Île Tristan
| Île Tristan | ||
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| Waters | Baie de Douarnenez | |
| Geographical location | 48 ° 6 ′ 6 ″ N , 4 ° 20 ′ 15 ″ W | |
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| length | 400 m | |
| width | 260 m | |
| surface | 8 ha | |
| Highest elevation | 33 m | |
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The Île Tristan ( Breton Ar Fort ) is a small tidal island ( French Île-de-marée ) in the Bay of Douarnenez overlooking the port of Port-Rhu, about 200 m from the coast in the Finistère department in Brittany in France . It belonged to the poet Jean Richepin since 1911 and was bought by the coast guard. The entire island, on which there is also a menhir , is a protected area.
Legends
Tristan and Isolde and their great love gave the small Breton island its name: The virtuous knight Tristan was once supposed to bring the beautiful princess Isolde of Ireland to her future husband, Marke, the King of Cornwall . During the crossing to Britain, the two enter the island and drink the love potion actually intended for Isolde and Marke, fall immortally in love with each other and end tragically.
According to Joseph Loth, the island was called Insula Trestanni in a document from 1368 . The name Trestan contained in it refers to the widespread Celtic legends about Tristan and Isolde and not to the courtly poems, it has no "learned origin", since in this case the name form Tristan would have been available.
According to another legend, it would be the tip of the sunken legendary city of Ys .
In the history of Brittany and the city of Douarnenez, the island has an important place not only because of sagas and legends. In 1595 it is said to have served as a shelter for the notorious pirate Guy Éder de La Fontenelle . The pirates were up to mischief in Brittany during the Wars of Religion in France.
See also
Individual evidence
- ^ Joseph Loth: Contributions à l'étude des Romans de la Table Ronde , Paris 1912, p. 108. Online . French wording: "L'Ile Trestan (insula Trestanni ) aujourd'hui Ile Tristan dans la baie de Douarnenez, ne peut avoir une origine savante: on eût eu Tristan ."
- ↑ Ys or (also called "Ker Ys"), a legendary city in Brittany that sank in the sea. Probably based on a Celtic theme about the woman from the Otherworld, the legend of the city of Ys is clearly Christianized. The only original element that survived is the character of the Dahut, the daughter of King Gradlon. The hagiographic version of Pierre le Baud is the oldest known version. It already foresees the downfall of the city as a result of the sins of its inhabitants.
