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Pagan News Beagle: Airy Monday, September 21

The legacy of Shakespeare's Macbeth lives on in comic form. The impact of fictional lore on the modern occult is considered. And one writer pays tribute to a forgotten classic of Disney animation. It's Airy Monday, our weekly take on news about magic and religion in pop culture. All this and more for the Pagan News Beagle!

Although not exactly historically accurate, Macbeth is easily one of the most well-known depictions of medieval witchcraft in fiction. It seems only natural then that people would want to revisit Shakespeare's story from a new perspective, perhaps even that of the witches themselves. And that's precisely what Mairghread Scott, Kelly Matthews, and Nichole Matthews are doing for their comic Toil & Trouble.

Every played D&D? Have any embarrassing stories from your adventures? If so, you may relate to some of the tales regaled here, wherein players share their "most heinous stories of roleplaying games gone wrong."

Does it matter if lore is fictional or historical? Most people would say yes, but that doesn't mean fiction hasn't found a way to impact religion and mysticism anyway. Jason Mankey considers the case of The Necronomicon, an entirely fictional grimoire from H.P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos, which nonetheless has found its way into real-world occult practice.

Everyone knows Snow White, the Little Mermaid, and Aladdin. But what about Kidagakash or Milo? io9's Katharine Trendacosta makes a spirited defense on behalf of Disney's Atlantis: The Lost Empire, maligned upon release and since forgotten by most, arguing it to be a hidden gem.

A frequent but illogical response to critics is "if you don't like it, why don't you make your own?" But while it does miss the point and value of criticism, the response may have its merits. Comics Alliance's Andrew Wheeler explains why more of us should be inspired to make our own.

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Aryós Héngwis (or the more modest Héngwis for short) is a native of the Pontic-Caspian steppe, born some 5000 years ago, near the village of Dereivka. In his youth he stood out from the other snakes for his love of learning and culture, eventually coming into the service of the local reǵs before moving westward toward Europe. Most recently, Aryós Héngwis left his home to pursue a new life in America, where he has come under the employ of BBI Media as an internet watchdog (or watchsnake, if you will), ever poised to strike the unwary troll.

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