Asterix and the Normans
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| Asterix and the Normans | |
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| French Title: | Astérix et les Normands |
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| Story: | Rene Goscinny |
| Illustrations: | Albert Uderzo |
| French Edition: | 1966 |
| English Translation: | 1978 |
| Preceded by: | Asterix in Britain |
| Followed by: | Asterix the Legionary |
Asterix and the Normans is the ninth volume of the Asterix comic book series, by René Goscinny (stories) and Albert Uderzo (illustrations). It was first serialized in Pilote issues 340-361 in 1966.
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[edit] Plot summary
The story begins with Vitalstatistix receiving a missive from his brother Doublehelix in Lutetia (based on modern-age Paris) who wants his aid in making a man of his teenage son, Justforkix (French "Goudurix"). The village holds a dance in honour of his arrival, but he is unimpressed and quickly bored. However this quickly changes when a Norman ship arrives.
The Normans have decided to come to Gaul not for plunder, but for learning: they are fearless to the point of not even understanding the concept of fear, which causes several problems among them (including the inability to cure hiccups); but the main reason for this expedition is that they have heard of people "flying in fear", which they interpret too literally, thinking this mysterious "fear" will grant them the ability to fly. Unfortunately, the local Gauls fear nothing (except the sky falling on their heads), and they actually welcome the prospect of a fight with the Normans. However, Justforkix is horrified and fearfully decides to flee for his life.
Viewing Justforkix as an expert in fear, the Normans kidnap him on his flight home so he can teach them the meaning of the concept. The youngster's situation is hopeless until Asterix and Obelix come to the rescue. In order to teach the Normans fear, Asterix sends Obelix to fetch Cacofonix. But Cacofonix turns out to be missing — encouraged by Justforkix's comments that Lutetia might appreciate his talents more, and annoyed by the villagers' treatment of him, he has decided to go to Lutetia. Obelix manages to track him down, however, and to persuade him to come back to save his first real fan.
Meanwhile, the Norman chief's patience runs out and he tries to force Justforkix to teach them flying by tossing him off a cliff. Just before this can be carried out, Asterix engages the Norman warriors in battle, and seeing him pressed by the Normans, Justforkix suddenly gains the courage to fight as well (though to no visible effect).
Just in time, Obelix and Cacofonix turn up to stop the slugfest, and after some scepticism the Normans learn that Cacofonix does indeed have the ability to teach one the meaning of fear: his loud and ear-splitting singing has them scared out of their wits. After having experienced this new emotion, the Normans find out that it does not give them wings but rather shows them the meaning of courage, something they had always taken for granted. Justforkix himself has learned the meaning of courage thoroughly, making him the pride of his uncle.
The story ends with the traditional banquet, but with Cacofonix as guest of honour and Fulliautomatix tied up with rope, his ears filled with parsley. For once their roles are reversed.
[edit] Notes
- In this story, we see Dogmatix' distress over the uprooting of trees for the first time.
- The Normans' heavy use of cream in recipes is a reference to stereotypes of the residents of the French region of Normandy, which in later centuries was ceded to the Norsemen (ie. Normans) — hence the name — in exchange for peace and as a buffer against further raids. The title of the album is a specific in-joke to this, but is not relevant to the movie version which was given the more obvious name, Asterix and the Vikings.
- The first appearance of the final version of Fulliautomatix is seen here — he remains essentially unchanged for the rest of the series.
- This is the first album in the series since Asterix the Gaul where Cacofonix is not tied up for the story-ending banquet.
- In Finnish, this story is called Asterix ja normannien maihinnousu, an obvious hint at Normandian maihinnousu, the standard Finnish history-book term for the Invasion of Normandy. This is one of those rare instances where a translated title is arguably better than the original, and it is a pun in the very style of the adventures of Asterix. The word, maihinnousu, means "landing".
[edit] Film adaptations
The basic storyline of this album has been adapted into the animated full-length feature Asterix and the Vikings.
[edit] In other languages
- Italian: Asterix e i Normanni
- German: Asterix und die Normannen
- Portuguese: Astérix e os Normandos
- Spanish: Astérix y los normandos
- Swedish: Asterix och vikingarna
- Polish: Asteriks i Normanowie
