Crete, the largest Greek island, holds a special place in mythology: here the king of the gods was supposedly born, and here, through the myth of Europa, the story of our continent began.
The birth of Zeus
To save her son from her husband Cronus, who swallowed his children, the goddess Rhea took refuge on Crete and gave birth to Zeus in a cave. Tradition names two places: the Diktaean Cave, on Mount Dikti above the Lasithi plateau, and the Idaean Cave, on Mount Ida, the island's highest mountain. The baby was fed on the milk of the goat Amalthea and the honey of mountain bees, while the Curetes danced, clashing spears on shields to drown his cries. One of Amalthea's horns broke off and became the cornucopia, the horn of plenty. See the origin of the world.
The abduction of Europa
Europa was a Phoenician princess, daughter of King Agenor of Tyre. One day she was gathering flowers by the sea with her companions when Zeus, in love with her, turned into a beautiful, gentle white bull. Europa stroked it, offered it flowers and climbed on its back: the bull then plunged into the sea and swam to Crete. On the island, near Gortyn, under a plane tree that has never lost its leaves since, Zeus revealed himself. They had three sons: Minos, future king of Crete, Rhadamanthys and Sarpedon. Minos and Rhadamanthys later became judges of the dead in the underworld.
The Latin poet Ovid tells the scene in the Metamorphoses, and the abduction of Europa was painted by Titian, Rembrandt and many others. The bull became the constellation Taurus.
Minos and the Minotaur
Europa's son Minos became the powerful king of Knossos. Another great story begins with him: Poseidon's bull, the Minotaur and the labyrinth built by Daedalus. Archaeologists named the civilisation of the Cretan palaces after him: the Minoan civilisation.
Places to visit
The Diktaean Cave can be visited at Psychro, on the Lasithi plateau: you descend among stalactites to a small underground lake. The Idaean Cave, at almost 1,500 metres, is reached from Anogia. At Gortyn you can see the ruins of the Roman city and the famous law code carved in stone. See the Crete guide and places of myth.