| Saison | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Licq-Athérey |
| Mouth | Gave d'Oloron |
| Basin countries | France |
| Length | 72 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), Southwest of France, with its general south to north direction providing the axis for the former French province of Soule.
It is also known as the Gave de Mauléon.
Contents |
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.
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:
The stem gezal, a derivate of basque gazi 'salty', applied to 'still water', is also represented.