Mélusine (comics)
Encyclopedia
Mélusine is a Belgian comic strip created by artist Clarke and writer Gilson
and features short, humorous stories that centre around the life of a young witch who lives as an au pair
in a castle and studies at a witches’ school (where she is seen attending 5 years before the first Harry Potter
novel was published).
The strip first appeared in Spirou magazine in 1992. Since 1995, her adventures have been published in book form by Dupuis
— the 17th album coming out in 2009. Four albums have been published in English by Cinebook
.
, a British publisher specializing in Franco-Belgian comics. So far, four books have been translated.
François Gilson
François Gilson is a Belgian comics author. Signing his work simply as Gilson, he is best known for Mélusine.-Biography:...
and features short, humorous stories that centre around the life of a young witch who lives as an au pair
Au pair
An au pair is a domestic assistant from a foreign country working for, and living as part of, a host family. Typically, au pairs take on a share of the family's responsibility for childcare as well as some housework, and receive a small monetary allowance for personal use...
in a castle and studies at a witches’ school (where she is seen attending 5 years before the first Harry Potter
Harry Potter
Harry Potter is a series of seven fantasy novels written by the British author J. K. Rowling. The books chronicle the adventures of the adolescent wizard Harry Potter and his best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, all of whom are students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry...
novel was published).
The strip first appeared in Spirou magazine in 1992. Since 1995, her adventures have been published in book form by Dupuis
Dupuis
Éditions Dupuis S.A. is a Belgian publisher of comic books and magazines.Based in Marcinelle near Charleroi, Dupuis was founded in 1922 by Jean Dupuis, and is mostly famous for its comic albums and magazines. It is originally a French language publisher, but publishes many editions both in French...
— the 17th album coming out in 2009. Four albums have been published in English by Cinebook
Castle dwellers
- Mélusine is a smart and kind-hearted young witch with flaming red hair. In the first album, it is revealed that she is actually 119 years old. Although originally under the impression that she was hired to do magicMagic (paranormal)Magic is the claimed art of manipulating aspects of reality either by supernatural means or through knowledge of occult laws unknown to science. It is in contrast to science, in that science does not accept anything not subject to either direct or indirect observation, and subject to logical...
, she lives as a sort of au pair in a sinister old castle. Outside of doing household chores, she is often performing spells and brewing potionPotionA potion is a consumable medicine or poison.In mythology and literature, a potion is usually made by a magician, sorcerer, dragon, fairy or witch and has magical properties. It might be used to heal, bewitch or poison people...
s. She also attends a witches' school where she is at the top of her class. However, she is hardly a teacher's pet since her spells work so well that they cause the teacher unexpected agro, resulting in lessons being suspended: on one occasion, for example, the class had to materialize various objects from out of thin air. These ranged from flies to toads with marks ranging from 0 to 4 out of 10. Melusine conjured up a huge monster which landed right on top of the teacher: she got a 10 and class was suspended.
- CountCountA count or countess is an aristocratic nobleman in European countries. The word count came into English from the French comte, itself from Latin comes—in its accusative comitem—meaning "companion", and later "companion of the emperor, delegate of the emperor". The adjective form of the word is...
Gonzaga Hernyvanz and his wife, the Duchess Aymee Döperzonn, are the master and mistress of the castle where Mélusine works: a somewhat goofy male vampireVampireVampires are mythological or folkloric beings who subsist by feeding on the life essence of living creatures, regardless of whether they are undead or a living person...
and a stern female ghostGhostIn traditional belief and fiction, a ghost is the soul or spirit of a deceased person or animal that can appear, in visible form or other manifestation, to the living. Descriptions of the apparition of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to...
. Mélusine always addresses them as "sir" and "madam", and their real names were only revealed in the eleventh album. Their manservant is called Winston and likes eating cats; he resembles both LurchLurchLurch is a fictional character created by cartoonist Charles Addams as a manservant to The Addams Family. In the original television series, Lurch was played by Ted Cassidy, who came up with the now-famous catchphrase: "You rang?" When the phrase was delivered in the actor's slow-motion...
and Frankenstein's monsterFrankenstein's monsterFrankenstein's monster is a fictional character that first appeared in Mary Shelley's novel, Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus. The creature is often erroneously referred to as "Frankenstein", but in the novel the creature has no name...
.
- Doctor Kartoffeln was first seen in the eleventh album. A descendent of the original owner of the castle, he claimed to be its rightful owner only to learn that his ancestor had gambled it away. However, Count Gonzaga Hernyvanz allowed him to stay since he could brew some very good tasting blood. Kartoffeln continues his scientificScienceScience is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
experiments and has been tampering with technologyTechnologyTechnology is the making, usage, and knowledge of tools, machines, techniques, crafts, systems or methods of organization in order to solve a problem or perform a specific function. It can also refer to the collection of such tools, machinery, and procedures. The word technology comes ;...
. He is particularly attached to Winston, as his great-grandfather was apparently the one who created him. Melusine finds his mad scientific experiments disturbing, not to mention adding to her housework. School was therefore appealing since it enabled her to get away from him — until he was hired as a teacher.
- The mummyMummyA mummy is a body, human or animal, whose skin and organs have been preserved by either intentional or incidental exposure to chemicals, extreme coldness , very low humidity, or lack of air when bodies are submerged in bogs, so that the recovered body will not decay further if kept in cool and dry...
also lives in the castle. Although nothing more than a skeleton wrapped in bandages he still has feelings, and is often caught peeping through the keyhole into Mélusine's room. He featured in the early strips but has not been used since.
Mélusine's relatives
- Adrazelle is Mélusine's nutty old aunt (542 years old, as is revealed in the third album). She lives in a shack somewhere in the neighborhood, and often visits her niece in the castle. She can also be seen speeding across the skies on her broomstick, wearing racing goggles, and seems to have a fondness for toad soup and sabbathsSabbath (witchcraft)The Witches' Sabbath or Sabbat is a supposed meeting of those who practice witchcraft, and other rites.European records indicate cases of persons being accused or tried for taking part in Sabbat gatherings, from the Middle Ages to the 17th century or later.- Etymology :The English word “sabbat”...
.
- Mélisande was first introduced in the seventh album. She is Mélusine's friendly but silly cousin and is not a witch but a fairyFairyA fairy is a type of mythical being or legendary creature, a form of spirit, often described as metaphysical, supernatural or preternatural.Fairies resemble various beings of other mythologies, though even folklore that uses the term...
, and thus considered a disgrace to the family. She wears pink and blue and does nothing but conjure up bunnies, sweets and pastries with her magic wand, mumbling things like Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo (a reference to CinderellaCinderella"Cinderella; or, The Little Glass Slipper" is a folk tale embodying a myth-element of unjust oppression/triumphant reward. Thousands of variants are known throughout the world. The title character is a young woman living in unfortunate circumstances that are suddenly changed to remarkable fortune...
's fairy godmotherFairy godmotherIn fairy tales, a fairy godmother is a fairy with magical powers who acts as a mentor or parent to someone, in the role that an actual godparent was expected to play in many societies...
in the Disney version of the story).
- Pirouline is Mélusine's half-sister, though as Mélusine herself points out it is more the reverse since Pirouline is twice her weight and age. Her heavy eating appears to be due to being a single mother — and when you consider the child...
- Malicella is Pirouline's daughter. She is 112-years-old (12 in witch's terms) and is rebellious, unpleasant and troublesome. Mélusine finds herself stuck with her for a while (see volume 15 L'Apprentie sorcière ("The Witch's Apprentice")) and goes through the agro of keeping her under control and teaching her magic. When she asks Malicella when her mother will take her back, she reveals that the last time she was entrusted to a third party was over a period of four years! However, Pirouline soon re-appears and leaves with her proginy... much to the relief of Mélusine and her friends.
School
Melusine attends a school for magic which was originally based a small house in the woods. The premises got blown up as a result of Crancrelune's mishandling of dangerous mixtures. They thus moved to a castle which included a large library and more staff. To give even the hopeless Crancrelune the incentive to pass the exams, Haaselblatt the teacher announced that they would be held in the torture chamberTorture chamber
A torture chamber is a room where torture is inflicted.- Methods of coercion :According to Frederick Howard Wines in his book Punishment and Reformation: A Study Of The Penitentiary System there were three main types of coercion employed in the torture chamber: Coercion by the cord, by water and...
.
- Cancrelune is Mélusine's incredibly clumsy and rather dim-witted best friend. Also a witch, she is frequently seen crashing into walls or windows on her broomstick, screwing up spells and potions, or panicking about examinations. What magic she can do successfully is the sleight of handSleight of handSleight of hand, also known as prestidigitation or legerdemain, is the set of techniques used by a magician to manipulate objects such as cards and coins secretly....
sort used by stage magicians. The comic strips of the thirteenth album focused, appropriately enough, around her many superstitiousSuperstitionSuperstition is a belief in supernatural causality: that one event leads to the cause of another without any process in the physical world linking the two events....
beliefs. Cancre-lune literally translates as "dunceDunceA dunce is a person incapable of learning.The word is derived from the name of the great Scholastic theologian and philosopher John Duns Scotus, also referred to as Doctor Subtillis, or "Subtle Doctor", whose works on logic, theology and philosophy were accepted textbooks in the universities from...
-moon".
- Krapella is another student in Mélusine's class and her other best friend. Distinguishable by her somewhat risqué attire (black tube topTube topA tube top is a shoulderless, sleeveless "tube" that wraps the torso. Such a top is generally very tight over the breasts in order to prevent the garment from falling...
, miniskirt, thigh-high fishnet stockings and pumpsCourt shoeCourt shoes or pumps are shoes with a low-cut front and usually without a fastening. However, some have ankle straps...
), she is the more outgoing, party-hardy of the group. Although quite competent herself, she does fall a little short of her more bookwormish friend. Always up for a bit of fun, she'll often be the first to forgo studies and drag her friends along with her to partake in various hijinks.
- Mister Haaselblatt is a teacher at the witches' school who was first introduced in the third album. He's small and chubby, and incredibly mean and demanding. He tends to insult his pupils, addressing them as "losers" or "morons", instead of encouraging them. He is often outsmarted by Mélusine whose spells work so well that they result in chaos and school being suspended for the day, to the delight of Mélusine and the other students.
- Mister Purulóvskovar teaches the class about demonDemoncall - 1347 531 7769 for more infoIn Ancient Near Eastern religions as well as in the Abrahamic traditions, including ancient and medieval Christian demonology, a demon is considered an "unclean spirit" which may cause demonic possession, to be addressed with an act of exorcism...
ic forces. Muscular but with an exceptionally ugly face, he looks particularly menacing even when he doesn't try to be and, when speaking, insects fall from his mouth. When he gets a cold, slimy creatures (slug, octopus) are expelled instead.
- Mister Charles Rimbaut teaches cookingCookingCooking is the process of preparing food by use of heat. Cooking techniques and ingredients vary widely across the world, reflecting unique environmental, economic, and cultural traditions. Cooks themselves also vary widely in skill and training...
. He is an ordinary-looking and quite friendly man, though Mélusine finds him and his lessons dull and tedious since they have little to do with magic. They were the focus of the fourteenth album, La Cuisine du diable (French for "Hell's Kitchen").
Others
- The WerewolfWerewolfA werewolf, also known as a lycanthrope , is a mythological or folkloric human with the ability to shapeshift into a wolf or an anthropomorphic wolf-like creature, either purposely or after being placed under a curse...
is a very sophisticated character, who is very taken in with Mélusine. He is probably the nearest she has to a boyfriend and she appreciates him, though most of the time she fantasizes being seduced by a handsome prince. The fact that he can only appear during a full moon makes him rather limited especially since, in human form, he is a weak and pathetic little man and would rather she did not see him as such.
- Although many of the villagers occasionally turn to Mélusine for help — asking for love potions, hair-growing remedies and the like — there is also a group of people that is out to burn her at the stake. This group is led by the town's fanatical pastor, who's obsessed with putting a stop to witchcraft, but never succeeds.
Albums
- Sortilèges (Spells, 1995)
- Le bal des vampires (The Vampires' Ball, 1996)
- Inferno (1996)
- Histoire à lire au coin du feu (Story to be Read by the Fire, 1997)
- Philtres d'amour (Love Potions, 1998)
- Farfadets et korrigans (Imps and Elves, 1999)
- Hocus pocus (2000)
- Halloween (2001)
- Hypnosis (2001)
- Contes de la pleine lune (Tales of the Full Moon, 2002)
- Mélusine à l'école des maléfices (Mélusine and the School of Witchcraft, 2003)
- La belle et la bête (Beauty and the beast, 2004)
- Superstitions (2005)
- La cuisine du diable (The Devil's Kitchen, 2006)
- L'Apprentie Sorcière (The Witch's Apprentice, 2007)
- Ballet enchantée (Enchanted broom, 2008)
- Sang pour Sang (Blood for Blood, 2009) (a pun on the French term for 100%)
English Translations
The series have been translated into English by Cinebook LtdCinebook Ltd
Cinebook Ltd is a British publishing company that publishes comic books and graphic novels. It describes itself as "the 9th art publisher," the 9th art being comics in continental Europe, especially France, Italy and Greece....
, a British publisher specializing in Franco-Belgian comics. So far, four books have been translated.
- Hocus Pocus, Feb 2007, ISBN 9781905460205
- Halloween, Oct 2007, ISBN 9781905460342
- The Vampires' Ball, Oct 2008, ISBN 9781905460694
- Love Potions, Oct 2009, ISBN 9781849180054
Trivia
- In the DutchDutch languageDutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
edition of the comic series, Mélusine is confusingly called Melisande, while Mélusine’s cousin Mélisande is called Melusine. - Throughout the albums, references have been made to some of the branches of the occult and the mystical, including the KabbalahKabbalahKabbalah/Kabala is a discipline and school of thought concerned with the esoteric aspect of Rabbinic Judaism. It was systematized in 11th-13th century Hachmei Provence and Spain, and again after the Expulsion from Spain, in 16th century Ottoman Palestine...
and tarotTarotThe tarot |trionfi]] and later as tarocchi, tarock, and others) is a pack of cards , used from the mid-15th century in various parts of Europe to play a group of card games such as Italian tarocchini and French tarot...
. Countless mythical creatures have also appeared, from koboldKoboldThe kobold is a sprite stemming from Germanic mythology and surviving into modern times in German folklore. Although usually invisible, a kobold can materialise in the form of an animal, fire, a human being, and a candle. The most common depictions of kobolds show them as humanlike figures the size...
s and dragonDragonA dragon is a legendary creature, typically with serpentine or reptilian traits, that feature in the myths of many cultures. There are two distinct cultural traditions of dragons: the European dragon, derived from European folk traditions and ultimately related to Greek and Middle Eastern...
s to devilDevilThe Devil is believed in many religions and cultures to be a powerful, supernatural entity that is the personification of evil and the enemy of God and humankind. The nature of the role varies greatly...
s and giantsGiant (mythology)The mythology and legends of many different cultures include monsters of human appearance but prodigious size and strength. "Giant" is the English word commonly used for such beings, derived from one of the most famed examples: the gigantes of Greek mythology.In various Indo-European mythologies,...
.