Picrochole

Picrochole is a fictional character created by François Rabelais, who attacks the Kingdom of Grandgousier in the novelGargantua and Pantagruel. His gives his name to the war he fights: la guerre picrocholine.

Picrochole is a stereotypical bad king, whom Rabelais seeks to deride by putting him in apposition to the good king, represented by Grandgousier, Gargantua's father.

Origin[edit]
"Picrochole" comes from the Greek meaning "gall", and signifies his dark and acerbic moods. Above all, Picrochole is man who takes on enormous projects he has no chance of completing.