Seine and I!
I wanted to tell you about Seine River, and now it is overflowing!
Of course, we are far from the 1910's Flood when water reached the Zouave's shoulders! And now, you are lost, because you don't have a clue what I'm talking about... Please, let me narrate the story of a river that saw Paris' birth!
Seine travels 481,56 miles, imagine 18 times Paris' marathon or even distance between Paris and Marseille! But Loire with its 623,24 miles wins easily the battle!
Destination: Paris' River
The concept of a river in the middle of a city or next to it is a very important point for a tribute to decide to settle. It is an excellent way for communication and exchanges, and also a natural fortress to protect oneself!
Paris is born on that principle, in a rolling basin where two arms were wrapping a multitude of islands, where marshy banks were discouraging the most skilled soldiers. Big abundant-in-game forests, hills from which many springs dashed... It echoes to us like an earthly paradise... We are long away from this grey city that turns sullen parisian faces!
Since Antiquity, we adore the purity of the river. A pilgrimage is also organised at its source, well, I should say " sources"! Let's go to Burgundy- Free- County ( Bourgogne- France-Comté) in a village of Golden Coast ( Côte d'Or) very inspiring : " Source- Seine" where a basin was set up in gallo-roman period so the pilgrims were able to implore the goddess by making a wish or asking to be cured! This water then changes into the shape of a goddess called Sequana.
Once upon a time, a goddess with green eyes, daughter of Bacchus, she helped, with five of her nymph friends, Ceres, to find her daughter Proserpina. The reunion happened in Normandy. To take a walk so close to the sea, Neptune fast noticed Sequana, and succumb to the charm of our beautiful goddess! But, when Neptune loves, he shuts away... This is why Sequana fled with all her strength, before being entrapped in the heart of what we know now as Brugundy. So, she invoked her father and her friend Ceres to save her. Thus, she turned into a lovely river to the colour of her emerald eyes and managed to slip out of Neptune's hands... As for the 5 nymphs who went with her? They became tributaries of the goddess...
This anthropomorphism's habit which comes from Romans, represents her, here , with real plump and chubby shape, very similar to the statue of Paul Auban sculpted in 1934, which is located in the niche at its source. (Auban copied the sculpture ordered by Napoléon III in Jouffroy in 1867 to embellishthe source's cave), celle-ci this one is the masterpiece of the renowned sculptor from Lille in early XXth century: Gérard Choain.