Chapter 17. The Mansion of the Gods

Rene Goscinny

Albert Uderzo

English Translations: Anthea Bell & Derek Hockridge

Abstract

Caesar decides to destroy the villagers' forests to make way for an extravagant new city. It is up to the Gauls to frustrate the attempts to drive them out ...
One of the two that doesn't mention Asterix in the title. Asterix and ... probably would have made it too long. Very low on named extras.

Table 17.1. The Mansion of the Gods - Annotations

Page, Panel Comment
Page 10, Panel 2 Beati pauperes spiritu = Blessed are the poor in spirit. (Matt. 5:3, King James)
Page 12, Panel 2 Gnothe Seauton = Gnothi se auton = know thyself. Appears in Hamlet, Act I. Motto on the temple of Appolo in Delphi. Attributed to Thales, Chilo and others.
Page 24, Panel 3 Veni, vidi, vici = I came, I saw, I conquered (Julius Caesar)
Page 25, Panel 1 Jentaculum = Breakfast
Page 26, Panel 1 XIses = elevenses, British late morning tea.; Cenaculum = upper room (eating room)
Page 37, Panel 5 "The Twelve Days of Christmas". Xmas (purposely) occurs near the winter Solstice.
Page 37, Panel 6 Quousque tandem = To what point at last [O Cataline, wilt thou abuse our patience!] (from Cicero's First Catalinarian)
Page 40, Panel 2 Atrium = lobby; triclinium = dining room with couch

Table 17.2. The Mansion of the Gods - Names

Name (in order of appearance) Comment
Sqauronthehypotenus Square on the hypotenuse: the hypotenuse is the long diagonal line in a triangle with a 90 degree right angle. The square of the lengths of the two other lines is the length of the hypotenuse squared (Pythagoras's Theorem). Or, "square on" in construction means that the expected right angle is indeed right.
Somniferus Somniferous: sleep inducing
Flaturtha Flaturtha: gas in the stomach or intestines. Alternately, "flat earther."
Showbisinus Show business. Based on French TV presentator Guy Lux.