ALCYONE AND CEYX: Finding Peace Inbetween

Yes, this a Mythos Monday on a Tuesday. My apologies, dear reader. I will try not to make a habit of these late posts. I wanted to take the time to tell this particular story properly, and I hope you all appreciate it more for that reason. I am also sorry that we are going to be staying in the Mediterranean for another week. But while my muses post hopefully shed new light on the familiar, my guess is that not many of you have heard today's story: Alcyone and Ceyx. Honestly, the fact that this myth hasn't received more love is a travesty, and I will explain why later. But for now, let's just sit in the beauty of this incredible tale of fate, love, and that thing with feathers, hope.

I will be retelling Ovid's Metamorphoses version of Alcyone and Ceyx rather than the version dictated by the "historian"--that term was used rather generously back in Ancient Greece--Apollodorus. You may be wondering why I have decided to focus on the romantic drones of a Roman poet rather than going with an OG (original Greek) like Apollodorus. The answer is simple: Ovid's version is better. Yes, "better" is subjective, but is it? I mean, Apollodorus provides a vague and dry account of two lovers who are punished by the gods after referring to themselves as Zeus and Hera. Sound familiar? That's because it's the plot of every other Greek myth ever. It's another run-of-the-mill tale of hubris and animal transformation, which we all can agree, Greek mythology has enough of.

But Ovid's is different. The lovers are anything but haughty victims of Zeus' wrath and have more healthy communication in one scene than any of the gods have had since the beginning of the world. So for the sake of having an interesting story, we are all going to have to deal with the Roman names of gods. I hoped to not engage with this kind of blasphemy on my blog, but in this case, I see no ever way.

Before we begin with our lovers, let's set the scene with a little exposition. Ceyx is the young, handsome king of the Greek city-state, Trachis, and son of the morning star, Lucifer. He is a unique and beloved ruler, described as ruling "without bloodshed or force." He ruled alongside his wife, Alcyone, who was also of cosmic parentage. Although other versions giver her different parentage, Ovid has her as the daughter of Aeolus, the king of the winds. Together, the two had a love and reign that was truly divine, and they created a realm of peace around themselves and their kingdom.

The foil to the couple and their reign was Daedalion, Ceyx's warlike, he-man of a brother. However, Daedalion's life would not end in the bloody glory he would desire. After losing his daughter in the plague of hubris and vengeful gods, he was well and ready to throw himself off a cliff. But as he fell from the cliffside, Daedalion found himself caught in the breeze of Classical cliche. Apollo took pity on him and transformed him into a hawk.

While half of Greece was being transformed into animals, the other half was running away from a monstrous wolf rampaging the countryside. Why? Apparently not important enough to explain. For our purposes, all that matters is the terrorizing beast was eventually transformed into a rock by the goddess and mother of Achilles, Thetis. I love seeing that the Gods are branching out. Transforming someone into an inanimate object instead of an animal or flower? So creative.

Understandably, Ceyx was a little shaken by all of this chaos and needed answers. So he decided to consult the oracle of Delphi across the sea. Alcyone was adamant that Ceyx should stay in their kingdom and continue to gently rule. As the daughter of Aeolus, Alcyone knew what the storms could do to a man and his crew. She begged Ceyx to reconsider, but if he must go, he must take her with him:

"'My dearest, take me with you. So together We'll face the storms—I'll fear but what I feel— Together what may come we both shall bear, Together on the wide seas we shall fare.'"

If love could be distilled into a single quatrain, the above quote from Alcyone may just be that stanza. Fair warning, but I am going to be directly quoting Ovid's piece a lot in this article because the language is just too beautiful and any attempt I could make to try to capture it would in vain.

Ceyx's heart quaked at Aclyone's tearful pleas, for "in his heart love burned no less than hers. . ." Still, he couldn't sit idly while the gods wreaked havoc on his family and kingdom. So he stayed ardent and tried to soothe the anxieties of his wailing wife:

"'Long to our love seems every waiting hour, But by my father's radiance I swear, If only the Fates let me, I'll return Before the moon twice fills her silver orb.'"

Alcyone was momentarily reassured by her husband's words and gave him her blessing to go. But her fears never ceased. She watched as his ship left the harbor with the aching feeling that the Fates will not let her Ceyx return to her after all. She tried to keep hope and ready herself for his return, but her heart told her she had lost him forever.

Ceyx soon saw that his wife's anxieties were justified. As the ship sailed on, a storm began to take its terrifying shape:

"So on wild turns of chance the ship is tossed; Now lifted mountain-high she sees below Great gorges and the yawning Underworld, And now, in circling walls of water plunged Hell-deep, descries the zenith far above."

The yawning underworld? Gosh, the imagery in this is so good. Sorry "Tam Lin," but nothing compares with some well-translated Ovid.

After a long battle with the seas, Ceyx realized their fight was in vain. So he chose to spend his last moments remembering his sweet Alcyone. He thanked the gods that she was safe at home, even if everything in him was longing for her. Her name was the last thing on his lips as the waves overtook the ship. Even after his eyes closed, his lips still murmured her name. And as he was taken by a final blow of the waves, the Morning Star's light became "faint and strange," a sign of morning for the lost son of the star.

Yikes. But also, I LOVE THE IMAGERY SO MUCH!

Back in Trachis, Alcyone remained completely unaware of her husband's fate. She spent her days preparing for his return and praying to Juno to bless her Ceyx and his crew. Juno, the Roman version of Hera, was moved by passionate pleas of the young woman and could no longer stand by and watch as Alcyone lived in ignorance. It was time that Alcyone knew the truth, so she could one day process Ceyx's death.

So Juno asked Iris, the goddess of the rainbow, for a small favor. She told her the story of the lovers and told her to go to the hall of sleep to see Morpheus, the son of sleep who takes on the forms that fill our dreams. Soon after, Morpheus flew to Alcyone's bed. In her restless sleep, Aclyone opened her eyes and saw the form of Ceyx standing in front of her. However, he wasn't the lively and strong king that she had said goodbye to at the shore. This Ceyx was naked, pale, and soaked. In the midst of his sobs, he told her that he, Ceyx, died at the hand of the Aegean sea.

Alcyone broke. Every happiness, every hope came shattering around her. And as the apparition left her room, she became truly alone. How he could have left without her? She would not say on earth while Ceyx dwelled in the Underworld without her.

"'But I'll not fight, nor ever more Leave you, poor Ceyx. Now at least we'll be Together; though no urn our ashes hold, On one tomb letters carved shall link our love; So shall our names, if not our bones, embrace!'"

As Helios brought the sun across the sky, Alcyone made her way to the shore where she had watched Ceyx's ship disappear into the horizon. As her tears mixed with the salty waves, she noticed something being carried closer and closer to the shore. Soon, Alcyone recognized it as a corpse, then that of a man. Before the body had reached the shore, she could see the details of his form and knew it was Ceyx.

Seeing Ceyx's body caused Alcyone's grief to crash into her in new and horrifying ways. She screamed, her body shook, she tore out her hair, and she ripped her clothes. As if compelled to the body, her arms outstretched towards the corpse as she sobbed. Finally, she dived in.

Wait. What was happening? She should have been sinking into the sea. She should have been dead by now, but she wasn't. She wasn't sinking, for she wasn't in the water at all. She was flying. Her body had stretched and shrunk until she became a bird. Alcyone was transformed into a halcyon, better known to us as the kingfisher, and she was soaring over the water.

Even with her new form, her purpose remained the same. The halcyon flew and landed on Ceyx's ghostly body. She pressed her new legs onto his stomach and pecked kisses into his chest. As she croaked and embraced her lost love, Ceyx's head began to twitch and lift toward the bird. Once the seed of life was back in his body, he began to change. Ovid does not specify what he changed into, but Ceyx is often associated with the keyx bird. Nonetheless, the two lovers, who once believed they would only hold each other in the Underworld, flew together for this frist time.

And they continue to fly. The bonds Alcyone and Ceyx made to each other in their human life could not be broken in this new chapter. They nested, mated, and raised their family together.

For seven days every winter, the weather pays homage to the love birds (pardon the pun) when the halcyon makes her nest on the sea. Alcyone's father, Aeolus, protects his daughter and her family by putting the wind and sea at rest for the full seven days. This still period around the winter solstice is now called the halcyon days.

* * * * *

So why this story? Although very different from each other, the Apollodorus and Ovid versions hit all the big Greek mythology tropes: meddling gods, hubris, bird transformations, and even grief-induced suicide attempts. What makes this story different than Atlanta's transformation into a lioness or the avian fate of King Tereus's family?

If he was still alive today, I would say ask Ovid. I love reading a book and being able to tell that the author has fallen in love with their own characters, and I believe that Ovid really cared about Alcyone and Ceyx. The words he uses to describe their love and devotion as well as their most traumatic experiences are full of vibrancy and carefully considered words. But if you read the story that directly follows Alcyone and Ceyx in Metamorphoses, "Aesacus," something feels different. The dialogue isn't nearly as passionate and neither are the descriptions. I can never know what Ovid was thinking when he was writing down the lovers' story, but I'd like to believe he knew theirs was a story worth telling.

And I'd agree with him. While the story falls into some cliches, it also defies a lot of our expectations. Ovid's gods are not the merciless, hedonistic tyrants of other Greco-Roman myths. Juno is moved to softness and mercy by the love of two mortals. She is even able to equip the help of two other gods, Morpheus and Iris, in her quest to put Alcyone out of her uncertainty. And even Pluto, or Hades, doesn't try to claim the lovers. We don't know who performs the transfiguration, but it is certainly an act of divine mercy.

Ceyx and Alcyone are also likable in a way few Greek heroes and lovers are. Let's be honest: Greek and Roman kings are rarely remembered for anything other than adventures, tyranny, or extreme tragedy But Ceyx isn't recognizable for being a herculean meathead or great military strategist. His reign was entirely unextraordinary, and that's what makes it so remarkable. He led his kingdom with a kind and gentle hand, knowing that a peaceful present is more important than having his name in the history books.

Peace is really the foundation of this story. Alcyone and Ceyx teach us the importance of peace and finding it even when the waves are crashing around you. Ceyx was able to lead his people to peace while wolves and chaos wreaked havoc on the ancient world. He was able to find peace in his final moments as he clung to the only thing that was on his mind: Alcyone. Alcyone goes through hell as she waits for her husband's uncertain return and then wades through grief when that return doesn't come. But she too finds peace, and Alcyone's father shares that same peace with us every year. Alcyone and Ceyx's tranquil love is so powerful, it has sustained us for centuries.

* * * * *

I am about ready to ban the word "uncertain" from the dictionary. "Unprecedented" can also go as well. I am tired of not knowing what the next week or month or year will look like. Expectation is a cruel and flighty mistress, and I haven't seen stability in months. When I'm not feeling passive in my own life, I find myself filling up with rage when others aren't doing what they need to do to help us all move forward. Even if the control I thought I had in February was an illusion, I gravely miss it.

But reading this story provides me with a strange yet sustaining sense of hope that isn't dependent on the news or vaccines or anything else. Why? I think the reason this story has been filling my brain lately is that Alcyone and Ceyx had no clear enemies: no wolf, no gods, and certainly not each other. They were in a battle with fate, one that was impossible to win. While they couldn't win the external battle, they certainly won the internal. That's not to say they didn't go through emotional hell. They won because they kept choosing to walk through that hell despite the unknown futility of their actions.

I'm not saying don't do things and all action is futile. Fight the fights that are in front of you. Continue to social distance, wear masks, sign petitions, donate, do whatever you can. Alcyone and Ceyx engaged in an active, positive peace. They prayed for each other, they communicated, they did what they could to turn their tide. But they knew where their agency ended, and that's when they let go. Alcyone gave into Ceyx's insistence, and Ceyx gave into the waves. They found peace in the spaces between action, and I think that is what we should be aspiring to.

Where do we go from here? Well, Alcyone and Ceyx got an ever after. Was it happy? Probably. Was it what they expected? Certainly not. But they got an after, and I know we will, too.

Thank you for reading, and may you find your halcyon moments this week.

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Works Cited

“Ceyx and Alcyone.” Mythology, by Edith Hamilton and Monica Ferrell, Spark Pub., 2002, pp. 239–245.

Ovid, and A. D. Melville.Metamorphoses. OUP Oxford, 1998.EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=363607&site=ehost-live.

“Woodland Kingfisher (Halcyon Senegalensis).” Halcyon (Genus), Wikipedia, 2019, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halcyon_(genus).

Fry, Stephen. Mythos. Michael Joseph, 2017.

Gresseth, Gerald K. “The Myth of Alcyone.” Transactions and Proceedings of the American Philological Association, vol. 95, 1964, pp. 88–98.

Wilson, Richard. “Ceyx and Alcyone.” Art Collections Online, National Museum Wales, 2016, museum.wales/art/online/?action=show_item&item=2034.