cow The cow, like the bull, was a common farm animal found in Greek mythology.

cow The cow, like the bull, was a common farm animal found in Greek mythology. It was an animal A corner of the Temple of Apollo in Corinth, Greece, probably built in the sixth century B.C., still stands on a hilltop. It is now a prominent tourist attraction. important to the worship of some gods and used in ceremonies or initiation rites. Zeus, the supreme Greek god, fell in love with Io, the daughter of a river god and a priestess to Hera, wife of Zeus. Furious at her husband's infidelity, Hera threatened Io, so Zeus turned the maiden into a white cow or heifer, who then wandered and grazed over the Earth. Cadmus, son of King Agenor and founder of the city of Thebes, took the advice of the Oracle he consulted and followed a specific cow until she stopped. On that spot, Cadmus built a fortress that would become the center of Thebes. In some cult ceremonies, girls being initiated into service as priestesses to Hera had their hair cut short and their skin painted white and were sent to wander in the hills. This was to re-create the story of the three young girls, known as the Proetides or Proitids, whom Hera had turned into cows after they had made fun of a statue of her. Followers of Zeus, Pan, Demeter, and Athene, often sacrificed cows to these deities.