Alcyone
Alcyone and her husband Ceyx called themselves Zeus and Hera; as punishment, both were transformed into kingfisher birds — but their love endured.
The Myth of Alcyone
Alcyone and Ceyx were so happy that they arrogantly compared themselves to Zeus and Hera. When Ceyx was killed in a shipwreck, Alcyone found his body washed ashore and threw herself into the sea. The gods, moved by their love, transformed both into kingfishers (alcyons). Zeus decreed that for seven days each winter, the seas would be calm so the kingfisher could nest on the water — these were the halcyon days.
Parents
Aeolus
Symbols
Words We Inherited
English words and phrases that trace back to this myth. See our full guide to English words from Greek mythology.
Explore Further
Ceyx and Alcyone
🗡 herotransformation
King and queen who loved each other so deeply the gods transformed them into kingfisher birds to be together after death.
Alcyone
🗡 heroLove, transformation, birds
Queen of Trachis who was transformed into a kingfisher bird alongside her devoted husband Ceyx
Scylla
🌿 nymphBeautiful nymph transformed into a monster
Scylla was originally a beautiful sea nymph who was transformed into a six-headed monster by the jealous Circe or Amphitrite.
Amphitrite
🌿 nymphQueen of the sea
Amphitrite was the Nereid who became queen of the sea as Poseidon's wife.
Callisto
🌿 nymphNymph transformed into the Great Bear
Callisto was a companion of Artemis who was seduced by Zeus and transformed into a bear — placed in the sky as Ursa Major, the Great Bear constellation.
Arethusa
🌿 nymphNymph who became a freshwater spring
Arethusa was a nymph of Artemis who was pursued by the river god Alpheus and transformed into a freshwater spring on the island of Ortygia in Syracuse.
Halia
🌿 nymphthe sea, salt
A sea nymph of Rhodes who bore six sons and a daughter to Poseidon before throwing herself into the sea in grief.
Scylla
🐉 creaturetransformation
Beautiful nymph transformed into a six-headed sea monster by Circe's poison, eternally lurking in a strait opposite Charybdis.
Callianassa
🌿 nymphBeautiful queenship, noble grace
Nereid sea nymph whose name means "beautiful queen," embodying the regal splendour of the sea
Halcyon
💭 conceptPeace, tranquility, golden age
A period of calm and prosperity, from the mythical halcyon bird that calmed the winter seas.
Periboea
🌿 nymphthe sea, giants
A Naiad or sea nymph who bore the giant Nausithous to Poseidon, becoming the ancestress of the Phaeacians.
Clytie
🌿 nymphtransformation
Ocean nymph who loved Helios so desperately that she sat watching him cross the sky until she transformed into a heliotrope flower.