Prog 1880 - Devil's Causeway

[Grobbendonk]

If you mean the festivals themselves, there's mention of Samhain and Beltane going way back to the middle ages. Some of the modern ideas about what's supposed to happen on the dates are certainly a bit dodgy though.

Actually, why's it spelt 'Beltain' in the story? I'm pretty sure it isn't usually spelt like that anywhere.

There indeed are mentions, I was just commenting on the tendency for modern pagans to take this as some sort of literal historical legitimacy for the modern Sabbats. There's absolutely nothing wrong with modern spiritual practices influenced and inspired by ancient cultures - I just wish people didn't feel the need to pretend to be part of an authentic and unbroken lineage. Its so unnecessary. When it comes to modern pagan festivals (especially Wiccan) they are a total mish mash of different stories, themes and even cultures -with the so called Major Sabbats based in agricultural cycles (first stirrings of growth, start of summer, harvest, start of winter) and the other four Sabbats being solar (solstices and equinoxes), all squished together with a dash of grimoire magic and some new age stuff chucked in for good measure. There's nothing wrong with this, its as good a way of dividing up and celebrating the wheel of the year as any, but why pretend they're from some magical golden age of pagan wonderfulness!
There's a  lot more to this, but I won't rant here. It was just a throw away comment after all, and this is hardly the place to debate religion 

Getting back to Slaine - I'm not suggesting its bad to use these "Celtic" ideas. Or that Pat Mills is somehow pretending this is truth. On the contrary, one of the reasons I love Slaine so much is that it pretty much all feels like a fantastically re-imagined (and warped) alternate history of the early days of these wonderful islands. And I fully admit that The Horned God especially has coloured my own aesthetic connection to the old Gods.

As for spellings... I've seen all these used: Beltane, Beltaine, Beltain, Bealtaine, Bealtuinn and more

[Frank]

As for spellings... I've seen all these used: Beltane, Beltaine, Beltain, Bealtaine, Bealtuinn and more

It's like the Usama/Osama thing, isn't it? There's no authentic Anglophone spelling of Beltane, Beijing, or Barack Obama because those are just English alphabet approximations of words from languages whose written forms involve no B, no E, and no dipthongs.

[TordelBack]

There's no authentic Anglophone spelling of Beltane, Beijing, or Barack Obama because those are just English alphabet approximations of words from languages whose written forms involve no B, no E, and no dipthongs.
[/quote]

And in the approximate period concerned ('after the flood'), had no written form at all.

[ZenArcade]

Succinctly put TordelBack. Z

[Grobbendonk]

Absolutely!
With Beltane (my preferred spelling) it is said (according to Janet and Stewart Farrar, who are often taken as gospel, despite obvious evidence to the contrary) that the modern anglicisation comes from modern Irish Gaelic Bealtaine (b'yol-tinnuh) and the Scottish Gaelic Bealtuinn (b'yal-ten). But who really knows! Its obvious they are related. And anyway, neither of those languages would have been spoken by Slaine even if he was a figure of legend (from the Tuatha de Danann) rather than a fictional character inspired in part by these legends.
Still, its all jolly fascinating isn't it 

[ZenArcade]

Welll possibly, the first celtic settlements in Ireland are post Neolithic, not too sure of the exact dates....the Cuchullan tales predate the more couched, formal/polite Fianna tales by 5-6 hundred years possibly putting the Ulster cycle areund 1- 200 AD or what ever the post christian datative nomenclutature is. Anyway if Slaine is based on a proto-historical figure, the intent and iingustic sense of action would be Gaelic. The narrative poise in early Gaelic tales tally with Mills usage in that they are 'heroic' narratives, suffesed with ego, mawkish self-reflection, pride and at times a deep insight into the human condition.....could be wrong however. Z

[Spikes]

...late as usual...

Cover - A bit of a weird one - and not quite fitting in with the strip inside, but im liking the overall effect. So, a thumbs up from me.

Dredd - This is turning into quite a decent story. I still have some reservations as to the subject matter, and possibly the art, but an engrossing tale nonetheless.

Indigo Prime - Is a new one on me, so i'll let a few more episode land. But liking what I've just read.

3rillers - A nice 'Thing from another World' vibe to this. Good stuff!

Slaine - Continues to be a great read, and Simon's art is a joy. Those opening two pages!!

And Outlier ends the prog, with another decent episode.

All in all, a pretty decent prog.