英语词汇halcyon days的起源、历史背景-英语词源词典

halcyon days. A storm killed her mortal husband and the heartbroken goddess Alcyone, daughter of Aeolus, the wind god of Greek legend, drowned herself in the sea. Punishing the suicide, the angry gods turned both Alcyone and her husband Ceyx into birds later known as halcyons, or kingfishers as we call them today. Yet the goddess’ father took pity on the couple and decreed that during the halcyon’s breeding season, the seven days before and the seven days after the shortest day of the year, the sea would always be perfectly calm and unruffled. Thus, during the 14 days, at about the time of the winter sol- stice, the halcyons could sit on their nests, which floated se- curely on the tranquil water, borne by currents across the world, hatching their eggs. This legend was widely believed through Roman times, when Alcyone’s name became Halcy- one, and well into the 15th century. The halcyon days had an actual place on ancient calendars, and the legend inspired much poetry. Eventually, the legend turned the phrase halcyon days into not only windless days of peace and calm but any time of peace, serenity, and rejoicing.

词汇	halcyon days
词源	halcyon days. A storm killed her mortal husband and the heartbroken goddess Alcyone, daughter of Aeolus, the wind god of Greek legend, drowned herself in the sea. Punishing the suicide, the angry gods turned both Alcyone and her husband Ceyx into birds later known as halcyons, or kingfishers as we call them today. Yet the goddess’ father took pity on the couple and decreed that during the halcyon’s breeding season, the seven days before and the seven days after the shortest day of the year, the sea would always be perfectly calm and unruffled. Thus, during the 14 days, at about the time of the winter sol- stice, the halcyons could sit on their nests, which floated se- curely on the tranquil water, borne by currents across the world, hatching their eggs. This legend was widely believed through Roman times, when Alcyone’s name became Halcy- one, and well into the 15th century. The halcyon days had an actual place on ancient calendars, and the legend inspired much poetry. Eventually, the legend turned the phrase halcyon days into not only windless days of peace and calm but any time of peace, serenity, and rejoicing.
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