Taurus

The story

Taurus' mythological ancestor is Zeus's white-bull form. The Phoenician princess Europa was gathering flowers with her friends by the sea when a white bull appeared before her — soft, gleaming, offering gifts. Europa fearlessly mounted the bull. In that moment the bull was Zeus; he leapt into the air and carried Europa across the sea to Crete. There Zeus returned to his true form and joined Europa; they had three sons — Minos, Rhadamanthys, Sarpedon. The continent of Europe carries her name. Another Taurus myth is the Cretan white bull: the bull Pasiphae fell in love with, the father of the Minotaur. Bull worship was central to ancient Crete — these myths take root there.

Into the sky

Zeus placed the bull form that abducted Europa in the sky to honor it. The Bull's eye is the royal star Aldebaran.

Themes

• Zeus's bull
• Europa's abduction
• white bull
• power of love