Modern understanding of Greek mythology mythology to the still poorly understood pre-Hellenic societies of Greece, such as the Minoans and so-called Pelasgians. This is especially true in the case of chthonic deities and mother goddesses. Historians of religion were fascinated by a number of apparently ancient configurations of myth connencted with Crete: the god as bull — Zeus and Europa; Pasiphaë who yields to the bull and gives birth to the Minotaur; agrarian mysteries with a sacred marriage (Demeter's union with Iasion) etc. Crete, Mycenae, Pylos, Thebes and Orchomenus figure so large in later Greek mythology. For some, the three main generations of gods in
Crete B, through the words "ke-re-te" (*"Krētes"; later Greek: , plural of ), "ke-re-si-jo" (*"Krēsijos"; later Greek: ), "Cretan". In Ancient Greek, the name Crete () first appears in Homer's Odyssey. Its etymology is unknown. One proposal derives it from a hypothetical Luwian word, "*kursatta" (cf. "kursawar" "island", "kursattar" "cutting, sliver"). In Latin, it became "Creta". The original Arabic name of Crete was "Iqrīṭiš" ( < , but after the Emirate of Crete's establishment of its new capital at "Rabḍ al-Ḫandaq" (modern Iraklion), both the city and the island became known as ("Chandax") or ("Chandakas"), which gave Latin and Venetian "Candia",