Re: Moment of Pleasure cover art

[smc@gandalf.rutgers.edu (kirke)]

	This may or may not be relevant to the "dancing on skulls" image; 
there is a well-known symbolic association of a woman/female dancing on
human skulls, often with a gleeful expression.  This is the classic portrayal (or one of them) of the goddess Kali, the Hindu deity of destruction.  She
embodies the idea that life springs from death and seems to remind Hindus
of the necessity of acknowledging death and its terrifying intrusion into
our lives.  Kali is sometimes shown dancing on the dead body of her mate
whose mname escapes me at the moment.

	This image, dancing on skulls, is not an obscure one for Hindus,
people who study comparative religion and others interested in mythology.
Whoever chose this image has probably seen depictions of Kali at some
time or another, I would guess.  What I'm trying to say is that anybody
could have come across this Hindu representation in a variety of contexts,
especially school or perhaps in a museum.  It's not an unusual thing
to see as a bronze statuette or a painting.

						kirke
						smc@gandalf.rutgers.edu