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Subscribe to this list via RSS Blog posts tagged in comics
No, Disney Isn't Trying to Own the Norse God Loki

verybody calm down about the Redbubble incident. This is all over the net at the speed of clickbait but it is a false alarm. An artist on Redbubble made a comics based cosplay item, tagged it with the name Loki, and Redbubble removed it. Disney did not do or say anything, and as of this writing, has not made any official statements about this incident. The artist YourBoswell took to social media telling people that because the issue was the name Loki that Disney could have gotten heathen sacred art removed, but that is not what happened. The art was based on Marvel comics and it was not even Disney that took it down.

Disney has never gone after other entertainment providers with different versions of Loki such as Neil Gaiman, and if they did they would lose, since Loki and the other beings in heathen mythology are in the public domain. They certainly are not going to go after the state religion of Iceland for having the name Loki on their website, because they know if they did they would lose. They would lose just as hard if they went after an individual Asatruar or other Heathen in the USA for making devotional art or books about the god Loki, and they surely know that. Somewhere out there, I'm sure there is a lawyer salivating at the idea of arguing a 1st Amendment freedom of religion case before the Supreme Court against Disney, but this is not that case.

I know the whole "Disney steals the god Loki" story sounds plausible, because Disney did actually try to claim the phrase Dia de los Muertos before public outcry shut them down, so they have shown they are ready to be cultural appropriators if they think there is profit in it. And if they ever do try to claim ownership of medieval books and their contents and the names of the gods within them, or any other thing that properly belongs to the entire world and should always be freely available to everyone, then we should indeed fight them on that. But that's not what is happening right now.

Image: Idunna giving Loki an apple, public domain art

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Recent Comments - Show all comments
  • Erin Lale
    Erin Lale says #
    You're welcome! Redbubble has apparently gone after more than one artist that Disney has no problem with themselves, according to
  • Anthony Gresham
    Anthony Gresham says #
    Thank you for the update. Disney doing something stupid is something people have grown to expect. It's nice to know that trying

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CAOS, Caliban, Chaos -- and Sycorax

There are bound to be a lot of commentaries on the latest series of Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, the latest in the comics adaptations aimed at getting young adult audiences (and the not so young) to binge on the tales of teen sex and magic. The creators have fun with the links to Riverdale of course, and horror movies (showrunner and comics writer Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa grew up on comic books) as well as magic and the occult. You can already find a couple of thoughtful responses from Cunning Folk Magazine and the Media Witch.

No doubt there is a lot to untangle and most of it is probably not as deep as our analyses will go nor as seriosu (as we know) but I am struck by the use of Sycorax without using the most well-established aspect of her as Caliban's mother. In this series of CAOS Caliban is 'made of clay' like a golem (!) I guess for reasons to do with plotting. This move erases lineage but it also erases race. Sycorax as created by Shakespeare in The Tempest is Algerian and banished to this island presumably in the Mediterranean between Italy and Tunisia where Claribel, Alonso's daughter, was to be married to the prince.

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Pagan News Beagle: Airy Monday, May 8 2017

What's Marvel's Iron Fist have to do with Buddhism? Thoughts on what it takes to make erotic fantasy work in a video game. And a look at what The Magicians has to say about magic. It's Airy Monday, our segment about magic and religion in popular culture! All this and more for the Pagan News Beagle!

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Pagan News Beagle: Airy Monday, May 1 2017

Two of the most famous occultists in comics clash. A look at how Resident Evil 7: Biohazard fits within the horror franchise it belongs to. And Neil Gaiman discusses what might be his next book. It's Airy Monday, our segment on magic and religion in popular culture! All this and more for the Pagan News Beagle!

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Pagan News Beagle: Airy Monday, February 27 2017

Netflix announces a new TV series based on the Castlevania video game series. A sprawling fantasy epic video game inspired by Japanese folklore is reviewed. And a look at what makes The Magicians' approach to magic different. It's Airy Monday, our news segment about magic and religion in popular culture. All this and more for the Pagan News Beagle!

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Pagan News Beagle: Airy Monday, February 20 2017

One of the writers behind Doctor Strange pens another fantasy film, this time about a fallen angel hunter. In honor the recently departed Gene Wilder, a film critic revisits Haunted Honeymoon. And a look at a new women-centric fantasy comic. It's Airy Monday, our news segment on magic and religion in popular culture. All this and more for the Pagan News Beagle!

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Pagan News Beagle: Airy Monday, February 13 2017

A list of some favorite romantic movies for Valentine's Day. Another fantasy novel series gets adapted to television. And a look at a fantasy comic that tackles both the familiar and the strange. It's Airy Monday, our news segment about magic and religion in popular culture! All this and more for the Pagan News Beagle!

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