Ah, those halcyon days…
You have probably heard the expression, and the weather these days certainly fits the description, but this word is interesting as it relates to a familiar bird. According to Greek mythology, Alkyone, the daughter of the god of the winds, became so upset when she learned of her husband’s death in a shipwreck that she threw herself into the sea, and became transformed into a kingfisher.
As a result, the name for this bird came to be alkyon, or halcyon. The scientific name for the Belted Kingfisher is Ceryle alcyon. Greek legend has it that these birds built floating nests on the sea, where they had the power to charm the god of the wind to create a period of unusual calm that lasted until the birds’ eggs hatched. This prompted people to use “halcyon” to describe both a species of kingfisher and a period of peace.