Rembrandt, Guido Reni, Titian, Paolo Veronese, Francois Boucher, Valentin Serov … It seems that the list goes on and on. “What can unite these great artists?” - you ask. Only one thing is the abduction of Europe …
Sleep on the eve
Once the beautiful Europe - the Phoenician princess - had an amazing dream. She stands with her head bowed, and in front of her are two women. They are arguing hotly about something. Words can not make out. She listens and understands that one of them is called Azil (Asia), and she is her mother. She nurtured and raised her, therefore, she has the right to live with her beautiful daughter. But the second, a suspicious stranger, does not back down, and resolutely declares that Europe (ancient Greek mythology) will be presented to her by the supreme god - Zeus, and she will be called her name.
The young virgin woke up in horror: what is the hidden meaning of the dream? And that hour went to pray, humbly asking the gods to protect her from possible misfortunes …
stroll
Time has passed. Dressed Europe (mythology) in purple and gold clothes and went for a walk with friends to the seashore. There, in the thick, dense green flowering meadows, beautiful Sidon virgins gathered flowers. Bright violets, delicate lilies, snow-white daffodils - which were not in their golden baskets. The daughter of Agenor was not inferior to them either in beauty or in dexterity, and even vice versa, like Aphrodite, she shone with her splendor, grace. In her basket were only red roses …
Having gathered flowers, they easily, with a laugh, joined hands and began, drowning, to lead a round dance. Their cheerful young voices were carried by the wind far, far: in the fields, and in the meadows, and in the blue sea. They seemed to drown and fill the whole space. Cron's son, mighty Zeus, could not help but hear them …
The abduction of Europe
Suddenly, no one knows where a huge bull appears in the meadow, dazzlingly white with golden horns bent in the shape of a crescent. Who is this unexpected guest? Where did he come from and where is he going? The girls came closer and, not without fear, began to watch the wondrous beast. They had never seen him before. It seems that their unbridled amusement and loud voices brought him here. Well then, let's play together! But the bull, peacefully waving its tail, circumvents young beauties and approaches Europe. His breath was surprisingly light and fragrant.
- What is it? The princess thought. - Really ragweed?
The air around was filled with the scent of immortality. The daughter of Tsar Agenor could not resist, and also began to stroke the miracle of the beast, gently hugging and kissing his mighty neck and head. A beautiful bull lay at the girl’s feet, thereby inviting her to sit on his back. Realizing the hint, laughing, not suspecting anything, she perched on the mighty golden-horned back. Immediately the eyes of a peaceful animal were filled with blood, he jumps up and rushes to the sea shore.
The escape
Frightened by the Sidonki. They started screaming, calling for help. But all is useless. The bull has already jumped into the sea …
Europe was also scared (the mythology of Ancient Greece is famous for its combination of love and drama). But she had no choice but to sit quietly on the back of either an animal, or … She clings to the golden horn with one hand, and the other picks up the edge of her dress so as not to get wet from the salty waves. Her fears are superfluous: Poseidon himself - the god of the sea and Zeus's brother - rushes ahead in his chariot, so that not a single sea creature will interfere with the bull, so that not a single salty drop falls on the princess. Even the sea wind, not wanting to quarrel, pacified its sharp impulses.
There was not even the slightest doubt in Europe: God himself took the form of its formidable kidnapper. But which one? In the palace of her father, she saw many foreigners: some were from Libya, others from Assyria, and others from Egypt. She distinguished them only by their clothes. Obviously, God decided to outwit everyone, and adopted the image of a bull so that the father, after hearing the story of the abduction, did not figure out where to look for his daughter. Here the golden-headed one turned his head, and - Oh, a miracle! - not a drop of rage in the eyes, only a bottomless depth, some kind of thoughtfulness and kindness. They became almost human …
The long-awaited beach
Native shores have long disappeared from sight. They were surrounded only by an endless water desert. Suddenly, a rocky shore appeared in the distance. The beast swam faster. “No, this is not the land of Egypt, ” the captive suggested. The king of Sidon - Agenor (and the Ocean in ancient Roman legends) - once said that the place where the Nile River flows into the sea is more like a palm - flat, without a single hollow or mountain. Rather, it's some kind of island …
It was the island of Crete. Finally, the wanderers made it onto land. The bull allowed Europe to descend, and shook himself. A hail of cold spray poured from head to toe. Seeing nothing and not understanding what was happening, she began to quickly wipe her eyes and face. When I woke up, I saw a beautiful young man with a diadem on his head. Zeus - this is who the bull miracle turned out to be!
