Halcyon is a delightful adjective used to describe the peaceful and happy days of the past, but not many know that it also refers to a species of kingfishers. Both meanings are intertwined, originating from the Latin alcyon, which was used to describe the bird. In Roman mythology, the alcyonei dies (or “halcyon days”) were believed to be a two-week period around the winter solstice when a mythical bird resembling a kingfisher would hatch its young, bringing calm seas that were easy to navigate (hence the connection). The word alcyon comes from the Ancient Greek word alkyon, with an unknown origin but believed to be from a pre-Greek language. Since its introduction into English in the 1540s, the term halcyon has been consistently used in literature, reaching its peak in 1810.
