In Greek mythology, Europa was a princess from the Phoenician city of Sidon (in what is now Lebanon), although her father Agenor was of Egyptian origin and her mother Telephassa (or alternately Argiope) was a daughter of the god of the Nile. While Europa and her maidens were out gathering flowers by the sea, the god Zeus appeared to her as a beautiful white bull who had her ride him over to the island of Crete, where together they had three sons (one of whom would become King Minos, the man who commissioned the infamous Minotaur’s Labyrinth).
As you might be able to guess, the myth of Europa is the source of our name for the subcontinent of Europe (as well as one of the planet Jupiter’s moons)…which is ironic since neither of her parents were supposed to be of European descent! Ah, well, that’s Greek mythology for you.