Samhain (band) of Danzig. Both Samhain and its successor, Danzig, use the same horned skull image originally drawn by artist Michael Golden for the cover of the 1984 comic book "The Saga of Crystar" No. 8, published by Marvel Comics. The font often used in the name logo of Samhain, and later Danzig, is taken from the film "The Giant Gila Monster". Danzig took the name of the band from the ancient Celtic New Year: Samhain, the origin of the modern Halloween. The band's name is typically pronounced "sam-hane", though when the word occurs in song lyrics, Danzig himself pronounces it "sah-win",
Samhain V. Peddle suggests the guisers "personify the old spirits of the winter, who demanded reward in exchange for good fortune". McNeill suggests that the ancient festival included people in masks or costumes representing these spirits and that the modern custom came from this. In Ireland, costumes were sometimes worn by those who went about before nightfall collecting for a Samhain feast. In parts of southern Ireland during the 19th century, the guisers included a hobby horse known as the "Láir Bhán" (white mare). A man covered in a white sheet and carrying a decorated horse skull (representing the "Láir Bhán")