Saison River
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| Saison | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Licq-Athérey |
| Mouth | Gave d'Oloron |
| Basin countries | France |
| Length | 74 km |
| Source elevation | 288 m |
| Basin area | 627 km2 |
The Saison[1] or Uhaitz Handia[2], is a left tributary of the Gave d'Oloron, in the French Basque Country (Pyrénées-Atlantiques), in the Southwest of France.
It is also known as the Gave de Mauléon.
Contents |
[edit] 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.
[edit] Départements and towns
[edit] 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 due to an attraction by the word season of the former name Gaison, itself derived from the variant ugaitz of uhaitz.
Tributaries are also interesting from a linguistic point of vue, 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 alo represented.
[edit] 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
[edit] Notes
- ^ Gaison on the map of Cassini; Sazon in 1548.
- ^ Uhaits handia on the map of Cassini
- ^ x [ʃ] 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…
