Hounds of Love

["Karen L. Newcombe" <kln@crl.com>]

There are of course, many legends referring to hounds.  One I think might 
have an image relationship to Hounds of Love, if not a direct 
inspiration, is the story of Diana and Actaeon.  As we know, Kate chose 
the image of the Huntress for the cover of Running Up That Hill, and used 
the theme of the arrow being shot into the air in at least one live 
lip-synch of RUTH (IED will surely tell us which one.)

The story of Diana and Actaeon is that A., a prince, was out hunting deer 
with his retainers and his hounds in the woods.  D., a goddess, actually 
a virgin huntress moon goddess, was bathing in her sacred grove in the 
woods with her nymphs.  Actaeon was hunting her deer in her woods, but 
didn't know it.  He got separated from his group, as princes in these old 
stories tend to do, and in wandering through the woods he stumbled on 
Diana at her bath.  

He was smitten with love, but Diana was mad as, well, a virgin huntress 
who's been spied on.  She turned Actaeon into a stag and his own hounds 
joined with Diana's hounds (which were called "Alani" by the way, the 
source of the name "Allan") and hunted him through the trees until they 
caught him and tore him to pieces.

Milady has a temper, eh?

Karen  kln@crl.com