1 Abstract This paper analyses the symbols of European identity through the historical lenses of mythology and etymology by assessing the Greek myth of Europa and the precursory term 'ereb', respectively. By treating these two histories as practices in semiotics – of signs and symbols – I argue that we can begin the process of articulating broader symbolic deficits that play a direct role in the modern construction of European identity. This endeavour might also serve to locate additional investigatory spaces for future historical explorations into the constitutive elements of European symbolism. To better understand the role of symbols and the symbolic deficit, this paper shall utilize the work of Michael Bruter and his significant contribution to the field of European identity and symbolism. By assessing these three elements (myth, etymology, and the symbolic deficit) this paper aims to contribute to the numerous and varied attempts of evaluating a historical antecedent for shared symbols within European identity. Many of you in this room identify as Europeans but you are missing something: the peoples of Europe do not identify with that flag. They do not identify with these institutions… If you’re on the payroll it’s easy to say it works, isn’t it? But actually out there in the real world there is not a European demos, there is not a European identity… We want to live in nation states, not false artificial creations. -Nigel Farage, European Parliament Plenary Session (5 March 2018) 1. Introduction Underlying the curious irony in Mr. Farage’s quote lies a serious question to be asked: what is a European identity? The question, while discussed ad nauseam, is misleading in its simplicity as it presupposes a number of temporal, geographic, ethnographic, economic, and