Menir, magic broth, druid, wild boar. If the words you just read sound familiar to you, then you certainly speak the language of the Galatians and the god-fighting opponents of the Roman warriors, Asterix and Obelix.
His adventures Asterix, so that together with his inseparable friend Ovelix and the inhabitants of the Gaul village they resist the Romans around 50 BC, they started in 1959 and this year they celebrate the 60th anniversary of the creation of the legendary, now, and adored worldwide comic.
Since then, the comic book starring the famous heroes of Rene Gossini and Albert Interzo has been translated into 111 languages and dialects, including Cretan, Cypriot and Pontic, as well as ancient Greek and Latin, and is estimated to have sold more than 370 millions of copies.
Also, the Galatians heroes have starred in 14 films, while the names of great and renowned actors who took part in them such as Gerard Depardieu, Alain Delon, Roberto Benini, Catherine Deneuve, Monica Bellucci and others are not few.
The recipe for success consists of a patchwork of elements that includes the comic book content of comic elements aimed at all ages (except, of course, pure French jokes), brightly colored images and vivid sketches that are riveting to children, as well as the tantrums and anachronisms that are often encountered in the script and make adults laugh with their souls.
Tribute from the French state for the 60 years of the comic book
Today, on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of one of the most popular comics in all of Europe, the French state pays tribute to the demon Galatians Asterix, "cutting" a beautiful coin for unrepentant fans.
It's a collectible dievro which circulates in the form of the beloved Gaul in the place of the crown. The French state institution that has undertaken the minting of the French euro, Monnaie de Paris, has created a souvenir euro for collectors, which one can, of course, obtain at a much more expensive price. Comic book lovers and collectors everywhere will find it quite difficult to find it, as it has already been sold out from the official site of the institution.
Truths and historical facts hidden behind his stories
Some of the items used in both comic, as well as in the films, Asterix and Obelix, are real and historically proven.
For example, the Gaul leader Vercingetorix, who was defeated by the Roman army of Julius Caesar at the Battle of Alessia, is a real person. From there, in fact, all the names of the Galatians were inspired to have the ending -ix.
On the other hand, in his various adventures, the famous Asterix is in various countries, such as Switzerland, Britain, Greece, etc., where in each of them he meets the modern stereotypes of each people.
So the Swiss enjoy their fondue, are obsessed with watches and respect banking secrecy, while the British are cool and phlegmatic, drinking hot water with minimal milk on a daily basis (until they discover tea with the help of Asterix) or lukewarm beer and, finally, the Greeks eat stuffed vine leaves, drink retsina, while they are almost always presented with a cousin, who is there for the right job.
Also, what is worth mentioning is the fact that some habits from the daily life of the Romans as presented in the comic, correspond to reality. In the comic, for example, Roman soldiers are depicted patrolling the woods and returning to their camp without helmets, full of scratches and carobs, or with a broken spear, due to the fact that they fell on Gauls who had gone hunting. The truth is that in Caesar's time, Roman soldiers did not particularly enjoy patrolling and raiding forests because of attacks by enemies that ambushed them as they passed through.
Still, as long as legionnaires They are in the Aquarium, Babaorum, Lavdanum, and Petibunum camps, engaged in routine tasks such as polishing their shields, guarding a watchtower, or observing the observatory. Obligations that as it turned out had a historical basis, as in Egypt were found remnants of some kind of service program for the year 87 AD, which mentions the daily services of some soldiers.
Finally, a key feature of the comic is that all the Galatians' names end in -ix. The reason for this is the name of the historically existing Gaul leader Vercingetorix, who was defeated by the Roman army of Julius Caesar in the Battle of Alessia. But the names of the other peoples that appear usually have a common ending: the names of the Romans end in -ous, the names of the Goths (Germans) in -ik, the Normans in -af.
Things you did not know about the most popular comic in Europe
- It was first published as an insert in Pilote Comics magazine on October 29, 1959.
- The stories are written by Rene Gossini, and their design bears the signature of Albert Interzo.
- Albert Interzo had color blindness and hired professionals to color his designs. That's why in some characters the hair color in several versions looked different. Also, the cartoonist was born with two extra fingers.
- The 2006 FIFA World Cup final between France and Italy was portrayed as a match between the Roman legions and the Gauls in the newspapers of the time.
- The first French satellite launched in 1965 was named Asterix-1 in honor of Asterix.
- 30 km north of Paris there is a theme park of recreation and adventure inspired by the popular comic book called Parc Asterix.
- The Gaul leader Vercingetorix, who was defeated by the Roman army of Julius Caesar at the Battle of Alessia, is a real person. From there all the names of the Gauls were inspired to have the suffix -ix.
- James Bond, Don Quixote, Chondros and Lignos etc. have appeared in Asterix comics.