Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2008/03/24
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]I'll take on three at once: > Message: 36 > Date: Mon, 24 Mar 2008 12:42:07 -0400 > From: Tina Manley <images@comporium.net> Subject: > Re: [Leica] > Re: Kingfisher >> >Why is this so important? >> > >> >Take a look at my email address. > > In India, Kingfisher referred to birds, beer and airlines. Which one > is yours? ;-) > > Tina None of the above, actually, rather the Greek myth of Alcyone. She was a goddess who married a mortal. Foolishly, she lovingly referred to him by the term of endearment "Zeus". Well, guess who didn't like that! Her husband Ceyx was a fisherman, so Father Zeus caused his death by drowning at sea. Alcyone, distraught, tried to join him in death by throwing herself into the sea. Since she was immortal, that did not work well at all. The other Gods, always having to clean up after their Dad, got together and decided to solve the problem by turning them both to birds, since they couldn't bring Ceyx back as a human. Most versions of the story have the species of bird being the kingfisher. This is the origin of the family name of the kingfisher, alcedinidae. Note the linguistic similarity to "halcyon". "Halcyon Days" are those clear cold days in winter when the kingfisher supposedly builds her nest upon the water. Of course, that isn't true, but it sure sounds great, doesn't it? The ones around here (the belted kingfisher) nest in mudbanks or cliffs. Kingfishers have some interesting relatives: hornbills, kukkaburras, and hoopoes, among others. These are all in the order "Coraciiformes". I've always loved these birds ever since my daughter, then 7 years old, and myself saw one entertain us as we ate fish and chips in Port Townshend. It dove straight down into the water from maybe fifty feet up to emerge from the water with a fish. > wildlightphoto@earthlink.net wrote: > I'm curious about your e-mail address > though. Do tell. > > Doug Herr > Sacramento > http://www.wildlightphoto.com Paddling my kayak into the Edison Slough when I was in the process of buying a building in that small hamlet on Samish Bay in Washington State, USA, a kingfisher flew into a tree nearby. I hadn't researched all of this at the time, but I knew that there was some connection with the name of my ISP, Halcyon.com. Looking it up, I found this myth, and wondered whether anyone on Halcyon had chosen the alias "kingfisher". By golly, no-one apparently knew about it. I was astonished that it was available so I grabbed it. Even though I have to pay extra now to retain this account and the address, I willingly do it. I've had it for the past 12 years. Nobody except one sole individual has ever got the connection. The one is a retired IBM executive who lives near here. Can't just offhand remember his name just now. Coincidentally, he had been a carbon printer in the 1930's. I handed him a business card with my address. He said "Heavy!" Indeed. > In the US, it refers to a very un-PC TV show from the 50's..........as well > as some birds..... > > Frank Filippone Do you mean "Amos and Andy?" There was, as I recall, a character called "Kingfish". Never saw it on TV (Mom never allowed a TV in the house until after I graduated from high school in 1961. I still don't have one). We listened to that show on the radio in the late '40's.