Saison (river)
The Saison[1] or Uhaitz Handia,[2] is a left tributary of the Gave d'Oloron river in the French Basque Country, (Pyrénées-Atlantiques), Southwest of France. Its general south to north direction provides the axis for the former French province of Soule. It is also known as the Gave de Mauléon.
Saison | |
---|---|
Location | |
Country | France |
Physical characteristics | |
Source | |
⁃ location | Licq-Athérey |
⁃ elevation | 288 m (945 ft) |
Mouth | |
⁃ location | Gave d'Oloron |
⁃ coordinates | 43°24′8″N 0°58′27″W |
Length | 72 km (45 mi) |
Basin size | 627 km2 (242 sq mi) |
Basin features | |
Progression | Gave d'Oloron→ Gaves réunis→ Adour→ Atlantic Ocean |
Geography
The river is formed in Licq-Athérey from the confluence of the Gave de Sainte-Engrâce (from the Pierre-Saint-Martin Cave) and the Gave de Larrau (from the Pic d'Orhy).
It flows north and joins the Gave d'Oloron in Autevielle-Saint-Martin-Bideren, downstream from Sauveterre-de-Béarn.
Départements and towns
The riverside towns are Tardets-Sorholus and Mauléon-Licharre.
Name
The vernacular name Uhaitz handia (or simply Uhaitza) is based on the common word uhaitz meaning "torrential river" in Euskara. It corresponds to the French word gave. -a is the article and handi means big.
The enigmatic gascon name Saison could be a contraction season with the former name Gaison, itself derived from the variant ugaitz of uhaitz.
Tributary names are also linguistically interesting, with two specific stems:
- Aphanize: name of tributaries from Montory (Aphanize) and from Haux (Aphanixe).[3]
- Aphahura: leading to the following names: Aphaura (from Aroue and from Arrast,[4] Aphura (from Alçay), Aphuhura (from Aussurucq).
The stem gezal, a derivate of basque gazi 'salty', applied to 'still water', is also represented.
Main tributaries
- (R) Aphanixe (Appaniche), from Haux
- (L) Elgabarrena or Üthürrotxa, from Etchebar
- (R) Aphanize,[5] from Montory
- (L) Aphura or Aphoura, from Alçay
- (L) Gezala / Guéçala, from Camou-Cihigue
- (L) Aphuhura (Aphouhoura) or Gezaleko erreka / Guéçalia, from Aussurucq
- (L) Arangorena, from Ordiarp
- (L) Abarrakia, from Musculdy
- (R) Aphaura,[6] from Arrast-Larrebieu,
- (L) Barlako erreka or Aphaura,[7] from Aroue,
- (L) Héourqué, from Lohitzun-Oyhercq
- (L) Xuhukoa, from Domezain
Notes
- Gaison on the 18th century map by Cassini; Sazon in 1548.
- Uhaits handia on the map of Cassini
- x [X] is a softened allomorph of the phoneme z (laminal [s] as the French ss).
- also graphied Aphanire following Paul Raymond, Dictionnaire topographique du département des Basses-Pyrénées, 1863.
- Aphanize, Aphanice
- L'Apaure, la Phaure…
- La Phaure, Lafaure…
References
- "Le portail des territoires et des citoyens - Géoportail". Geoportail.fr. Retrieved 2012-09-30.
- The Saison at the Sandre database
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