Halcyon, Rochester Bestiary, c.1230

The halcyon[1] is found in Greek mythology. Initially, it was a woman, Alcyone, the wife of Ceryx, who embarked on a voyage to consult the oracle of Apollo. Zeus had been offended by Alcyone, so he sent a storm to drown her husband Ceryx. However, Alcyone’s mourning was so sorrowful that she drowned herself when she saw her husband’s dead body. The gods turned her into a bird and, as she continued her mourning, Ceryx’s body was also changed into a halcyon.

The halcyon is known for laying its eggs on the shores around midwinter when the sea is most turbulent. During this critical time, the tumultuous sea mysteriously calms down and the winds subside, providing a serene environment for the halcyon to hatch its eggs. Sailors celebrate this period of tranquillity, lasting fourteen days, as the halcyon days.

This phenomenon invites us to reflect on our faith and trust in the goodness of God. Just as the halcyon, an irrational creature, trusts in divine protection amidst storms and tempests, we, who are created in the image of God, should have even greater faith. The halcyon's confidence in the face of adversity expounds a profound lesson: if we have faith, even as small as a mustard seed, we too can overcome great challenges. The halcyon days remind us that trust in divine providence can bring peace and calm to the most tumultuous times in our lives.

Altionis quoque nomen licet non repperiatur
in canone; vel in sacra scriptura. quia eius
natura moraliter nos instruit; de ea dicemus
aliqua. Altion igitur que romane dicitur mawe;
avis est maritima. que in littoribus fetus suos
edere solet. ita ut arenis ova sua deponat medio
fere hiemis. Nam id temporis fovendis habet depu-
tatum partibus; quando maxime insurgit mare.
et vehementior fluctus; litoribus illuditur. quo
magis repentine placiditatis solempnitate; avis

Although the name of this bird is not found in the canonical scriptures, for its nature instructs us morally, we will say something about it. The halcyon is a sea bird that usually begets its nestlings on the shores, depositing the eggs in the sand around midwinter. It chooses as the time to hatch its eggs the moment when the sea is at its highest and the waves break more fiercely than usual on the shore. During this time, the gracefulness of this bird radiates in the calmness that suddenly follows[2]. When the bird lays its eggs, the stormy sea suddenly calms down and all the gales and blasts of wind subside. The sea remains calm until this bird hatches its eggs. The halcyon incubates its eggs for seven days and generates its chicks after the seven days. It then spends another seven days nurturing and caring for them until they begin to grow. These fourteen days are called halcyon days[3] by sailors, during which they are assured of the sea's tranquillity and the weather’s calmness.

huius eluceat gratia. Nam undosum mare po-
sitis ovis; subito mitescit. et omnes cadunt
ventorum procelle. flatusque aurarum mitescunt.
ac placidum ventis; stat mare; donec ova fo-
veat hec avis. Diebus septem fovet ova sua.
quibus decursis; producit pullos. Adiungit ali-
os septem dies quibus nutrit eos et fovet donec
incipiant adolescere. Hos .xiiii. dies naute vo-
cant altionitas. quibus securi sunt de tranquil-
litate maris et temporis. Ecce qualiter hec
avis nos invitat. un non simus modice fidei sed
securi presumamus de bonitate dei. qui in se spe-
rantes liberat ab omni periculo. Qui si ha-
beamus fidem tanquam granum sinapis;
dicemus monti huic ut transferat se in mare
et transferet se. Quid igitur dubitatis modice fi-
dei; Multis passeribus et altionibus omnibus;
meliores estis vos. qui non irrationales estis
ut altiones; sed ad ymaginem dei creati. Alti-
on enim que irrationalis est; tempestates
videns insurgere. sevire ventos. fluctus contra
se mugire. secura de dei bonitate; timore non

See how this bird invites us not to be of little faith but to confidently trust in the goodness of God, who delivers those who hope in Him from all danger. If we have faith as a mustard seed, we could say to this mountain to move into the sea and it would move[4]. O men of little faith, why do you doubt then? You are more valuable than many sparrows[5] and all the halcyons: you are more rational than the halcyon and created in the image of God. The irrational halcyon, seeing the storms rise, the winds rage and the waves roar, feels confident in the goodness of God

reflectitur; sed inpellitur. et statim quiescunt
maria. et venti; quasi ad meritum fidei altio-
nis. Quanta igitur faciet homo ad dei ymanginem
creatus si fidem altionis habeat.

and is not paralysed by fear but is urged. The seas immediately calm down and the winds subside, as if it were thanks to the halcyon's faith. How much more, then, will a man, created in the image of God, achieve if he has the faith of a halcyon?

Further Reading

David Badke, The Bestiary Blog: Animals in the Middle Ages, Kingfisher, November 6 2023, https://bestiary.ca/beasts/beast240.htm

Mynott, J, Birds in the Ancient World (New York: Oxford University Press 2018)

Josh Goldenberg (BA 2012) and Matt Shanahan (BA 2014), Logeion, November 2022, https://logeion.uchicago.edu/

Castiglioni, L. and Mariotti, S. (1996). Vocabolario della Lingua Latina: Latino-Italiano Italiano-Latino. Terza Edizione. Loescher Torino

Curley, M. J., Physiologus: A Medieval Book of Nature Lore (University of Chicago edition 2009)

Rackham, H., M.A., Pliny Natural History Volume III, Libri VIII-XI (London: William Heinemann Ltd, 1949)

Collins, A. H., M.A., Symbolism of Animals and Birds (New York: McBride, Nast & Company, 1913)

Henderson, C., The Book of Barely Imagined Beings (London: University of Chicago Press, 2013)

White, T. H., The Bestiary: A Book of Beasts (New York: G.P Putnam’s Sons, 1960)

Matthews, J. and Matthews C., The Element Encyclopedia of Magical Creatures: The Ultimate A-Z of fantastic beings from myth and magic (London: HarperElement, 2005)

Barney, S. A., Lewis, W. J., Beach A., Berghof O., The Etymologies of Isidore of Seville (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2006)

Endnotes

[1] The Latin name for the halcyon or kingfisher was alcўōn or halcўōn or altion.

[2] The bird's grace is emphasized during this period of sudden peace. It suggests that the bird has a calming effect on the environment, aligning with the mythological belief in "halcyon days"—a period of calm seas during the bird’s nesting time. The term "halcyon days" originates from Greek mythology, where it was believed that the halcyon (kingfisher) calmed the sea during its nesting period. This passage reflects that belief, showing the bird's association with both turbulent and calm seas.

[3] The term "halcyon days" refers to a period of calm. According to the myth, the halcyon bird was said to nest on the sea and calm the waves during the winter solstice. The gods granted a period of calm weather, known as the halcyon days, during which the bird could lay its eggs.

[4] Matthew NKJV 17:20: So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.

[5] Matthew NKJV 10:31: Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.