Halcyon Bays
Preserved but no longer current.
A time of happiness and-prosperity. Halcyon is the Greek for a kingfisher, compounded of hah (the sea) and kup (to brood on). The ancient Sicilians be- lieved that the kingfisher laid its eggs and incubated for fourteen days, before the winter solstice, on the surface of the sea, during which time the waves of the sea were always un- ruffled.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Halcyon Bays” mean?
A time of happiness and-prosperity. Halcyon is the Greek for a kingfisher, compounded of hah (the sea) and kup (to brood on). The ancient Sicilians be- lieved that the kingfisher laid its eggs and incubated for fourteen days, before the winter solstice, on the surface of the sea, during which time the waves of the sea were always un- ruffled.
Is “Halcyon Bays” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.