Two separate Greek myths mention a figure named Halcyone (or Alcyone). In the first of these tales, Halcyone is one of seven sisters called the Pleiades. This story has different versions. In one, the death of two of the sisters drives all of the Pleiades to commit suicide. In the more familiar version, a giant named Orion chases the Pleiades for seven years. To allow them to escape, Zeusin Greek mythology, king of the gods and husband of Hera (Roman god Jupiter) changes the sisters into a constellation, or group of stars. Orion also becomes a constellation, and he still chases the sisters in the night sky.

In the second tale, Halcyone is the daughter of Aeolus, god of the winds. There are two versions of this legend as well. In one myth, Halcyone and her husband, Ceyx, king of Thessaly, compare themselves to the gods by taking the names Zeus and