Halcyon days

Halcyon days, a period when storms do not occur derived its name from Alcyone (Αλκυονη in Greek), who was the daughter of Aeolus, God of winds.  When Alcyone's husband fell in the sea, in a shipwreck, she threw herself into the sea whereupon the Gods transformed them into halcyon birds (kingfishers).  When Alcyone made her nest on the beach, waves threatened to destroy it, but Aeolus kept his winds calm so she could lay her eggs.  It was these calm periods that became known as the "halcyon days".  It is a period of 7 to 14 days when storms do not occur or it denotes a period that is remembered for its happiness.  I wish you all dear friends, many Halcyon periods, in your lives.

Picture of seagulls flying near the islet of Rafti by Kostas Fotos. 

Dawn

In Greek mythology Dawn or Eos (Ηως in Greek) is a Goddess that rises each morning from her home the Ocean (Οκεανος).  In the Homeric Hymn to Helios, we are told that Hyperion married  Eryphaesa, and begot tireless Helios (the Sun), rosy Eos (the Dawn) and fair tressed Selene (the Moon).  Dawn appears as many as twenty times in The Odyssey, and the poem repeats similar descriptions of her such as “But when early-born rosy-fingered Dawn appeared…”  Book Eight first lines read When young Dawn with her red-rose fingers shone once more, the royal Alcinous, hallowed island king, rose from bed and great Odysseus, raider of cities, rose too. A There are many similar expressions in Homeric verse, which suggest that different things will happen every day, but Dawn always appears early and always with her rosy fingers.

The Greek Goddess Eos in her Chariot ready for another day of travel.  Edifice found in Herculaneum

Sunrise in our little paradise on earth Porto Rafti: the Homeric expression “when newborn Dawn appeared with rosy fingers…” describes our feelings when we see Eos. At dawn the hue of the sea becomes pink.  The waves become placid and their phosphoresce reflects shades of a red carnation. Όλος ο γιαλός ροδίζει γύρω. Τα κύματα φρικιούν ήρεμα, και το φωσφόρισμά των ανταυγάζει αποχρώσεις ερυθρού γαροφάλλου..." Παπαδιαμαντης

Sunrise in Ukraine; the Homeric expression “when the early Dawn was born; her fingers bloomed” is most appropriate.

The golden throne of Dawn was riding up the sky… and brought a beautiful day… in frozen Lake Baikal.

Aurora, ceiling fresco by Guido Reni (1613) Picture from Encyclopedia Brittanica

The Hurricane Season Starts

The Atlantic hurricane season begins June 1 and ends November 30.  NOAA's National Hurricane Center predicts and tracks these massive storm systems, which occur, on average, 12 times a year in the Atlantic basin.  One of the most destructive hurricanes was Katrina that made landfall in the Gulf States in 2005.  Picture by NASA

Tropical cyclones are called either Typhoons or Hurricanes and are rotating rotating low-pressure weather systems that form over tropical waters. “Cyclone" refers to their winds moving in a circle,whirling round their central clear eye with their winds blowing counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere.  Tropical cyclones with maximum sustained surface winds of less than 39 mph are called tropical depressions. Those with maximum sustained winds of 39 mph or higher are called tropical storms. When a storm's maximum sustained winds reach 74 mph, it is called a Hurricane or Typhoon or Medicanes based on its location. Picture by NASA on BBC

Tropical cyclones out at sea cause large waves and high winds, disrupting international shipping and, at times, causing shipwrecks.

On land, strong winds can damage vehicles, buildings, bridges, and other outside objects, turning loose debris into deadly projectiles. The storm surge,or the increase in sea level due to the cyclone, is typically the worst effect from its land fall and historically resulting in 90% of tropical cyclone deaths. Over the past two centuries, tropical cyclones have been responsible for the deaths of about 2 million people worldwide. 

The word typhoon, is likely derived from the Greek Typhon (Τυφών) a feared monster in Greek mythology that had the head of a man and a lower body of thousands serpents and was associated with storms. 

The word Hurricane, is likely derived from huracán, the Spanish word for storm god, Juracan. This god is likely the Mayan creator god Huracan  who the Mayans believed created dry land out of the turbulent waters. The god was also credited with later destroying the "wooden people", the precursors to the “maize people”, with an immense storm and flood. 

Selene - Blood Moon

Selene in Greek mythology (in Greek Σελήνη) is the goddess of the moon.  The etymology of Selene is likely connected to the word Selas (Σέλας), meaning "light". Selene, who drives her chariot across the heavens, in classical times, was often identified with Artemis much as her brother, Helios, was identified with Apollo. Selene’s love for handsome mortal shepherd Endymion inspired poets and artists alike.  Even today romantics express their feelings on nights when the moon is in full and its light reflects on the water. (Painting by N Poussin 1630, Detroit Institute of Arts)

On July 27, 2018 in Europe, Africa and some countries in Asia we observed the longest total lunar eclipse of the century. As the Earth was into perfect alignment between the moon and sun, its shadow completely covered the moon. Rather than appearing as a black spot in the heavens our planet’s only natural satellite first exuded a blood-red hue at moonrise.   Normally, sunlight hits the moon directly and that's why it's typically bright and white.  During an eclipse, the Earth moves between the sun and the moon and filters out some its light.  When the white light hits the Earth's atmosphere, it scatters the blue light and pushes the red light straight to the moon and so the blood moonrises.  The picture was taken when the moon rose behind and above the islet Rafti in the bay of Porto Rafti.  The blood moon and the total eclipse that followed with an awesome spectacle and it was understandable why our ancestors reacted with fear when celestial events like lunar or solar eclipses took place.

People long ago took a change in lunar hue as a sign of doom and panicked.  An interesting but unsubstantiated story is about how Christopher Columbus took a lunar eclipse to his advantage.  Columbus and his men were trapped on the island of Jamaica for over six months. As time wore on, the initial generosity that the native people, the Arawak, had shown faded. As famine loomed, Columbus turned to his almanac and found that a total lunar eclipse was forthcoming on Feb 29, 1504.  So, Columbus told the Arawak chief that his God was angry because they were withholding food from them and He would make the moon disappear or become "inflamed with wrath" in three days.  When the blood moon indeed rose on that eerie Sunday night, it terrified the Arawak who agreed to provide Columbus and his men with anything they needed, just so long as he asked his god to bring back the regular moon.

In ancient times, a blood moon was thought to be a bad omen, but now it is understood that it is simply due to the scattering of light by the air in our atmosphere.  While blue light scatters more red light scatters least, which is why the setting sun or the rising moon is red.  In the picture above the blood moon is between the statues of Apollo and Hera in Athens, Greece. (Photo by A Messinis, AFP/Getty)

Ionian Sea and its mythology

According to Ancient Greek writers, especially Aeschylus, the name Ionian is linked it to the myth of Io (Greek: Ιω). In Ancient Greek the adjective Ionios (Ἰόνιος) was used for the sea because legend has it that Io swam or flew across it. 

 In most versions of the legend, Io was the daughter of Inachus, the king of Argos and a priestess of the Hera. It was in the Argean planes that Zeus noticed Io, a mortal woman, and lusted after her.  

Although Io initially rejected Zeus' advances eventually relented, and according to some stories, Zeus turned her into a heifer in order to hide her from his wife. Zeus deception failed, as Hera begged Zeus to give her the heifer as a present, which, having no reason to refuse, he did.  

Hera then sent Argus who had 100 eyes, to watch Io and prevent Zeus from visiting her, but Zeus sent Hermes to distract Argus. According to Ovid, he did so by first lulling him to sleep by playing the panpipes and telling stories.  Zeus then freed Io, still in the form of a heifer.

In order to exact her revenge, Hera sent a gadfly to sting Io continuously, driving her to wander the world without rest. Io eventually crossed the path between the Propontis and the Black Sea, which thus acquired the name Bosporus (meaning ox passage), where she met Prometheus, who had been chained on Mount Caucasus by Zeus. Prometheus comforted Io with the information that she would be restored to human and become the progenitor of the greatest of all heroes, Heracles (Hercules).  Io escaped across the Ionian Sea to Egypt where Zeus restored her to human again. 

I presume Io selected the Ionian Sea for her escape because the prevailing winds are usually light.  This was not our experience as for a large part of our crossing the winds were strong thus we kept our jib and main reefed.  In the picture after a four-day and nights sail we are getting closer to the west coast of Greece, our homeland.