Ceyx

There were two characters named Ceyx in Greek mythology.

Son of Eosphoros

In Greek mythology, Ceyx (/ˈsiː.ɪks/; Ancient Greek: Κήϋξ Kēüx) was the son of Eosphorus and the king of Thessaly. He was married to Alcyone. They were very happy together, and according to Pseudo-Apollodorus's account, often called each other "Zeus" and "Hera".  This angered Zeus, so while Ceyx was at sea, the god threw a thunderbolt at his ship. Ceyx appeared to Alcyone 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. It is said that the halcyon birds build their nests when the water is calm since both of them died at sea.

Ovid  and Hyginus  both also recount the metamorphosis of the pair in and after Ceyx's loss in a storm, though they both omit Ceyx and Alcyone 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 Alcyone (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 come to refer to a peaceful time generally.

Ceyx (father of Hippasus)

In Greek mythology, Ceyx was a king of Trachis in Thessaly. He received Heracles, and Herakles's sons later fled to him. Some accounts make him Amphitryon's nephew, with Heracles building Trachis for him. Muller supposes that the marriage of Ceyx and his connection with Heracles were the subjects of ancient poems.

This Ceyx is father of the Hippasus who died fighting as an ally of Heracles.

Notes

External links

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Smith, William, ed. (1870). "^{article name needed}". Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology. 

Ceyx (kingfisher)

Ceyx is an Old World genus of river kingfishers. The genus has a number of species, found from South East Asia to the Solomon Islands. The two African species in the genus Ispidina are sometimes placed in this genus. Compared to the related species in the genus Alcedo they are more terrestrial and have a red bill.