Planesiai, îles erratiques de l'Occident grec

Pierre Moret (1)

1 TRACES - Travaux et recherches archéologiques sur les cultures, les espaces et les sociétés

Three islands of the Western Mediterranean, Pianosa in the Tyrrhenian sea, Saint-Honorat in Liguria and Tabarca in Iberia, were called in hellenistic times by the same greek name, Planesia or Planasia, which means "the wandering island". All three have geographical connections with colonies or trading posts of the Western Phoceans: Alalia, Massalia and Santa Pola in South East Spain. Insula Erroris, on the Mauretanian coast, probably belongs to the same toponymic series. The mythical background of the floating or wandering islands is then explored. The figure of a god who brings the roaming island to a standstill plays a crucial part in Delos (whose former name, Asteria, has the same astral connotations as Planesia) as well as in the hellenistic Tyre. These foundation myths support a comparison with the christian legend that shows saint Honorat driving the snakes away and causing a spring of sweet water to gush forth in the "wandering island" of Lérins.

Mots clés: Mediterranean; islands; Greek mythology; toponymy

Mots clés: Méditerranée; îles; mythologie grecque; toponymie

Domaines: Etudes classiques

Pierre Moret. Planesiai, îles erratiques de l'Occident grec. Revue des Études Grecques, 1997, 110 (1), p. 25-56. ⟨hal-00723948⟩