Oceanid nymph, eponym of the European continent
Europa
Europa is the Oceanid nymph whom Greek tradition links to the name of the European continent. She matters mainly as an eponym, the figure who gives her name to a land.
The myth
According to Hesiod's Theogony, Europa was one of the oldest Oceanids, the daughters of Oceanus and Tethys. Another version makes her a daughter of Parthenope, consort of Oceanus, alongside her sister Thrace; in both cases she is considered an eponym.
Some late sources present her as the wife of Phoroneus and mother of Niobe, while others link her to Zeus as the mother of the eponym Dodonaeus. One heavily corrupted text even calls her the wife of Oceanus rather than his daughter.
Legacy
Her name gave rise to the name of the European continent.
Ancient sources: Hesiod's Theogony places her among the Oceanids; other genealogies come from later authors.