What does the word “eternal” mean that gives its name to the successful Netflix series

With the premiere of The Eternaluta In Netflix, the historic Argentine comic written by Héctor Germán Oesterheld and drawn by Francisco Solano López It reached a new global dimension. The series, starring Ricardo Darín and directed by Bruno Stagnarotake the classic story and reinterpret it in a Buenos Aires currentcrossed by a mortal snowfall and an extraterrestrial invasion. Amid the enthusiasm that generated the launch, a question began to circulate between new spectators and old readers: What exactly does the word “eternal” mean?.

It is not a casual or merely aesthetic name. It is one linguistic construction loaded with meaning which anticipates the tone of history and the ideological depth that defines its protagonist and the world that lives. According to the author’s own grandson, Martín M. Oesterheldthe word “Eternauta” It contains multiple layers of interpretation that exceed the narrative.

The key to understanding the term lies in Its etymological root. As the specialists explain, Eternal It is composed of two parts. On the one hand, “eter-”which refers to ether o The eternalthat is, what time transcends. On the other, the suffix “-Nut”of the Greek nautiesmeans navigator o traveler. Thus, the full word can be interpreted as “The traveler of eternity” o “Time navigator”.

It is no accident that this figure is in the center of history created by Oesterheld. The protagonist, Juan excepta devastated territory by a lethal snowfall in a city transformed into a battlefield and also travels, involuntarily, through time and spacecaught in an unknown dimension while trying to meet his family.

But the term should not be understood only in a literal plane. Unlike other time or space travelers – like astronauts or classic science fiction adventurers – Juan Salvo Do not explore the unknown by your own willnor does it alone. His trip is imposed by circumstances and shared with others. It’s a Common man reflex pushed to the abyssforced to fight, resist and rebuild meaning in the midst of chaos.

This notion finds echo in the words of Martín M. Oesterheldcreative consultant of the series and promoter of his grandfather’s legacy. In the production notes of the series provided by Netflixpoints out that The Eternaluta “Portrays the epic of the common man against the extraordinary”, And that his characters“ become that Collective hero which is finally the protagonist of this great story. It is not an isolated individualsino A shared identity, A way to inhabit historical time From solidarity.

The meaning of the word grammar transcends and is installed in the heart of Argentine culture. The choice of name anticipates the philosophical and political content of history. Unlike other survival stories, Oesterheld’s cartoon Does not extol individual heroismbut puts in the center the Collective action. The Eternaluta It’s not just Juan Salvobut each person who resists, which is organized, that faces the unknown with others.

Originally written in 1957the cartoon was read with new eyes during the later decades, especially from the last Argentine military dictatorship. The figure of the Eternaluta happened to represent the missingto the persecuted militants, who fought for ideals in oppressive contexts. The fact that Oesterheld has been disappeared by the military regime in 1977along with his four daughters, he accentuated this reading. The cartoon, which was born as a fiction of resistance to the alien, became a real symbol of the human resistance to state terror.