Two belligerent and wine-loving Gallic villagers achieved something that real Celts could not – they conquered the entire world. The comic book series created by René Goscinny is a treasure trove of information about both history and the present.
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The tiny yet valiant Asterix and his inseparable burly companion Obelix form a characteristic type of pair known since the beginnings of literature. A duo comprising a usually inexpressive protagonist symbolizing civilization and a noisy, uncouth partner appears already in the Babylonian Epic of Gilgamesh, where the eponymous hero travels alongside the half-animal Enkidu. We encounter a similar pattern in the case of Don Quixote and Sancho Panza, or Robinson Crusoe and Friday. Asterix, who is frugal (if not ascetic) in terms of words and gestures, constitutes the very opposite of the talkative, insatiable and impressionable Obelix. This contrast lends the duo its dynamism, which not only creates a comedic effect,
