Alkyóne comes from alkyón (ἀλκυών), which refers to a sea-bird with a mournful song[7] or to a
kingfisher bird in particular.[8] The meaning(s) of the words is uncertain because alkyón is considered to be of pre-
Greek, non-
Indo-european origin.[9] However,
folk etymology related them to the háls (ἅλς, "brine, sea, salt") and kyéo (κυέω, "I conceive"). Alkyóne originally is written with a
smooth breathing mark, but this false origin beginning with a
rough breathing mark (transliterated as the letter H) led to the common misspellings halkyón (ἁλκυών) and Halkyóne (Ἁλκυόνη),[10] and thus the name of one of the kingfisher bird
genus' in English
Halcyon. It is also speculated that Alkyóne is derived from alké (ἀλκή, "prowess, battle, guard") and onéo (ὀνέω, from ὀνίνεμι, onínemi,[11] "to help, to please").[12]
M. Grant and J. Hazel, Who's Who in Greek Mythology, David McKay and Co Inc, 1979
Pausanias, Description of Greece with an English Translation by W.H.S. Jones, Litt.D., and H.A. Ormerod, M.A., in 4 Volumes. Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1918.
Online version at the Perseus Digital Library