Europa's Bull

Introduction

While this is for the Vocal Challenge, it was inspired by this wonderful image shared by The Enchanted Booklet on Facebook here:

The music is "Europa (Earth's Cry Heaven's Smile)" by Santana

Europa's Bull

In Greek mythology, Zeus transformed into a beautiful white bull to abduct the Phoenician princess Europa, carrying her from Lebanon across the sea to Crete. Seduced by the creature's docility, she mounted him before he swam away, later revealing his identity and making her the first queen of Crete, with the continent of Europe named after her

According to some stories, Europa was seduced by more than the bull's docility. His virility also came into play, but Zeus used his power to coerce and rape many young girls, with impunity.

The reality was far from that.

Europa had a herd of cattle, which she bred and sold, making her a very wealthy woman. With great wealth comes great power, and she used it wisely.

She was the one who held the reins of power, not the men, or the animals, and she commanded great respect from most people.

When someone is successful, there are often those who are jealous of their success, and one of these was Zeus.

Zeus had a smallholding which he inherited from his father, and it just about kept him from starving. Zeus spent any money he had on drinking and gambling. He overate and couldn't fit into his clothes.

When he saw how successful Europa was, he thought, "I could have some of that", and he asked her on a date.

She declined.

This was not unusual for Zeus. No woman had ever accepted an invitation from him. He once found a drunk woman passed out and raped her. She was unaware of it, so he never got caught, but he was really an incel and talked to others who were jealous of Europa's success.

Europa was aware of Zeus'a aattitude and had security on her cattle ranch to protect her and her herd.

She had three bulls for breed and she loved them, often riding them in the fields and sometimes in the river and even in the sea at the beach.

Zeus and his cronies saw this as a slight on their manhoods, that Europa would rather consort with her bulls than real men like themselves. Their jealousy amounted to nothing, and Europa and her friends found it funny but were wary of men like that.

There were still men who did pay them real respect, but they were aware that any man could turn, no matter how good they seemed.

Then Zeus had another idea. He and his friends would spread the story that he had seduced Europa, and she was so impressed with him that she named her bull Zeus and rode him every day, thinking he was the real Zeus. He thought that as the story spread, other women would want to experience his prowess.

It was a disgusting fabrication, but a lie is round the world before the truth gets out of bed.

Europa denied the stories, but some said " there's no smoke without fire". She treated it as an annoyance, and her cattle trading business still thrived.

Anyone with a modicum of intelligence saw the tales for what they were and treated them with disdain.

However, tales are tales, and over centuries turn into legends. Zeus was transformed into a god, and Europa had a continent named after her, but the myth grew from the lies of a group of untrustworthy liars.

Remember this when you read the myths of the past. They are just stories based on something that someone thought they heard from someone else.