Owner Comments:
2E 2002:
In 2002, Greece released a 2-Euro coin featuring Europa, the personification of Europe based on the mythological fable of “The Abduction of Europa”. The reverse of the coin highlights the member nations of the European Union in the form of a map. Each of the member nations of the European Union including Greece mints their own coins.
As the myth goes, Europa was a beautiful Phoenician woman of high social status. Her lineage descends from the nymph Io who herself was seduced by Zeus. Due to the jealousy of Zeus’s wife Hera, Zeus transforms Io into a heifer to protect her from Hera. Now impassioned with desire for Europa, Zeus changes himself into a white bull and mingles in with the herd of Europa’s father. One day while gathering flowers, Europa encounters the white bull and is herself charmed. Gradually enticed, Europa finally climbs up on the bulls back. Seizing the opportunity to abduct Europa, the white bull leaps into the sea and swims to the island of Create with Europa seated on his back.
Later the Romans adapted this story to their chief god Jupiter and the following paragraph is their version of the “Abduction of Europa” written by the Roman poet Ovid (43 BC to AD 17 or 18):
And gradually she lost her fear, and he
Offered his breast for her virgin caresses,
His horns for her to wind with chains of flowers
Until the princess dared to mount his back
Her pet bull's back, unwitting whom she rode.
Then—slowly, slowly down the broad, dry beach—
First in the shallow waves the great god set
His spurious hooves, then sauntered further out
'til in the open sea he bore his prize
Fear filled her heart as, gazing back, she saw
The fast receding sands. Her right hand grasped
A horn, the other lent upon his back
Her fluttering tunic floated in the breeze.
Interestingly, “The Abduction of Europa” is also written in the stars as the constellation Taurus. Furthermore, both Io and Europa have a moon named after them orbiting the planet Jupiter. The picture of Europa that accompanies my coin features Europa’s namesake moon in the sky above her.
This coin came to me as a gift from The BRG Collection, many thanks.
Gary