Page 16 - Talkingwiththebirds_Eng
P. 16
Μyth of alkyonides
The “Halcyon days” have taken their name from Alcyone, who was transformed by Zeus
into a sea bird. According to greek mythology, Alcyone was the daughter of the god of winds,
Aeolus. Zeus one day got angry with her and her husband and transformed her into a sea bird.
He condemned her to lay her eggs in January, in the heart of winter. But as she was building her
nest near the shore, the wild waves grabbed her little ones. She begged Zeus to forgive her and
then he gave her 14 days of good weather, without winds and waves. That is, exactly the days
she needed to lay her eggs. The seabird is called kingfisher and is found off the coast of Greece.
And the 14 days of sunny, spring weather from mid January to mid February, have taken their
name from it and are called “Alkyonides”.
.
