Asterix and the Great Crossing is the twenty-second volume of the
AsterixThe Adventures of Asterix is a series of French comic strips written by René Goscinny and illustrated by Albert Uderzo . The series first appeared in French in the magazine Pilote on 29 October 1959...
comic book series, by
René GoscinnyRené Goscinny was a French author, editor and humorist, who is best known for the comic book Astérix, which he created with illustrator Albert Uderzo, and for his work on the comic series Lucky Luke with Morris .-Early life:Goscinny was born in Paris in 1926, to a family of Polish and Jewish...
(stories) and
Albert UderzoAlbert Uderzo is a French comic book artist, and scriptwriter. He is best known for his work on the Astérix series, but also drew other comics such as Oumpah-pah, also in collaboration with René Goscinny.-Early life:...
(illustrations).
Unhygienix is out of fresh fish (as always), which is "shipped" overland in ox-drawn carts from Lutetia (Paris), and Getafix says that he needs some for his potion.
Asterix and the Great Crossing is the twenty-second volume of the
AsterixThe Adventures of Asterix is a series of French comic strips written by René Goscinny and illustrated by Albert Uderzo . The series first appeared in French in the magazine Pilote on 29 October 1959...
comic book series, by
René GoscinnyRené Goscinny was a French author, editor and humorist, who is best known for the comic book Astérix, which he created with illustrator Albert Uderzo, and for his work on the comic series Lucky Luke with Morris .-Early life:Goscinny was born in Paris in 1926, to a family of Polish and Jewish...
(stories) and
Albert UderzoAlbert Uderzo is a French comic book artist, and scriptwriter. He is best known for his work on the Astérix series, but also drew other comics such as Oumpah-pah, also in collaboration with René Goscinny.-Early life:...
(illustrations).
Plot summary
Unhygienix is out of fresh fish (as always), which is "shipped" overland in ox-drawn carts from Lutetia (Paris), and Getafix says that he needs some for his potion. Asterix and
ObelixObelix a fictional character from the French comic book series Asterix. He works as a menhir sculptor and deliveryman, and is Asterix' best friend. Obelix is noted for his obesity, the menhirs he carries around on his back and his superhuman strength...
borrow a boat from Geriatrix and go fishing. After a storm, they get lost, but despite Obelix's concerns, they do not reach the
edge of the worldThe Flat Earth model is a view that the Earth's shape is a flat plane.Various cultures have had conceptions of a flat Earth, including ancient Babylon, Ancient Egypt, pre-Classical Greece and pre-17th century China. This view contrasts with the realization first recorded around the 4th century BC...
. Instead, they arrive on an island (
North AmericaNorth America is the northern continent of the Americas, situated in the Earth's northern hemisphere and in the western hemisphere. It is bordered on the north by the Arctic Ocean, on the east by the North Atlantic Ocean, on the southeast by the Caribbean Sea, and on the west by the North Pacific...
) with delicious birds the Gauls call "gobblers" (
turkeysA turkey is either of two living species of large birds in the genus Meleagris. One species, Meleagris gallopavo, commonly known as the Wild Turkey, is native to the forests of North America...
),
bearBears are mammals of the family Ursidae. Bears are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans, with the pinnipeds being their closest living relatives. Although there are only eight living species of bear, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats throughout the Northern...
s and "
RomansThe Roman legion is a term that can apply both as a translation of legio to the entire Roman army and also, more narrowly , to the heavy infantry that was the basic military unit of the ancient Roman army in the period of the late Roman Republic and the...
" with strange facial paintings (
IndiansNative Americans in the United States is the phrase that describes indigenous peoples from North America now encompassed by the continental United States, including parts of Alaska and the island state of Hawaii. They comprise a large number of distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of...
).
Soon they earn the "Romans"' affection, but they decide to leave after the "centurion" chooses Obelix as his rather rubenesque daughter's fiancé. They go to a small island. Seeing a boat coming, Asterix climbs a cairn of rocks
holding a torch and a bookThe Statue of Liberty , officially titled Liberty Enlightening the World , dedicated on October 28, 1886, is a monument commemorating the centennial of the signing of the United States Declaration of Independence, given to the United States by the people of France to represent the friendship...
to attract it. The crew are anachronistic
vikingA Viking is one of the Norse explorers, warriors, merchants, and pirates who raided and colonized wide areas of Europe from the late eighth to the early eleventh century. These Norsemen used their famed longships to travel as far east as Constantinople and the Volga River in Russia, and as far...
s (with names like Herendethelessen,
SteptøånssenSteptoe and Son is a British sitcom written by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson about two rag and bone men living in Oil Drum Lane, a fictional street in Shepherd's Bush, London. Four series were broadcast on the BBC from 1962 to 1965, followed by a second run from 1970 to 1974. Its theme tune, "Old...
, Nøgøødreåssen,
HåråldwilssenJames Harold Wilson, Baron Wilson of Rievaulx, KG, OBE, FRS, PC was a British Labour Party politician; one of the most prominent British politicians of the latter half of the 20th century, he served two terms as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, firstly from 1964 to 1970, and again from 1974...
, Irmgard, Firegård and their
Great DaneGreat Dane, Apollo, Danish Gallant, Deutsche Dogge, Boarhound, Grand Danois or German Mastiff is a breed of domestic dog known for its giant size. The breed is commonly referred to as the "Apollo of all breeds." The Great Dane is one of the world's tallest dog breeds, with only the Irish Wolfhound...
, Huntingseåssen) - who managed a
Pre-Columbian trans-oceanic contactPre-Columbian trans-oceanic contact describes interactions between the indigenous peoples of the Americas who settled the Americas ca. 20,000 B.C.E., and peoples of other continents , which occurred before the arrival of Christopher Columbus in the Caribbean in 1492.Many such contacts have been...
and take the Gauls, whom they thought to be the local natives, to their homeland as proof that there are continents beyond Europe.
Their mutual desperation, the gauls wanting to return home, and the vikings eagerness to prove their story of a new world, results in a trip back to Europe to the Vikings homeland. The vikings' chief, Ødiuscomparissen, greets them and was skeptical of their stories, until he saw the gauls. They plan a celebration, then attempt to sacrifice the "natives" (much to the chagrin of the other vikings ("Why? They haven't done anything!")).
Before this can be carried out, a Gaulish prisoner called Catastrofix, who can understand both Gallic and Norse, stirs up Ødiuscomparissen's suspicion that Herendethelessen is a liar, causing a fight between the Vikings. Meanwhile, the Gauls escape. This escape is conducive to their original purpose, since Catastrofix is a fisherman and hence able to procure some fish for the magic potion. Unhygenix, however, prefers the scent of his own stock; a preference that explains why his product is such a delicate and filthy topic.
Trivia
- The animated movie Asterix Conquers America
Asterix Conquers America is a 1994 animated movie directed by Gerhard Hahn. It was produced in Germany as Asterix in Amerika by Gerhard Hahn and Jürgen Wohlrabe, and is the first Asterix film produced outside of France...
, starring Craig CharlesCraig Charles is an English actor, stand-up comedian, author, poet, radio and television presenter and former professional footballer, best-known for playing Dave Lister in the British cult-favourite sci-fi sitcom Red Dwarf...
as the voice of Asterix, is based on this book. The most noticeable differences between the book and the film is that in the film, Getafix accompanies Asterix to America, and that the vikings do not appear in the film.
- When Obelix punches one of the attacking Native Americans K.O. the warrior first sees American-style emblematic eagles; the second time he sees stars in the formation of the American flag; the third time, he sees stars shaped like the United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare branch of the U.S. armed forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on 18 September 1947 under the National Security Act of 1947 - 80 P.L....
roundelA roundel in heraldry is any circular shape; the term is also commonly used to refer to a type of national insignia used on military aircraft, generally circular in shape and usually comprising concentric rings of different colours.-Heraldry:...
.
- Asterix
The Adventures of Asterix is a series of French comic strips written by René Goscinny and illustrated by Albert Uderzo . The series first appeared in French in the magazine Pilote on 29 October 1959...
' idea for getting the attention of the nearby Viking ship by holding up a torch references the Statue Of LibertyThe Statue of Liberty , officially titled Liberty Enlightening the World , dedicated on October 28, 1886, is a monument commemorating the centennial of the signing of the United States Declaration of Independence, given to the United States by the people of France to represent the friendship...
(which was a gift from France). In response Obelix states "I value my liberty".
- The idea that Vikings reached America centuries before Columbus
Christopher Columbus was a navigator, colonizer and explorer whose voyages across the Atlantic Ocean led to general European awareness of the American continents in the Western Hemisphere...
is one that was seriously considered at the time and is now seen as fact. However, the Vikings landed in America around 1000 C.E.Common Era, abbreviated as CE, is a designation for the calendar system most commonly used world-wide for numbering the year part of the date...
, roughly a thousand years after the timeperiod where Asterix is set.
- When the Vikings set foot on American ground Herendethelessen paraphrases Neil Armstrong
Neil Alden Armstrong is an American aviator and a former astronaut, test pilot, university professor, and United States Naval Aviator. He was the first person to set foot on the Moon. His first spaceflight was aboard Gemini 8 in 1966, for which he was the command pilot...
's famous quote: "It's one small step for (a) man, one giant leap for mankind."
- The nationality of the Vikings in this story is Danish
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe and the senior member of the Kingdom of Denmark. It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries; southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and it is bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark borders both the Baltic and the North Sea...
(The Vikings from the earlier album, Asterix and the NormansAsterix and the Normans is the ninth book in the Asterix comic book series, written by René Goscinny and drawn by Albert Uderzo. It was first published in serial form in Pilote magazine, issues 340-361, in 1966...
, were NorseNorway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a country in Northern Europe occupying the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, as well as Jan Mayen and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard under the Spitsbergen Treaty...
).
- This is made clear by several references to William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's preeminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
's play about the Danish prince HamletThe Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601. The play, set in Denmark, recounts how Prince Hamlet exacts revenge on his uncle Claudius, who has murdered Hamlet's father, the King, and then...
. Odiuscomparissen at one point says: "Something is rotten in the state of ..." while holding a skullThe skull is a bony structure found in the head of many animals. The skull supports the structures of the face and protects the head against injury....
in his hand. In the play, the character Marcellus claims "something is rotten in the state of Denmark", and Hamlet delivers a monologue on death while holding the exhumed skull of his childhood playmate, the court jester Yorick. Towards the end of the comic Herendethelessen is seen wondering if he is a discoverer or not? He concludes by quoting Hamlet: "To be or not to be, that's the question."
- When the Viking's village is in sight, Herendethelessen tells his crewmembers to get ready to be covered with honors only for them to be greeted by an angry booming voice. Steptøånssen remarks that it is their fearsome chief Odiuscomparissen, to which Herendethelessen tells him that it certainly is not a mermaid — a reference to the statue The Little Mermaid in the port of Danish capital Copenhagen
Copenhagen ; ) is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban area with a population of 1,167,569 and a metropolitan area with a population of 1,875,179...
.
- Herendethelessen's dog, Huntingseåssen, is a Great Dane
Great Dane, Apollo, Danish Gallant, Deutsche Dogge, Boarhound, Grand Danois or German Mastiff is a breed of domestic dog known for its giant size. The breed is commonly referred to as the "Apollo of all breeds." The Great Dane is one of the world's tallest dog breeds, with only the Irish Wolfhound...
.
- Pseudo-Danish spelling is used for the Viking's speech.
In other languages
- Catalan: La gran travessia
- Czech: Asterix a Velká zámořská plavba
- Dutch: De grote oversteek
- Finnish: Asterix ja suuri merimatka (Asterix and the Great Sea Journey)
- German: Die große Überfahrt
- Greek: Το μεγάλο ταξίδι
- Italian: Asterix in America
- Norwegian: Asterix oppdager Amerika (Asterix discovers America)
- Polish: Wielka przeprawa
- Portuguese: A grande Travessia
- Russian: Астерикс и Великих Переправа
- Serbian: Астерикс и велика пловидба
- Spanish: La Gran Travesía
- Swedish: Resan över Atlanten
- Turkish: Asteriks Amerikada