# Alcyone — Metamorphoses character guide

> Alcyone in Metamorphoses by Ovid.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Meantime Alcyone

**First appearance:** 0114-story-of-ceyx-and-alcyone

## Snapshot

A queen who begs her husband not to sail, dreams of his drowning, and is transformed with him into a halcyon bird.

## Who they are

Alcyone is the daughter of Aeolus and wife of Ceyx, whose love for her husband makes her plead against his voyage and then wait in mounting dread. When Juno sends her a dream of his death, she rushes to the shore and finds his body in the surf. Her leap toward him and the gods' mercy turn the couple into kingfishers, and their story gives the poem one of its most affecting images of married love surviving disaster.

## In the story

### [Book XI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/metamorphoses_se/chapters/book-xi)

Wife of Ceyx; receives a prophetic dream of his death; finds his corpse and is transformed into a bird.

### [Story of Ceyx and Alcyone](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/metamorphoses_se/chapters/story-of-ceyx-and-alcyone)

Wife of Ceyx, who throws herself into the sea upon discovering his corpse and is transformed into a halcyon.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/metamorphoses_se/characters/alcyone
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/metamorphoses_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/metamorphoses_se/characters