Alecto

Alecto (Ancient Greek: Ἀληκτώ, English translation: "the implacable or unceasing anger") is one of the Erinyes, or Furies, in Greek mythology.

According to Hesiod, she was the daughter of Gaea fertilized by the blood spilled from Uranus when Cronus castrated him. She is the sister of Tisiphone (Vengeance) and Megaera (Jealousy). Alecto is the Erinys with the job of castigating the moral crimes (such as anger), especially if they are against other people. Her function is similar to Nemesis, with the difference that Nemesis's function is to castigate crimes against the gods. Alecto appeared in Virgil's Aeneid, in Dante's Inferno, in the musical piece Music for a While by Purcell, in Miklós Zrínyi's Siege of Sziget, in the works of Dostoyevsky, and in Handel's Rinaldo HWV 7 in the Aria "Sibillar gli angui d'Aletto".

In the Aeneid (Book 7), Alecto was demanded by Juno to not let the Trojans have their way with King Latinus by marriage or besiege Italian borders. Alecto's mission is to wreak havoc on the Trojans and cause their downfall through war. In order to do this, Alecto takes over the body of Queen Amata who clamors for all of the Latin mothers to riot against the Trojans. She disguises herself as Juno's priestess Calybe and appears to Turnus in a dream persuading him to begin the war against the Trojans. Met with a mocking response from Turnus, Alecto abandons persuasion and attacks Turnus with a torch, causing his blood to "boil with the passion for war". Unsatisfied with her work in igniting the war, Alecto asks Juno if she can provoke more strife by drawing in bordering towns, but Juno replies that she will manage the rest of the war herself: You're roving far too freely, high on the heavens' winds, and the Father, king of steep Olympus, won't allow it. You must give way. Whatever struggle is still to come, I'll manage it myself. (Virgil, Aeneid, trans. Robert Fagles, Book 7, ll.646-649)

Alecto (motorcycle)

Alecto motorcycles were manufactured between 1919 and 1925 in London by Whitmee Engineering. A chain-driven 345cc model was built between 1923 and 1924.

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Alecto (SPG)

The Alecto was an experimental self propelled gun developed by the British during the Second World War but terminated with the end of the war in Europe.

Development

In 1942 a project for a 3.75 inch (95 mm) howitzer was started. Two guns were made, and one of these was chosen for test mounting on a Harry Hopkins tank chassis. Like the Harry Hopkins, the Alecto had skid steering, which operated by bowing the tracks through lateral movements of the central road wheels. The gun was mounted in an open-topped structure. The first trials were not started until late in 1944. The trials uncovered various problems but by the time these were solved the war in Europe was over. With no prospect for use in the Far East, the project was ended.

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