| The Myth of Europa |
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Europa, a Phoenician
princess, was gathering wildflowers in a seaside meadow when she came
upon a beautiful white bull. This bull was uncommonly gentle and did
not inspire fear. Decking its horns with flowers, Europa was at length
emboldened to climb upon its back. Whereupon the bull - actually the
god Zeus in disguise - took off at a trot and dove into the sea. Europa
was carried off to the island of Crete, where she became the mother
of King Minos.
During the Middle Ages, the word of "Europe" was not really used.
It appears again in the context of the Crusades in opposition to Islam.
At that time Islam was considered a danger and Europe
was generally described as Christendom. From the XVIth century, new
projects related to the unification of Europe were developed by intellectual
thinkers around the main idea of "perpetual peace".
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