Sláine (character)

Sláine ( , Irish:) is the hero of a barbarianfantasy comic adventure series based on Celtic myths and stories, first published in 1983 in British magazine 2000 AD, written by Pat Mills and initially drawn by his then wife, Angela Kincaid. Most of the early stories were drawn by Massimo Belardinelli and Mike McMahon. Other notable artists to have worked on the character include Glenn Fabry, Simon Bisley, Clint Langley and Simon Davis.

Sláine's favourite weapon is an axe called "Brainbiter". He has the power of the "warp spasm," a body-distorting battle frenzy of the Irish hero Cú Chulainn and the Welsh hero Arthur in which earth power "warps" through his body, turning him into a terrifying, monstrously powerful figure. He is a devotee of the earth goddess Danu, and has a child Kai with his childhood love Niamh. While his name is Irish in origin, the strong presence of Welsh mythological influences mean that Sláine "is really a general Celtic hero - as much British as Irish."