Hägar the Terrible

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Hägar as an advertising character

Hägar the Terrible ( English : Hägar the Horrible ), sometimes very similar forms of the name are used, is a comic strip , invented in 1973 by Dik Browne , continued since 1988 by his son Chris Browne .

The focus is on the stereotypical Viking Hägar and his family. With the help of targeted exaggerations and running gags , both the dark Middle Ages and the present are humorously satirized.

It appears in more than 1900 newspapers in 58 countries and 13 languages. In the 1980s there was also a Latin edition called Haegar Terribilis .

main characters

Hägar the Terrible
He is the leader of a group of Vikings who regularly go on campaigns of conquest, preferably to England . Hägar is a feared conqueror, but at home shows himself to be a loyal family man whose business just happens to be looting and pillaging . He values ​​abundant and good food and spends a lot of time in his local pub . In addition, he is rather cautious about housework. Moreover, he doesn't like it when his mother-in-law is visiting. He has a red beard and is wearing a bearskin and a horned helmet. His family often lives in different domiciles, sometimes castles, sometimes simple houses. One strip mentions that the home village of Hägar and his team is called Gog, otherwise the reader only learns that they live in Norway.
Helga
She is Hagar's wife. Even if he makes the world tremble in fear, the sarcastic Helga wears her pants at home. In some of the strips, Helga would like Hägar to bring her things, mostly from England or Paris. In addition, she can't stand it when Hägar comes home late from the pub. As a punishment, he is usually served liver or she guards the front door with a rolling pin. Helga has blonde braids and usually wears a dark dress and a horned helmet.
Honi
She is the beautiful daughter of Helga and Hägar. Her mother in particular hopes that Honi will get married soon, after all, she is already 16 years old. Helga gives her all kinds of tips on how to become a housewife, because she doesn't want Honi to become a warrior, although Honi's skills as a cook are very limited. But Honi just can't decide whether she wants to be a warrior or get married. Every now and then she is out with shield and sword and once she even accompanied her father on a trip. Like her mother, she has blonde hair, but wears a helmet with wings and a metal dress, the top of which is made of armor without sleeves and the skirt of chain mail rings.
Hamlet
He is the son of Helga and Hägar. Although the intelligent boy wears the same clothes as his father, he is significantly skinny and appreciates a good book more than a fight, which his father cannot really understand. His parents tell him his name comes from a famous relative, a certain Danish Prince Hamlet , but in reality he was called that because he looked like a mutton chop as a baby . Hamlet is very respectful, but occasionally struggles with the fate that he had to be born in the dark ages of all places.
mother-in-law
If Helga's mother comes to visit (usually in winter), Hägar always does everything possible to avoid her. He often tries to set out on an extensive looting tour, but is regularly ordered to stay at home by his wife. To be fair, Helga also has to admit that her mother does everything to spoil Hägar's mood with her presence or her gifts. She wears a helmet with elk shovels and her entire appearance and demeanor resembles that of a witch. She's also a good fighter.
Sven lucky guy
Sven Glückspilz (in the original: Eddie or Lucky Eddie) is Hägar's right-hand man and best friend. His job is to represent the rather calm opposite pole alongside Hägar. Sven Glückspilz is not exactly the smartest, but very friendly - not necessarily the best qualifications for a Viking. He doesn't live up to his nickname, he is a notorious unlucky fellow. His appearance on the comic strip was not a lucky star. He made his first appearance as a human plummet on Hägar's boat. His real name is Zampano coincidence. He doesn't have a good hand with women, but with mermaids, and he's the only one of Hägar's team who can read and write. He usually wears a cowl-like smock and a helmet that looks like an upside-down funnel, which is why Hägar sometimes misappropriates it.
Lute
The poet and singer is Honi's friend, who doesn't mind the fact that he can neither write nor sing. Hägar can't stand Lute and tries every opportunity to scare him off. Helga is usually not that strict, but would prefer Honi to find a man with a higher income who can give her daughter security. Lute is pretty self-absorbed, which is why Honi often questions a possible connection. He looks down at other Honis admirers.
Hernia / tritta
She is Hamlet's best friend and would like to marry him one day. In order to clarify her claim to ownership of him, she sews her name tags into his laundry. Otherwise, it can become quite palpable if Hamlet does not immediately comply with her wishes (mostly marriage proposals).
Kwack
She is the somewhat snooty, clean family duck. She is Helga's darling and recently had offspring. Your children were simply numbered from one to six with the name Pipi Watschler. In addition, she often spies on Hägar and reveals his secret drinking by croaking loudly to Helga, which is why the latter often suggests that they want to eat duck again.
Snert
He is Hagar's dog and accordingly lazy and dirty. Hägar got it from the flea market. The Viking helmet worn by both is characteristic of both Snert and Kwack .
Dr. Zook
The doctor is a general practitioner and Hägar's family doctor , who always brews some strange potions and medicines and has a penchant for occultism. With the exception of the nose, there is hardly anything to be seen of his face in the comic because he always wears a hood . He is therefore somewhat like an executioner or the grim reaper. The few strips in which you can see more than his nose, however, suggest that he is still quite young. He describes the other doctors as " quacks ". In addition to his job, like many doctors, he has golf as a hobby. In the first part of "Hägar the Terrible" he was still called Dr. Met. Dr. Zook has a very getting used to humor and a lousy handwriting. For a while he is the adoptive father of an orphaned baby dragon.
Lawyer Koyer
Ewald the lawyer (in the original: Koyer the Lawyer) is Hägar's lawyer. Since Hägar mostly has the law of the thumb, he only rarely appears in the comics. Then he is usually characterized by a cumbersome legal language, which he also uses when it comes to ordering a beer. As Dr. Zook he usually charges exorbitant prices for his services.
The tax collectors
The king's tax collectors are the only ones to whom even a feared Viking like Hägar has to give in. The methods used by the tax officials in the Hägar comics are not as subtle as they are today. Usually they also act as jailers and torturers when Hägar or his comrades are in the dungeon. They are dressed completely in black and wear black caps that only leave the eyes exposed.
Lousy Max
Lousy Max is an always sinister-looking and doubly tall Viking. He's always in a bad mood and loves to make Sven Glückspilz's life hell. According to his own statement, his name used to be "Happy Max", but changed his name because his wife Mary Lou and his children are making his life hell. His two older brothers, the lousy Max and the lousiest Max, are much worse, according to Hägar.
Dirt finch
Schmutzfink (in the original: Dirty Dirk) is a Viking who is dirty. He is part of Hägar's crew of Vikings .
Attila
Attila the Hun appears again and again as Hägar's archenemy, but sometimes also as a friend. He is a powerful and feared warrior who seems to go down well with women in a comic strip.
Brother Olaf
The territory of Hägar in Norway of the 9th / 10th centuries is historically correct. Century visited by Christian missionaries, who find a rich field of activity here. Hägar tolerates them and even allows one of them, Brother Olaf, to become a resident and build a representative church that even has stained glass windows. Nevertheless, Brother Olaf remains hapless as a missionary and moves Hägar and his men to imitate rather than avoid them through his sermons on sin and iniquity. He is also Hägar's and Helga's marriage counselor, even if he allows himself to be bribed, for example, with Helga's cookies.

Movies

  • To mark the death of Dik Browne, a 25-minute cartoon titled Hägar the Terrible was produced in 1989 and later released as a video.
  • In the 1980s, Hägar commercials were produced for the Skol beer brand in the UK.

Computer games

Award

In 1984, Dik Browne and Hägar received the Max and Moritz Prize for the best international comic strip artist.

Web links

swell

  1. ↑ hagardunor.net : Hägar The Horrible (English / French).
  2. ^ Max and Moritz Prize since 1984. Accessed July 9, 2020 .