Asterix and the Great Crossing facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Asterix and the Great Crossing(La Grande Traversée) |
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| Date | 1977 |
| Series | Asterix |
| Creative team | |
| Writers | Rene Goscinny |
| Artists | Albert Uderzo |
| Original publication | |
| Date of publication | 1975 |
| Language | French |
| Chronology | |
| Preceded by | Asterix and Caesar's Gift |
| Followed by | Asterix Conquers Rome |
Asterix and the Great Crossing is the twenty-second volume of the Asterix comic book series, by René Goscinny (stories) and Albert Uderzo (illustrations).
Plot summary
Unhygienix has run out of fresh fish. Since his stock has to be transported from Lutetia (modern-day Paris), it will be some time before the next delivery of fish. However Getafix says he can't wait since he needs some for his potion. Asterix and Obelix volunteer to resolve the issue by going fishing, to which end they borrow a boat from Geriatrix. After a storm, they get lost, but despite Obelix's concerns, they do not reach the edge of the world; instead, following a brief encounter with the pirates, they arrive on an island (which the reader surmises is Manhattan Island) with delicious birds that the Gauls call "gobblers" (turkeys), bears and "Romans" with strange facial paintings (Native Americans).
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 (which the reader surmises is Liberty Island). Seeing a boat coming, Asterix climbs a cairn of rocks holding a torch and a book like the Statue of Liberty to attract it. The crew are anachronistic Norsemen (with names like Herendethelessen, Steptøånssen, Nøgøødreåssen, Håråldwilssen, Irmgard, Firegård, and their Great Dane, Huntingseåssen) – who managed a Pre-Columbian trans-oceanic contact and take the Gauls, who they thought to be the local natives, to their homeland as proof that there are continents beyond Europe.
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 is skeptical of their stories, until he sees 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 Norsemen with the assumption that Herendethelessen has simply gone to Gaul rather than to a new world. 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 topic.
Film adaptation
- The 1994 animated film Asterix Conquers America, starring Craig Charles as the voice of Asterix and Howard Lew Lewis as the voice of Obelix, 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 – albeit because he had been abducted by Romans seeking to get rid of him by throwing him off the edge of the world – and that the Vikings do not appear in the film.
In other languages
- Catalan: La gran travessia
- Croatian: Onkraj oceana (Beyond ocean)
- Czech: Asterix a Velká zámořská plavba
- Danish: Asterix opdager Amerika (Asterix discovers America)
- Dutch: De grote oversteek
- Finnish: Asterix ja suuri merimatka (Asterix and the Great Sea Journey)
- Galician: A gran travesía
- German: Die große Überfahrt
- Greek: Το μεγάλο ταξίδι
- Hebrew: אסטריקס מגלה את אמריקה (Asterix discovers America)
- Icelandic: Ástríkur heppni
- Italian: Asterix in America
- Norwegian: Asterix oppdager Amerika (Asterix discovers America)
- Polish: Wielka przeprawa
- Portuguese: A grande Travessia
- Russian: Астерикс и Великое Плавание
- Serbian: Velika plovidba
- Spanish: La Gran Travesía
- Swedish: Resan över Atlanten
- Turkish: Büyük Yolculuk
- Ukrainian: Астерікс та Обелікс завойовують Америку
See also
In Spanish: La gran travesía para niños
