376 THE GREEK SAGAS: GREEK LOCAL LEGENDS
The Rape ofEuropa. Limestone metope from Selinus, ca. 540 B.c.; height 58 in. Europa rides
over the sea, represented by the dolphins, upon the bull, which looks frontally at the
viewer. The formality and restraint of the relief contrast with the swirling motion of
Titian's painting. (Museo Nazionale, Palermo. Photograph courtesy ofHirmer Verlag, Munchen.)Ovid's description of the abduction (Metamorphoses 2. 846-3. 2), which should
be compared with the nearby illustrations.
Majesty and love are not well joined, nor do they sit well together. Abandoning
the dignity of his royal office, the father and ruler of the gods took on the ap-
pearance of a bull, and as a beautiful animal shambled over the tender grass.f