Halcyon (Alcyone in Greek) was the daughter of Aeolus, the God of the Winds. Halcyon was married to the mortal king Ceyx and they lived by the sea. Ceyx drowned in a huge storm despite the warnings of Halcyon. Poseidon (the God of the Sea) brought his body to his wife’s arms. Halcyon was desperate and threw herself into the dark waves.
Amazed by her love and devotion, the gods decided to save her and to transform her into a seabird. They also turned Ceyx into another kingfisher so the two could live and be together. Halcyon would lay her eggs only in winter. Having her nest near the shore, close by the spot where she found the body of Ceyx, the stormy waves kept sweeping away her eggs. Therefore Zeus decided to give her some days of good and calm weather in the middle of winter: so these are the Halcyon days