Spartacus Series: All about Crixus

24/06/2020
     Crixus in the Spartacus series is undoubtedly one of the best known gladiators. He has an irritable temperament and is kind of "Xucro". It did exist and played a relevant role in the 3rd Servile War.

CRIXUS IN HISTORY:

     Crixus was a Gallic gladiator and military leader in the Third Servile War between the Roman Republic and rebel slaves. Born in Gaul, he was enslaved by the Romans in unknown circumstances and trained as a gladiator in Capua. His name means "the one with curly hair" in Gallic. In 73 BC, Crixus was part of what started as a small slave revolt at the Lentulus Batiatus gladiator training school in Capua, in which about 70 gladiators escaped. The escaped slaves defeated a small force sent to recapture them, then camped on the slopes of Mount Vesuvius. News of the fleeing gladiators' revolt spread, and other fleeing slaves began to join them. At that time, the band of ex-slaves chose Crixus - with Thracian Spartacus and Gaul Oenomaus - as one of their leaders. 

     Later in the rebellion, another ex-gladiator Gannicus from Gaul, Castus and Celtic also served as generals under Spartacus. The movement, in the course of what would come to be known as the Third Servile War, witnessed numerous military successes for fleeing slaves. 

     They defeated the militia forces that the Roman Senate sent to suppress the insurrection by rappelling the cliffs of Mount Vesuvius and attacking the Roman countryside from behind. With these initial successes, thousands of fellow slaves rose into their ranks, until their numbers increased to perhaps as many as 150,000.
     For reasons that are not clear, Crixus and some 30,000 followers appear to have separated from Spartacus and the main body of escaped slaves in late 73 BC. Contemporary historians have theorized two possible reasons for the division. One theory proposes that Crixus and his followers intended to plunder the Roman countryside and, perhaps, march in Rome, while Spartacus and his followers wanted to cross the Alps to reach Gaul and freedom. 

     A second theory is that the division had strategic value and was designed by Spartacus and Crixus as a way to promote its strategic objectives. Whatever the reason for the division, Crixus's contingent found a Roman army under the command of the Roman consul Lucius Gellius Publicola, near Monte Gargano, in 72 BC. Crixus, who would have fought bravely in a losing effort, was killed in the conflict. Spartacus, upon hearing the defeat of Crixus and his forces, carried out simulated gladiator games, in which he forced captured Roman soldiers to fight to the death. 300 or 400 Romans were sacrificed in honor of Crixus.

CRIXUS IN POPULAR CULTURE:

  • Crixus was played by John Ireland in the 1960 film Spartacus.
  • Crixus appears as a character in the musical version of Jeff Wayne, from Spartacus, played by ex-Marillion singer Fish.
  • Crixus is played by Paul Kynman in the 2004 TV movie Spartacus.
  • Crixus was played by Manu Bennett in the television series Starz Spartacus: Blood and Sand, the prequel Spartacus: Gods of the Arena and sequences Spartacus: Vengeance and Spartacus: War of the Damned. In contrast to the 1960 film, in which Crixus and Spartacus quickly become close friends, the Starz series portrays them initially as intense rivals with an almost hatred for each other. It is not until the rebellion that the two become respected friends.
  • In the Heroscape expandable miniature war system, Crixus is a unique gladiator hero, who does not die at the hands of the Romans, but is summoned to the world of Valhalla to follow the General Einar of Valkyrie.

CRIXUS IN SPARTACUS:

     Crixus is a central character in the Spartacus series. He is a former champion of Capua, introduced to the ludus of Batiatus as a slave desiring the life of a gladiator, who finally struggles to become one of the main gladiators of the ludus. During Spartacus 'arrival in Blood and Sand, Crixus is seen as Spartacus' main rival and becomes Naevia's lover. However, after she is banished from the ludus, he joins forces with Spartacus and leads his men in rebellion against the House of Batiatus, and then Rome itself. He became a trusted ally of Spartacus and one of the first rebel leaders. Crixus is known as Gaul Invicta.

APPEARANCE:

     Crixus is a strong and muscular man, with the skin that carries the toil of past battles. When he arrived at Ludus, he had long black hair and a thick beard. It is low compared to some. As a gladiator, Crixus has a much more muscular build thanks to his training. He also wears his hair trimmed and shaved under Lucretia's orders, so he doesn't look wild in her eyes. your previous muscle mass. However, he remains a formidable warrior. In War of the Damned, he maintains a firm beard and a longer, well-groomed hairstyle, and has regained much of his original build that he had when he was a gladiator. He wears a unique set of improvised armor that allows him to stand out as a commander and continues to use a sword and a new shield as weapons of his choice.

PERSONALITY:

     When he arrives at the ludus, he looks unsure, but his desire to be a gladiator is clearly evident. Having been ridiculed by Barca and Auctus, he keeps his head down and continues his training. He has enormous respect for Gannicus and promises to be like him and win the brand. As he grows in skill, he also grows in arrogance. Despite his arrogant behavior, his reasons for fighting continue to honor his family's memory. He appreciates the life of a gladiator, fighting for glory and honor in the arena and expects the same from other gladiators, treating those he dislikes with contempt. Crixus, however, has a softer side and it is only through his love for Naevia that he is able to find something more significant than glory. The two get so close that they become inseparable and the love they have for each other is so great that they believe they will be together in the mortal world and in the afterlife forever. 

     When this love is challenged, it displays a berserker's rage against those responsible, killing and maiming them to the last man and woman. As a leader within the rebellion, he embraces Spartacus as a brother, but his ideals of leadership differ. Crixus is a much more hot-headed leader than Spartacus and a power struggle between the two comes into play from time to time.

SKILLS IN COMBAT:

     The blood of battle flows through Crixus' veins when he comes from a long line of warriors. Before becoming a gladiator, however, Crixus had no real ability and would be seen only as an ordinary brute. After his training, however, Crixus grew in skill and talent very quickly and soon began to outdo many of the other gladiators to the point of becoming Gaul undefeated and was once Capua's champion. This title is not won lightly. Crixus proved to be one of the greatest warriors ever to step on the arena and on the battlefield. He relies on brute force and more grounded attacks as opposed to others, such as Spartacus and Gannicus, who rely more on agile movements that often elevate them above their enemies. However, he is not lacking in athletics and is incredibly fearless. Crixus prefers to use a shield / sword combo, and often starts a fight by literally jumping on the enemy, throwing him on the ground and breaking the defensive line of the Romans.

STORY:

     Crixus grew up in Gaul in a family of fierce warriors. As a young man, he saw the Arverni tribe invade his village and kill his family before his eyes. He was sold as a slave and ended up in the hands of Tullius, where he was forced to work in the new Arena where he would later fight.

GODS OF THE ARENA:

     Crixus is a slave to Tullius, assigned to carry stones for the construction of the new arena under Tullius' brutal superintendent, Appius. Crixus is first seen fighting with another slave. Witnessing the event, Batiatus interrupts Appius from administering a beating on Crixus and offers to pay fifty denarii to buy Crixus, which is well worth recruiting. Batiatus explains to Solonius that his intention to spend such an exorbitant amount on an undisciplined slave like Crixus is to try to get Tullius' favor. 

     When Crixus arrives at Ludus, he is placed in a cell with Ashur, Dagan and Indus. Dagan mocks Crixus in his Syrian language, saying that he is the size of a woman. Ashur, on the other hand, is more friendly and welcoming to Crixus. He explains to Crixus that when he arrived at Ludus, he was in a group with seven other new recruits, but now only he, Dagan and Indus remain. Ashur then questions Crixus about how he got to Ludus. Crixus explains that he saw Batiatus pass by and knew him by his words of gladiators and, in an effort to impress Batiatus and show his possible value as a gladiator, he started the fight with the other slave. Ashur goes on to explain to Crixus how their training as recruits leads to a final test and only then, if they pass the test, will they earn the Brotherhood mark. 

     Like Ashur, Dagan and Indus, Crixus is insulted and harassed by other gladiators, mainly Auctus and Barca, including acts of urination on food and insults about their size, as Barca commenting on how the new recruits look smaller and smaller. year.

Check: Gannicus in Spartacus

BEFORE BLOOD AND SAND:

     During the 5-year interval between Arena Gods and Blood and Sand, Crixus won the title of Capua Champion. He became very popular in the arena after his victory over the Gargan twins, who were "children of a prostitute raped by a jackal". They terrorized Capua until their capture, where they were thrown into the arena to die, but urged that they survived by killing and eating gladiators around the House of Solonius. 

     No one dared to face them, except Crixus. After a great fight, he killed them both and then became an arena legend. During this period, Crixus also continues to serve Lucretia as a sexual servant; however, Lucretia fell in love with Gaul, seeing him as a lover. Crixus, however, began to develop feelings for Lucretia's body servant, Naevia.

BLOOD AND SAND:

     At the time of Spartacus' arrival in the ludus, Crixus is the main gladiator and champion of Capua. Unquestionable leader of the ludus (under Doctore) and close friends of Barca, another of the main gladiators. He does not like Spartacus from the moment they meet because of the proud nature of Thrace and his contempt for the life of a gladiator. When Spartacus is put to the test at the end of his trainee internship, he must fight Crixus. Crixus puts the piece of cloth that Spartacus carries in memory of his wife, Spartacus ends up winning the fight, being the first to be the best Crixus. Displeasure turns into visible rivalry between the two, one always seeking to overcome the other. 

     Eventually, due to an intervention by Spartacus so that he could avoid fighting Varro, the two face off in the arena. Spartacus suffers a strong attack, and only when Crixus is weakened will he retaliate and show his true value as a gladiator. He triumphs over Spartacus, but Spartacus surrenders before Crixus can kill him. In the ludus, Lucretia started to favor Crixus among the gladiators and often calls him to satisfy his desires, keeping his case a secret from Batiatus. Through this regular contact, Crixus meets Naevia, Lucretia's personal slave. He is struck by her beauty in the beginning and gives her a necklace in an attempt to express his new feelings for her. But Naevia returns the necklace to Crixus, who walks away before she can explain that Lucretia would notice if she wore it. 

     Lucretia sees Crixus with the necklace and he is forced to pretend that he bought it for Lucretia. This irritates Naevia when he misunderstood her gesture, but over time they approached, despite Naevia's constant pain for Crixus sleeping with Lucretia.

VENGEANCE:

     After the massacre in the village of Batiatus, Crixus commands a group of Gauls in the Spartacus rebellion and is the second in general command of the Rebel Army, surpassed only by Spartacus. He seeks to find Naevia and return her to his arms. He became friends with Spartacus, despite being at odds with Spartacus, insisting that they seek out Naevia immediately, while Spartacus insists that they take a slower and more careful approach. This friction between the two divides the rebels, leading them to a desire to separate. When Crixus learns that Naevia may have been sold to a nearby brothel, he immediately attacks him with the help of Spartacus and the rebels. Here he gets in touch and interrogates a slave who says that Naevia was sold from Dominus to Dominus.

WAR OF THE DAMNED:

     Crixus continues to fight in the rebellion, as one of Spartacus 'generals and even has his own group of rebels that he fought while Spartacus fought against Cossinius' main forces. He trained his mistress, Naevia, how to fight and she became a formidable fighter in the rebellion. After Cossinius' defeat and withdrawal, Crixus discovers that a Roman unit is close to the rebel camp. He, along with the other rebels, set up an ambush for the unit, which turns out to be a messenger. Upon successfully directing the unit, the rebels discover that Marcus Crassus has prepared a force of 10,000 to face them. They also learn that Cossinius and his Furius platform have retired to a nearby village. As Spartacus prepares a plan to invade the village, Naevia expresses concern about the plan's failure. Crixus assures her that he will not fail and remembers how strong she has become. When night falls, Spartacus, Crixus and Gannicus sneak into the village, killing the rest of Cossinius' forces and, later, Cossinius and Furius.

CRIXUS QUOTES:

"I will not die a faceless slave forgotten by history"


"Not a day goes by when I do not dream of honoring the dead in blood and victory. Auctus is the first life I have ever led in battle. He will not be forgotten."

"I am Gallic, little man. The best of my kind. Crixus, the undefeated!"


"It is not an easy task to cut off a man's head. You must find the right angle."


"And that is all, Spartacus, a dream. And one day you will wake up to the truth: you will never leave this place. And your wife, if she is not yet dead, has been fucked madly by a hundred Roman cocks !!"

"I struggle to honor these walls. You struggle to leave them."


"I didn't save Spartacus. I saved a brother, who shares the brand."


"Get away, puppy, before your withered penis gets wet."


"Do you know that in another life, you and I can be brothers? But not in this one."


"We show them that they are vulnerable, we show them that a trembling hand can become a fist! We challenge the idea that a slave must always know his place, accepting a stick and whip because he was taught to accept it ?! we built the powerful republic with our hands, our blood and our lives! And we can see it fall at an equal cost. You opened my eyes to this, Spartacus, don't ask me now to close them ... "

"One last legion, led by the foolish Arrius, is all that exists between us and the victory that will become legend! A lifetime ago, when I was still under the roof of Batiatus' house, my Doctore, Oenomaus, demanded an answer from those recruits who sought glory in the sands of the arena. What is under their feet? ... And today it will be Rome that will abandon them! Shall we begin? Shall we begin? Shall we begin? Shall we begin !? "

Check: Top 10 Spartacus Quotes