< Europa, daughter of Phoenix >
1 Origin
Europa (or Europe) was born in Thebes, Nile Delta, Egypt, in 1445 BC.
Europa's father was Phoenix, son of Agenor. [Apo.3.1.1, Dictys.1.2, Diod.5.78.1, Hyginus.155]
Europa's mother was Perimede, daughter of Oeneus. [Paus.7.4.1]
2 Family
Europa married Asterius, son of Tectamus. [Diod.4.60.2]
Tectamus was the son of Dorus, son of Hellen, son of Deucalion. [Diod.4.60.2]
Europa and Asterius had no children, and Europa had a son, Minos. [Apo.3.1.2]
2.1 First husband
When Minos married Androgeneia from Phaistos, he lived in Cydonia, northwest of Crete. [Nonnus.13.222]
Probably, Europa left her son in Cydonia and remarried Asterius, who lived in Cnossus.
A genealogy shows that the person living in Cydonia at Europa's marriageable age was Cydon, son of Tegeates, who had just founded Cydonia. [Paus.8.53.4]
The marriage of Cydon's son Cardys to the daughter of Europa's sister Astypalaea also suggests that Europa's first husband was Cydon. [See Cardys]
2.2 Children
2.2.1 False traditions
Many traditions say that Minos, Sarpedon, and Rhadamanthys (or Rhadamanthus) were the sons of Europa. [Apo.3.1.1, AugustCity.18.12, Diod.4.60.2, Hesiod.CW.F19, Hyginus.155, Hyginus.178, JeromeChro.1444, TzeAdLyco.1283]
However, Minos' brother Rhadamanthys married Amphitryon's wife Alcmene after his death in Thebes. [Apo.2.4.11, 3.1.2, GrAntho.3.13, Plut.Lysa.28, TzeAdLyco.50]
In the legend, Cadmus came to Boeotia in search of Europa and settled in Thebes. Thus, Europa's sons lived at the same time as Heracles, son of Amphitryon and Alcmene.
This is quite different from Herodotus's account, who asserts that Europa lived five generations before Heracles. [Herod.2.44]
2.2.2 Minos
The reason for the false tradition is that there was a famous Minos one generation before Heracles.
The following is known about Europa's son Minos.
1) Minos had a son Asterios, born to Androgeneia from Phaistos. [Nonnus.13.222]
2) Minos had a son Lycastus, born to Itone, daughter of Lyctius. [Diod.4.60.3]
2.2.3 Cardys
Europa's first husband Cydon had a son named Cardys. [See Cardys]
3 Others
3.1 Tradition
The tradition about Europa is as follows:
Europa was abducted from Tyre in Phoenicia by the Cretans. [Herod.1.2]
Europa, who already had a child, was married to Asterius, king of the Cretans. [Apo.3.1.2, Diod.4.60.3]
Asterius died and was succeeded by Minos, son of Europa. [Diod.4.60.3]
3.2 Estimates
However, the historical facts are estimated as follows.
In 1430 BC, Europa migrated from Egypt to Tyre in Phoenicia accompanied by her father. [Estimated from Herod.1.2]
It is estimated that this was due to the oppression of Greeks living in the Nile Delta by Egyptian 18th Dynasty Pharaoh Thutmose III.
In 1425 BC, Europa and her sister Astypalaea joined a migrant group led by Cadmus.
When the migrant group stayed in Cydonia in the northwest of Crete, Europa, who was in the migrant group, married Cydon, the founder of Cydonia.
In 1420 BC, the northern part of Crete was hit by a tsunami, Cydon died, and Europa and her sons survived.
A migrant group led by Tectamus, the son of Dorus, settled in Crete from Peloponnesus. [Diod.4.60.2, 5.80.2]
Europa remarried Asterius, son of Tectamus. [Apo.3.1.2, Diod.4.60.3]
After Asterius' death, Europa's son Minos succeeded him. [Diod.4.60.3]
