the days of alkyon

The days of Alkyon.

There is a saying, it is never cold in Greece. Nevertheless, in most areas the winter is enough and in some areas -20C is a common temperature. But every winter and for about 15 days, this is what happens: The sun shines, the wind stops blowing and the temperature rises significantly. 

These days which appear from December 5 to February 15, are called “the days of the Alkyon” with Aristoteles being the one who came up with this name. From meteorological point of view, this happens due to the pressure equalisation, but who cares. Ancient Greeks had a better story, as usual.

Alkyon was the daughter of Aeolos (god of winds) and wife of Keiks. Their marriage was perfect and they started bragging that it was equal to divine marriages. Zeus, the king of gods, was very much upset and punished them by sinking the ship that Keiks was on, drowning him. 

His wife was so sad, that Zeus (oddly enough for his temper) transformed her into a bird that took her name. And in order to hatch her eggs, commanded the weather to be warm and wind free for 15 days per winter.