Gaulish superhero Asterix touches down in Scotland for the very first time today with the battle cry “thae Romans is glaikit!”
Asterix and the Pechts brings the warrior and his trusted sidekick Obelix on a mission to meet a Pictish king somewhere near Loch Ness.
What unfolds is a tale written in the Scots tongue and featuring Doric iron-age clans and Dundonian speaking Roman legionnaires, with the French double-act themselves given a gallus Glaswegian makeover.
Scots language expert Matthew Fitt, who translated the story, said he hoped the new Asterix tale would inspire a greater interest in the native tongue.
“The French publishers were very keen to have a Scottish translation,” he said.
“It’s a combination of making light of stereotypes and sending up various attributes of different places.
“It is the first time that people have had the option to read Asterix in Scots or Doric and there is never enough of it for people to read, listen on the radio or watch on television.
“To have the French publishers saying this is a good thing might encourage others to do more with the language.”
On arrival in Scotland, Asterix and Obelix soon go native, sporting kilts with Pictish face tattoos as bagpipes and whisky drinking are also thrown in the mix.
Asterix and the Pechts is the 35th book in the global series. It will be translated into more than 20 other languages, including Gaelic.
Writer Jean-Yves-Ferri spoke earlier this year of his wish to set an adventure in Scotland having visited the country.
He said: “I love the landscapes of Scotland, especially at the north, up in the Highlands.
“And it’s the landscape for a story of Asterix – an ideal landscape.