The second generation of 10 euro notes was put into circulation on Tuesday. The new notes are durable and more secure with high-tech inks that change under different light sources and according to the different angles in which they are held. A new complex hologram and raised ink print and watermarks makes forgery harder than ever before. The notes include a portrait watermark of the Cretan moon goddess Europa as well as her hologram.

The bill, introduced last January, circulated for the first day on Tuesday. It is the same size as the existing 10 euro note that will gradually be phased out.

 Who is Europa?

The Cretan moon goddess was a virgin Phoenician princess abducted by Zeus in the form of a white bull. She succumbed to the bull’s charms, stroked it and straddled it only to be taken away. He raped her and abandoned her in a cave on Crete. She pleaded with him but he promised that she would bear him many famous sons. Her sons include King Minos and King Rhadamanthus.