheosis, wide-eyed endurance births rulers of the golden age.

If you crave the "basic" (bull-rape), linger on the surface of concepts—beauty, desire, abduction as divine whim. But for depth (knowledge=inner vision), delve into esotericism (Plato's Cratylus, Orphica fragments, Minoan archaeology). Which pulls you?