Hounds of Tindalos
Encyclopedia
A Hound of Tindalos is a fictional creature created by Frank Belknap Long
for the Cthulhu Mythos
of H. P. Lovecraft
. They first appeared in Long's short story
"The Hounds of Tindalos
" (1931
). Lovecraft mentions the creatures in his short story "The Whisperer in Darkness
" (1931).
The Hounds of Tindalos dwell in the distant past of the earth, when normal life had not yet advanced past one-celled animals. They are said to inhabit the angle
s of time, while other beings (such as humankind and all common life) descend from curve
s. The Hounds are thought to be immortal and are believed to lust after something in humankind and other normal life, and will follow victims through time and space to get it. Their appearance is unknown because no characters who meet them survive long enough to give a description. It is said that they have long, hollow tongues or proboscis to drain victims' body-fluids, and that they excrete a strange blue pus or ichor.
Though the Hounds are sometimes pictured as canine
, probably because of the evocative name of the first story in which they appeared, it is not likely that they appear as such- the story states that the name "veils their foulness". Various pastiches suggest that the Hounds are more bat-like in appearance, like the byakhee
, or may appear even worse. The name Hounds of Tindalos refers more to the creatures' habits than their appearance.
Because of their relationship with the angles of time, they can materialize through any corner if it is fairly sharp—120º or less. When a Hound is about to appear, it materializes first as smoke pouring from the corner, and finally the head emerges followed by the body. It is said that once a human becomes known to one of these creatures, a Hound of Tindalos will pursue the victim through anything to reach its quarry. A person risks attracting their attention by travelling through time.
Frank Belknap Long
Frank Belknap Long was a prolific American writer of horror fiction, fantasy, science fiction, poetry, gothic romance, comic books, and non-fiction. Though his writing career spanned seven decades, he is best known for his horror and science fiction short stories, including early contributions to...
for the Cthulhu Mythos
Cthulhu Mythos
The Cthulhu Mythos is a shared fictional universe, based on the work of American horror writer H. P. Lovecraft.The term was first coined by August Derleth, a contemporary correspondent of Lovecraft, who used the name of the creature Cthulhu - a central figure in Lovecraft literature and the focus...
of H. P. Lovecraft
H. P. Lovecraft
Howard Phillips Lovecraft --often credited as H.P. Lovecraft — was an American author of horror, fantasy and science fiction, especially the subgenre known as weird fiction....
. They first appeared in Long's short story
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
"The Hounds of Tindalos
The Hounds of Tindalos (book)
The Hounds of Tindalos is a collection of fantasy, horror and science fiction short stories by author Frank Belknap Long. It was released in 1946 and was the author's third book...
" (1931
1931 in literature
The year 1931 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*Cherokee playwright Lynn Riggs' play Green Grow the Lilacs premiers. It would later be adapted by Rodgers and Hammerstein as Oklahoma!....
). Lovecraft mentions the creatures in his short story "The Whisperer in Darkness
The Whisperer in Darkness
"The Whisperer in Darkness" is a short story by H. P. Lovecraft. Written February–September 1930, it was first published in Weird Tales, August 1931. Similar to "The Colour Out of Space" , it is a blend of horror and science fiction...
" (1931).
Description
"They are lean and athirst!" he shrieked... "All the evil in the universe was concentrated in their lean, hungry bodies. Or had they bodies? I saw them only for a moment, I cannot be certain."
—Frank Belknap Long, "The Hounds of Tindalos"
The Hounds of Tindalos dwell in the distant past of the earth, when normal life had not yet advanced past one-celled animals. They are said to inhabit the angle
Angle
In geometry, an angle is the figure formed by two rays sharing a common endpoint, called the vertex of the angle.Angles are usually presumed to be in a Euclidean plane with the circle taken for standard with regard to direction. In fact, an angle is frequently viewed as a measure of an circular arc...
s of time, while other beings (such as humankind and all common life) descend from curve
Curve
In mathematics, a curve is, generally speaking, an object similar to a line but which is not required to be straight...
s. The Hounds are thought to be immortal and are believed to lust after something in humankind and other normal life, and will follow victims through time and space to get it. Their appearance is unknown because no characters who meet them survive long enough to give a description. It is said that they have long, hollow tongues or proboscis to drain victims' body-fluids, and that they excrete a strange blue pus or ichor.
Though the Hounds are sometimes pictured as canine
Canidae
Canidae is the biological family of carnivorous and omnivorous mammals that includes wolves, foxes, jackals, coyotes, and domestic dogs. A member of this family is called a canid . The Canidae family is divided into two tribes: Canini and Vulpini...
, probably because of the evocative name of the first story in which they appeared, it is not likely that they appear as such- the story states that the name "veils their foulness". Various pastiches suggest that the Hounds are more bat-like in appearance, like the byakhee
Byakhee
-Summary:There flapped rhythmically a horde of tame, trained, hybrid winged things ... not altogether crows, nor moles, nor buzzards, nor ants, nor decomposed human beings, but something I cannot and must not recall.—H. P. Lovecraft, "The Festival"...
, or may appear even worse. The name Hounds of Tindalos refers more to the creatures' habits than their appearance.
Because of their relationship with the angles of time, they can materialize through any corner if it is fairly sharp—120º or less. When a Hound is about to appear, it materializes first as smoke pouring from the corner, and finally the head emerges followed by the body. It is said that once a human becomes known to one of these creatures, a Hound of Tindalos will pursue the victim through anything to reach its quarry. A person risks attracting their attention by travelling through time.
Other appearances
- In the story Tindalos by John Ajvide LindqvistJohn Ajvide LindqvistJohn Ajvide Lindqvist is a Swedish writer, mostly of horror novels and short stories. Ajvide Lindqvist grew up in the Stockholm suburb of Blackeberg. His debut novel Let the Right One In a romantic, social realistic vampire horror story published in 2004, enjoyed great success in Sweden and abroad...
, the main character is haunted by a being named Tindalos. It shares many attributes with the creatures in "The Hounds of Tindalos", and the main character reads the Frank Belknap Long story in-story, as a way of gaining an understanding of the chewing sound that haunts her.
- The Hounds are minor Final Fantasy X-2Final Fantasy X-2is a console role-playing game developed and published by Square for Sony's PlayStation 2. It was released in 2003 and is the sequel to the best-selling 2001 game Final Fantasy X...
lupine spirit-creatures, named Tindalos in the game.
- The Hounds chase the time-travelers, "Titus CrowTitus CrowTitus Crow is the main character in the eponymous series of horror fiction books by Brian Lumley. The books are based on H. P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos.-Description:...
" in Brian LumleyBrian LumleyBrian Lumley is an English horror fiction writer.Born in County Durham, he joined the British Army's Royal Military Police and wrote stories in his spare time before retiring with the rank of Warrant Officer Class 1 in 1980 and becoming a professional writer.He added to H. P...
's "The Transition of Titus Crow" (book II of the Mythos Omnibus or Cthulhu Cycle Deities saga), and Henri-Laurent de Marigny in "Elysia" (book VI of the same series).
- Shadow HeartsShadow Heartsis a series of role playing games for the PlayStation 2. The original Shadow Hearts was developed by Sacnoth and released by Midway in the United States on December 11, 2001. The sequel, Shadow Hearts: Covenant , was also made by the same group, although Sacnoth reformed itself into a company...
uses a very loose interpretation of one of the creatures as a bossBoss (video games)A boss is an enemy-based challenge which is found in video games. A fight with a boss character is commonly referred to as a boss battle or boss fight...
. Tindalos, as it is referred to, is depicted as resembling the rotting corpse of a giant, skinned dog, and is of a very different origin from the Hounds.
- Macho Women with GunsMacho Women with GunsMacho Women with Guns is a comedy role-playing game created by Greg Porter and published by Blacksburg Tactical Research Center . Nominally a science-fiction game, it parodies both action films and other role-playing games.-Setting:Macho Women with Guns is set in a near-future America...
is a comedy role-playing gameRole-playing gameA role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...
that parodies many subjects, including the Cthulhu Mythos. Its list of "critters" includes the Puppies of Tindalos.
- In The Unspeakable Vault (Of Doom)Unspeakable Vault (of Doom)The Unspeakable Vault is a webcomic by François Launet, which chronicles the "daily" lives of the Great Old Ones, including Cthulhu, Nyarlathotep, and Yog-Sothoth, among others. It takes a lighthearted view of H. P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos to inspire laughter rather than the more usual...
, a webcomic satirizing the Cthulhu MythosCthulhu MythosThe Cthulhu Mythos is a shared fictional universe, based on the work of American horror writer H. P. Lovecraft.The term was first coined by August Derleth, a contemporary correspondent of Lovecraft, who used the name of the creature Cthulhu - a central figure in Lovecraft literature and the focus...
beings, there is a lean, dog-like being known as "Tindaloo" which is capable of passing through other dimensions and sometimes acts as the "family dog" to the deities.
- The hounds make a brief but substantive appearance in God Screamed and Screamed Then I Ate Him, a chapter from Lawrence P. Santoro's novel, JUST NORTH OF NOWHERE.
- The hounds also appear in the Roger ZelaznyRoger ZelaznyRoger Joseph Zelazny was an American writer of fantasy and science fiction short stories and novels, best known for his The Chronicles of Amber series...
novel The Changing Lands, attacking the main characters as the house they are in travels through time.
- A hound of Tindalos appears in Michael CiscoMichael CiscoMichael Cisco is an American writer and teacher currently living in New York City. He is best known for his first novel, The Divinity Student, winner of the International Horror Guild Award for Best First Novel of 1999....
's short story, The Firebrands of Torment in such a way as to suggest that the protagonist might actually be the offspring of one.
- James HetfieldJames HetfieldJames Alan Hetfield is the rhythm guitarist, co-founder, main songwriter, and lead vocalist for the American heavy metal band Metallica. Hetfield co-founded Metallica in October 1981 after answering a classified advertisement by drummer Lars Ulrich in the Los Angeles newspaper The Recycler,...
of MetallicaMetallicaMetallica is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1981 when James Hetfield responded to an advertisement that drummer Lars Ulrich had posted in a local newspaper. The current line-up features long-time lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo ...
has said that the song "All Nightmare LongAll Nightmare Long"All Nightmare Long" is a song by American heavy metal band Metallica, the song is released as their fifth single from their ninth album Death Magnetic, and their forty-fourth single overall. The single was released on December 15, 2008...
" draws inspiration from the Hounds of Tindalos.
- The hounds also appear in The Emerald Tablets of Thoth, attacking by following Thoth through time, Thoth explains how to hide from them.
- In the game Arkham HorrorArkham HorrorArkham Horror is an adventure board game designed by Richard Launius, originally published in 1987 by Chaosium and most recently published in 2005 and revised in 2007 by Fantasy Flight Games. In both editions, players take on the role of investigators in H. P. Lovecraft's Massachusetts town of...
, based on the Cthulhu Mythos, The Hound of Tindalos jumps directly from location to location, while most other monsters wander the streets.
- The Lovecraft-inspired band The Darkest of the Hillside ThicketsThe Darkest of the Hillside ThicketsThe Darkest of the Hillside Thickets is a rock band from Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada. Their music largely consists of often tongue-in-cheek homages to the works of H. P...
has a song called "Sounds of Tindalos" on their album Spaceship ZeroSpaceship ZeroSpaceship Zero is the title of a role-playing game and an indie rock CD.- Role-playing Game :The role-playing game was written by Warren Banks and Toren Atkinson including contributions from John Tynes and Monte Cook and Andrew J Lucas and published by Green Ronin Publishing in 2002...
.
- The story of the Hounds is retold in brief by William S. BurroughsWilliam S. BurroughsWilliam Seward Burroughs II was an American novelist, poet, essayist and spoken word performer. A primary figure of the Beat Generation and a major postmodernist author, he is considered to be "one of the most politically trenchant, culturally influential, and innovative artists of the 20th...
in his novel The Place of Dead RoadsThe Place of Dead RoadsThe Place of Dead Roads by William S. Burroughs, published in 1983, is the second book of the trilogy that begins with Cities of the Red Night and concludes with The Western Lands...
.
- In the short story "Mongoose", by Sarah Monette and Elizabeth Bear, the Hounds are described as the apex predators of an extra-dimensional food chain that also includes the bug-like Toves and large-mouthed, eyeless Raths. The Hounds are referred to by the scientific name Pseudocanis tindalosi, which literally means "the false dog of Tindalos", but most of the characters call them "Bandersnatches" after a creature in Lewis Carroll's poem "Jabberwocky".