Alcyone and Ceyx

Wow, I'm finding enormous differences between my understanding of the original text and Zimmerman's now. Most of all because the newer version accurately translates the events but manages to put them in a way in which the reader can understand them more easily, and relate to them as well.


The story of Alcyone and Ceyx was a common love-centered story. It talks about a happy couple that are about to get married, but as usual, the gods interfere with the mortal's destiny. Ceyx is determined to leave on a dangerous voyage and is willing to leave his love, Alcyone, behind. She begs him to stay, knowing the risks of such a trip, specially because she fears her father's anger. He, in fact, sends some strong winds against Ceyx's ship and manages to somehow sink it. Here it more than evident how the gods find it entertaining to ruin the lives of their victims with no pity at all.

It is contradicting too, however, because Alcyone awaits for her loved one and hopes to see his ship approach, even though deep inside she knows the sad truth, and here is when Aphrodite interferes. Seeing how devastated Alcyone is from the long wait, she decides to send a kind of ghost or image of Ceyx to inform her about what happened. Here we see both sides of the gods, the way they can make humans completely miserable and fool around, or they show their caring side and help them. At the end, they even decide to return Ceyx's body to Alcyone, and afterwards turn them both into birds. In conclusion, I believe it is pretty evident how powerful they are in terms of deciding humans' fate in a cruel, almost playful way.