Alcyone

Site Library Library of Hellas

Alcyone

Associated to Place: AncientWorlds > Hellas > Thessalia > articles -- by * Alerissa Nestor (37 Articles), Social Article

Related Links

	The story of Alcyone and Ceyx, by Thomas Bulfinch
	Hellas > Thessalia

Alcyone

The Goddess of the Sea, the Moon, Calm, and Tranquility

Hellas is celebrating the Festival of Alcyone with two events. Come join us!

Graphic Decorating Contest

Big Fat Greek Holiday Chat

The Myth

Alcyone (or Halcyone) was in Greek mythology a demi-goddess, sometimes regarded as one of the Pleiades. More often she was thought of as the daughter of Aeolus and wife of Ceyx, King of Trachis, a city in southern Thessaly. They were a happy couple, but when Ceyx perished in a shipwreck when he was journeying to the oracle at Delphi, Alcyone threw herself into the sea. Out of pity, the gods changed the pair into kingfishers or halcyons.

Since Alcyone made her nest on the beach, and waves threatened to destroy it, Zeus forbade the winds to blow and made the waves be calm seven days before and after the winter solstice, the breeding season of the halcyon.

The kingfisher is thus associated in Greek myth with the winter solstice, and the expression "halcyon days", which comes from this myth, figuratively means a time of peace and tranquility.

In a less romantic version of the tale, the gods transformed Ceyx into a sea swallow and Alcyone into a kingfisher or halcyon, as a sign of wrath and punishment, since they had dared to compare themselves to Zeus and Hera.

Sources

http://www.pantheon.org/articles/a/alcyone.html
http://www.blueroebuck.com/halcyon__kingfisher.htm
http://homepage.mac.com/cparada/GML/Ceyx.html

-Article by Anna Hippon & Alerissa Nestor

Aule

~ Table of Contents ~

Marathon Quiz Results

Alcyone

Demeter, the Mother Goddess
Vergina Tombs Tour by Kallistos Alexandros - Page 1
Vergina Tombs Tour by Kallistos Alexandros - Page 2
Vergina Tombs Tour by Kallistos Alexandros - Page 3
Vergina Tombs Tour by Kallistos Alexandros - Page 4
Piraeus Quiz Results
Macedon Quiz Results
Macedon Quiz - Answers
Love Stories of the Trojan War - Quiz Plaques
Calendar of Events
Vergina Tombs Tour by Kallistos Alexandros - Page 5
Aphrodite, Goddess of Love and Beauty
Ancient Gods
Hellas Hood Project - Progress Report
AncientWorlds Frequently Asked Questions
Bronze Statuary in Ancient Greece
Upgrading Your AW Subscription
Macedon Quiz
To-Do List
Hellas' Neighborhoods
ACTA Index
Hellas ACTA
Quote Trivia - Answer
ACTA Global News - pg 2
Test
Hellas ACTA 10/06
Germania GF06 ACTA
ACTA - Egypt 10/06
Test
Medusa
AW Groups Sorted by Topic

Posted Nov 22, 2004 - 15:10 , Last Edited: Nov 30, 2004 - 00:22