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Getafix
Panoramix

G32b

Nationality
First appearance

Getafix (or, in some translations, Magigamix, French: Panoramix) is the tritagonist of the Asterix franchise. He is the village druid. In appearance he is tall with a white beard, white robe, red cloak. He is usually seen in possession of a small golden sickle. While his age is never stated, in the story of Asterix' birth (in which all but the oldest villagers are seen as small children) he appears unchanged. In Asterix and the Big Fight the druid Psychoanalytix (who appears quite old) refers to him as his elder and teacher. Although known for his strength-enhancing magic potion, he has many other magical and medicinal potions at his disposal, and acts as the village doctor and occasionally teacher. Asterix (and most other villagers) will consult him whenever anything strange occurs. He does not himself normally engage in combat, whereas most of the villagers enjoy a good punch-up (even with each other). On one occasion in one of the stories explaining Gaulish women, with using Mrs. Geriatrix as an example, with a fight sparked by Impedimenta. The final cut is shown with all the male villagers and two females, Impedimenta and Bacteria included, with Getafix running to stop the punch up, with a piece of fish flying towards him. What he does next (continues to attempt to stop the fight or joins in the brawl) is unknown, although the former is the most likely.

As the only individual able to produce the "magic potion" upon which the villagers rely for their strength, he is the focus of many stories, and the conscience of the village. On a few occasions, he has refused to make the potion when the villagers become too selfish. He has also occasionally been taken prisoner by hostile forces to get access to the potion – only to be freed again thanks to Asterix and Obelix. Finding ingredients for his potions has also sent Asterix on several adventures.

Getafix bears some similarity to many wise old men in legend, literature and film who act as mentors and father-figures to the heroes, including Merlin, Gandalf, Obi Wan Kenobi and Albus Dumbledore. In Goscinny's works, however, Getafix came across more as just a friend of the protagonists rather than a wise old counselor. He was also, from the very beginning, shown as a figure of fun and had a wonderful sense of humour: in Asterix the Gaul he'd cut his finger while using his sickle and roar with uncontrollable laughter at Asterix' teasing of the Roman Centurion; in Asterix and the Big Fight he was shown as going literally crazy.

His appearance changes through the books in the first album (Asterix the Gaul) he is more hunchbacked than his later taller appearance. Also in that book he carries a walking stick and his eyebrows are bigger than usual. In the second book (Asterix and the Golden Sickle) he only has a brief appearance in the beginning and the end of the book. There he is taller and significantly looks more like his future appearance another change is due to colouring: his cape is sky-blue. In Asterix and the Goths, the third book, he changes little as whole this book is one of the most badly coloured ones and characters swap colours often. In Asterix the Gladiator and Asterix and the Banquet, respectively the fourth and fifth book, he has minor roles and the changes in him are not big. By the time of the sixth book (Asterix and Cleopatra) he looks a lot like his future self.

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