Chrysti the Wordsmith > Radio Scripts

The Greek goddess Alcyone and her mortal husband Ceyx were so in love they made the gods jealous.

One day, Zeus and Hera spitefully conjured up a strong wind to capsize the ship in which Ceyx was journeying. When Alcyone learned the sea had claimed her husband, she threw herself into the waters to join her ill-fated lover.

In a spirit of remorse and clemency, the gods transformed Alcyone and Ceyx into a pair of seabirds, called halcyons by the Greeks.

When the halcyon couple built their nest on the sea-shore, the incoming waves destroyed it over and over. Moved again by pity, the gods commanded the waters be still while Alcyone and Ceyx constructed their nest and incubated their eggs.

Each year as the halcyons raised their young, the sea remained tranquil. This annual brooding season was said to have occurred surrounding the days of the winter solstice. Believing this period of serenity was divinely appointed, the Greeks called it "halcyon days."

This expression survives in modern English language. "Halcyon days" alludes metaphorically to a time of peace, prosperity, and happiness.

Radio Script > Halcyon Days