Index | Pyrenees


Pyrenees: The chain separating France from Spain is the Mons Pyrenoeus of the Greek and Roman geographers. The name first appears in Herodotus, who supposed pyrene was the name of the place where the Danube flowed. The etymology is unknown, being probably pre-Aryan. Many guesses have been made from Basque, Keltic, and Greek sources, explaining the name as the "high," "steep," "pine-clad," or "burnt" mountains. The most probable derivation is from biren or pyren, a local word, doubtless ultimately Basque or Iberian,