The Twelve Tasks of Asterix Trivia Quiz

After yet another defeat of a Roman patrol by Asterix and his fellow villagers, the centurion reports back to Julius Caesar. Caesar is so fed up with the Gauls that he decides to set them tasks that only gods could perform, to prove that they are 'mere mortals'. If the Gauls manage to complete all twelve tasks, he will retire. He goes to the village to issue the challenge to the Gauls, telling them the story of Hercules and adding that they will be 'crazy half-wits' if they refuse. He also sends Gaius Tiddlus to act as referee.

Vitalstatistix chooses Asterix and Obelix to represent the village: Asterix because of his intelligence, and Obelix because of his superhuman strength. After Getafix gives Asterix his customary magic potion, Tiddlus introduces the first task: one of the Gauls must beat Asbestos, a Greek runner said to be as fast as the wind. Asterix takes his potion and catches up with Asbestos, while trying to make conversation with him. Asbestos gets distracted and slams into a tree, and Asterix wins.

For the second task, Asterix and Obelix meet Verses, a Persian javelin thrower whose right arm is bigger than his left. They have a javelin-throwing contest and Verses goes first. He throws the javelin so far that it lands in America, and a Native American mistakes it for a declaration of war. Obelix goes up next and throws his javelin so hard that it goes around the world, and Verses has to run away from it.

He runs through the Native Americans' camp, where they break off fighting to watch him being chased by the javelin.

The third task takes place in a stadium and the Gauls' opponent is Cylindric, a little German man who is also a powerful judoka. Obelix offers to take him on first, but gets angry when Cylindric calls him 'the fat gentleman'. Cylindric easily beats Obelix and throws him multiple times. Asterix essentially wins the task by talking his way out: he compliments Cylindric on his judo skills and asks Cylindric to teach him how to fight like him. Cylindric gladly obliges and tells Asterix how to fight him, even letting Asterix climb on top of him, but realises too late that Asterix has won when Asterix ties his arms and legs in knots.

Julius Caesar receives Tiddlus' report that Asterix and Obelix have completed their tasks so far, but believes they will fail the fourth task, which will involve getting past the priestesses of the Isle of Pleasure. Caesar's advisors are all terrified at this.

Asterix and Obelix's fourth task involves crossing a lake, but there is one snag: they have to sail past the Isle of Pleasure, an island populated by beautiful priestesses. As the Gauls row across the lake, they hear singing and land on the island. A priestess welcomes them and the women entertain them with singing, dancing and drinks. However, Obelix commits a major faux pas when the Chief Priestess asks him what he wants and he asks for a wild boar. She offers him ambrosia and nectar, but he complains that there are no boars on the island, and the priestesses are offended and order him off the island.

Furious, Obelix jumps into the lake and prepares to swim away. He shouts for Asterix and although Asterix resists at first, he hears Obelix calling his name and swims to the other side of the lake with him, where Tiddlus is waiting.

Asterix and Obelix go to a temple for their fifth task. They hear a voice, belonging to the Egyptian hypnotist Iris, telling someone that they are a cat, and a man comes out of the room next door and rubs against the legs of another man, while meowing.

The second man goes into the room and is brainwashed into thinking he is a bird, and flies out. Iris tries to brainwash Asterix into thinking he is a wild boar, but Asterix keeps interrupting and asking Iris how he hypnotises people. Iris gets distracted and accidentally hypnotises himself into thinking he is a wild boar.

As he runs out on all fours, grunting, the bird man is sitting in a tree while the cat man looks up at him hungrily.

The sixth task is tailor-made for Obelix! It takes place in an inn run by Calorifix, known as the Chef of the Titans. He will prepare a feast for the Gauls and they must eat every last bit of it; Tiddlus warns them that nobody has ever finished Calorifix's feasts. Calorifix serves Obelix a boar with chips, followed by an ox, a flock of geese, eight dozen eggs, and many other delights. Obelix eats everything and Calorifix bursts into tears when he realises he has nothing left in his kitchen. Obelix, meanwhile, is disappointed as he 'only had a few starters'.

Asterix and Obelix's seventh task is in an underground cave, known as the Cave of the Beast. Tiddlus tells Asterix that nobody knows what the Beast looks like, as nobody has ever come out of the cave alive. Asterix and Obelix enter the cave, which is filled with horrible birds, and are nearly run over by an underground train. Obelix starts to feel hungry and on cue, the Beast appears. Some time later, he and Asterix emerge from a manhole outside an inn, and Tiddlus asks them what the Beast was like. Obelix assures him that it was 'very tasty'. (We never actually see what the Beast looks like.)

Incidentally, in the picture with Asterix and Obelix looking at the train, you can see a poster with 'Asterix' co-creator René Goscinny advertising Olympia detergent, some nice foreshadowing for one of the later tasks.

The eighth task is Asterix and Obelix's toughest task yet, and involves a building known as the Place That Sends You Mad. Several people come out of the building, including a woman who thinks she is a chicken and a man trying to slaughter her, and a man having a bath while carried by slaves. The tasks sounds simple - Asterix and Obelix have to get a permit in order to go to the next task - but they are hampered at every turn by Roman bureaucrats giving them different directions or telling them to get forms, and end up wandering fruitlessly all over the building.

Obelix is ready to give up, but Asterix decides to beat the Romans at their own game. He asks for a fictional permit and causes chaos in the building as everyone searches for it. Amid the chaos, Asterix finds a prefect in the entrance hall, who gives him the permit required for the task.

For their ninth task, Asterix and Obelix must cross an abyss on an invisible tightrope. Obelix wants to walk across the river below, but Tiddlus warns them that the river is fill of savage crocodiles that Cleopatra gave to Julius Caesar as a present. Obelix and Asterix try to walk on the tightrope, but fall off and Asterix ends up grabbing onto the tightrope for safety, with Obelix grabbing onto his legs. Asterix drinks some magic potion and the two fall into the water and proceed to beat the crocodiles up.

The crocodiles are so frightened that they end up clinging to the tightrope! Meanwhile, the ever-calm Tiddlus sits on the edge and fishes.

For the tenth task, Asterix and Obelix have to climb to the top of a mountain and answer the riddle of the Old Man who lives up there. The rock face is nearly vertical, and Asterix and Obelix have to battle wind, snow and eagles, but they reach the top. An ancient man greets them and tells them if they do not answer his riddle, they will be plunged into the depths of Hell. Asterix is blindfolded and asked to guess which pile of laundry was washed in Olympus detergent. Asterix feels both piles and picks the right one, and the Old Man calls out to the gods that a mortal has answered the riddle.

The gods are annoyed at this and Jupiter, the Roman god of thunder, unleashes a storm. Meanwhile, Asterix and Obelix make their way down the mountain for the next task.

When Asterix and Obelix get to the bottom of the mountain, Tiddlus tells them they will have to spend the night there. This turns out to be their eleventh task, as they are awoken by a group of Roman legionnaries. Obelix jumps at the chance to fight them, but the legionaries are ghosts and he cannot physically touch them. The ghosts mock them, saying that everyone who spends the night there dies of fright. Asterix is furious with the ghosts for stopping him from sleeping and shouts at them to go away. The ghosts realise they are beaten and return to the underworld.

Asterix and Obelix wake up to find themselves outside Julius Caesar's palace. Tiddlus tells them that Caesar is expecting them.

Julis Caesar himself gives the Gauls their final task: they will fight and die in the Circus Maximus, along with their fellow villagers. Asterix and Obelix are taken to the dungeon in the Circus, where the rest of the villagers are waiting for them. Getafix gives them all magic potion. While the Gauls argue about who should lead them out, the gladiators enter the circus. Asterix, Obelix and Getafix lead the Gauls into the arena and between them, they make short work out of the gladiators. Wild animals are sent into the arena next and the Gauls tame them, turning the Circus Maximus into a literal circus. Obelix even balances a pile of elephants!

Tiddlus confirms that all twelve tasks are complete. Julius Caesar takes off his laurel wreath and throws it on the ground as a gesture of surrender. He goes into retirement and lives in a villa with Cleopatra. As a reward for his service, Tiddlus chooses to be exiled to the Isle of Pleasure, where he enjoys himself. The Gauls have their customary feast (minus Cacofonix, of course). Obelix asks Asterix if the Gauls have really become rulers of Rome and Asterix says that it is only a strip cartoon, and 'anything goes'. With that, Obelix joins Tiddlus on the Isle of Pleasure (and brings a roast boar with him this time!)