The love story of Ceyx and Alcyone

Alcyone was the daughter of Aeolus, the god of wind she came to marry the king of Trachis, Ceyx. His entire kingdom looked up to him and Alcyone. Even the gods and goddesses saw them for their true beauty and strong love for one another. The couples would joke around calling their love as great as Zeus and Hera's. Zeus did not like how they felt, as though they could compare themselves to great gods! He waited for his chance to strike.

Ceyx observed some signs but didn’t pursue them. Later on he found his brother had died. Ceyx was still in mourning over his brother's death, so he decided to confront the oracle of Apollo in Ionia. Alcyone had a bad feeling having her husband travel by sea. She pushed him to let her go along but he would not put his wife in danger.

Zues new this would be his time to get back at the couple. He started a hurricane around Ceyx and his ship. He and his ship both went down into the cold dark blue sea. As Ceyx went down he prayed to the gods that his body would be washed up on shore for is beloved wife to come upon and have him a proper funeral.

Alcyone waited for a very long time to see her husband again. She prayed to the gods asking for him to come home without a scratch. Hera knew what Zues had done and felt pity for her. So Hera sent her messenger Iris, goddess of the rainbow, to go talk to the god of sleep and comfort, Hypnos. He was to inform Alcyone of what had happened to her husband gently as he could.

The news of Ceyx had put Alcyone in a very bad state of mind. She ran to the seashore tearing off her garments. As she sat near the water she saw a man lying in the sand. As she got closer she notice the man was Ceyx! After his funeral, Alcyone felt as though she could not live without Ceyx. Alcyone threw herself into the sea to drown. If she could not live with him then she would be forever be with him in the land of the dead.

The gods on Olympus were saddened by the tragic fate of Alcyone and Ceyx, as well as their wonderful love for one other. In order to make up for his rash action that was responsible for this tragedy, Zeus transformed the couple into the Halcyon birds.