HALCYON DAYS.
(from a correspondent.) The fourteen days from the 11th December to Christmas Eve were called the Halcyon Days, and supposed to be, in their calm and tranquil character, an exception from the season. The term, which is now a regular adjective in our language, is derived from the bird kingfisher, or halcyon, which, from the days of Aristotle, at least, has been the subject of acurious superstition. The ancients supposed that it built its nest on the ocean, and brought forth its young > at the winter solstice. To account < for the preservation of the nest and young amidst the severity of the season, they imagined that the bird had a power of lulling the raging of the waves during the period of incubation ; and this power was believed to reside in its song."Waipukurau, 19th December.
Permanent link to this item
https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/WAIPM18791220.2.8
Bibliographic details
Waipawa Mail, Volume 2, Issue 133, 20 December 1879, Page 2
Word Count
137HALCYON DAYS. Waipawa Mail, Volume 2, Issue 133, 20 December 1879, Page 2
Using This Item
No known copyright (New Zealand)
To the best of the National Library of New Zealand’s knowledge, under New Zealand law, there is no copyright in this item in New Zealand.
You can copy this item, share it, and post it on a blog or website. It can be modified, remixed and built upon. It can be used commercially. If reproducing this item, it is helpful to include the source.
For further information please refer to the Copyright guide.