The word of the day today is halcyon.
I’ve always loved this word. Friday was, indeed, a blissfully calm day because I did absolutely nothing and was okay with it. Alright, that’s not true. I stayed in the newsroom for a good, long while and took in a lovely walk from the Missourian to the Boone County Library. But that was very nice, particularly at sunset.
Halcyon, from the Latin…wait for it…halcyon, from the Greek halkyōn. The halcyon is a mythical bird, often associated with the kingfisher. Legend has it that this bird nests around the winter solstice and provides calm seas and good weather — hence the term “halcyon days.”
It’s also derived from a Greek myth, the myth of Alcyone and Ceyx, two lovers who (predictably?) upset the gods by flaunting their happiness and young, perfect love and were punished. The gods killed Ceyx in a shipwreck and Alcyone, mourning, threw herself into the ocean and drowned when his body washed ashore to join him in the land of the dead. The gods, then suddenly repentant, turned the pair into halcyon birds so they could be with each other forever. Every year when the pair nests, Aeolus — god of the winds and Alcyone’s father — calms the seas.
Moral of the story: Don’t be so gosh-darned pleased with yourself.
