Ceyx

Ceyx's death in the storm, from an engraving for the Metamorphoses account of his death

See also Ceyx (disambiguation).

In Greek mythology Ceyx (Ancient Greek: Κήϋξ Kēüx; English pronunciation: /ˈsiː.ɪks/) was the son of Eosphorus and the king of Thessaly. He was married to Halcyone. They were very happy together, and according to Pseudo-Apollodorus's account, often called each other "Zeus" and "Hera". ^[1] This angered Zeus, so while Ceyx was at sea, the god threw a thunderbolt at his ship. Ceyx appeared to Halcyone as an apparition to tell her of his fate, and she threw herself into the sea in her grief. Out of compassion, the gods changed them both into halcyon birds.

Ovid ^[2] and Hyginus ^[3] both also recount the metamorphosis of the pair in and after Ceyx's loss in a storm, though they both omit Ceyx and Halcyone calling each other Zeus and Hera – and Zeus's resulting anger – as a reason for it. They both also make the metamorphosis the origin of the etymology for "halcyon days", the seven days in winter when storms never occur. They state that these were originally the seven days each year during which Halcyone (as a kingfisher) laid her eggs and made her nest on the beach and during which her father Aeolus, god of the winds, restrained the winds and calmed the waves so she could do so in safety. The phrase has since become a term used to describe a peaceful time generally.

The myth is also briefly referred to by Virgil, again without reference to Zeus's anger. ^[4]

There were two characters named Ceyx in Greek mythology. The first was the Ceyx recounted above, who was the son of Eosphorus and husband of Alcyone, both of whom were transformed into birds. The second Ceyx was a king of Trachis in Thessaly, and a nephew of Amphitryon, stepfather of Heracles. This Ceyx, king of Trachis, befriended Heracles and offered him protection against King Eurystheus. Ceyx's son Hippasus accompanied Heracles on his campaign against King Eurytus of Oechalia, during which Hippasus was slain in battle. Ceyx of Trachis also had a daughter named Themistinoe, who married King Cycnus.

Classical sources

1. ^ Apollodorus i. 7. 3 - 4)
2. ^ Ovid Metamorphoses XI, 410ff.-748 (also here)
3. ^ Hyginus Fabulae 65
4. ^ Virgil Georgics i. 399 - "[At that time] not to the sun's warmth then upon the shore / Do halcyons dear to Thetis ope their wings."

Later references

• Various kinds of kingfishers are named after the couple, in reference to the metamorphosis myth:
  • The genus Ceyx (within the River kingfishers family) is named after him.
  • The kingfisher family Halcyonidae (Tree kingfishers) is named after his wife, as is the genus Halcyon.
  • The Belted Kingfisher's Latin species name (Megaceryle alcyon) also references her name.
• Their story features in The Book of the Duchess.

External links

• Smith entry
• Perseus Encyclopaedia

This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology by William Smith (1870).