Crete within the mythology.

Within the Greek mythology Crete has an important role. Zeus, in Greek pronounced as ‘Zefs’, was the father of the gods and people and was born on Crete. Besides that he was also the father of the Minoan dynasty. He found his last resting place at the foot of the Jouchtas mountain, South of Herklion.

The Greek mythology begins with Ouranos, the ruler of the ‘Old World’. He had his children locked up in the body of his wife, the goddess Gaia, which means ‘earth’. Kronos rebelled against his father and he was succesfull in seizing the thrown. He married his sister Rhea. Ouranos predicted that Kronos also would be dethroned by his childeren and out of fear Kronos decided to eat his children straight after birth. Zeus was the only one to escape his fate. Rhea gave Kronos a stone wrapped in clothes, that he, assuming it was a newborn baby, devoured.

Zeus grew up in the cave of Dikti near the plateau of Lassithi. As a grown up man he managed to penetrate into the royal household of his father and gave him an emetic. Kronos threw up and his children and the stone came out. The brothers and sisters chose Zeus to be their leader and after a battle of ten years he finally took place on the olympic thrown.
Zeus also became the father of the Minoan dynasty. He fell in love with Europe, the daughter of the Fenicische king Agenor. In order to approach her he came up with a trick. When Europe was playing on the beach with her friends, Zeus sat down in front of the women disguised as a bull. Europe overcame her fear for the animal and even climbed on its back. At that moment the bull jumped up and Europe was kidnapped. The bull and the young girl arrived at the beach of Matala. The bull transformed into Zeus and he made love to her underneath the tree in Gortys. Europe gave birth to Minos, Rhadamanthis and Sarpedon. Minos managed to gain the power. He ruled Crete from Knossos. His brother Rhadamanthis moved into the palace in Festos and Sarpedon had the palace of Malia as his residence.