Peut-on expliquer l'absence de récits de catastrophes surnaturelles en Bas-Dauphiné ?

Résumé En

: A careful analysis of the accounts of disasters in the Alps led the authors to raise questions concerning the concentration of such stories in highland areas, and their general absence in lowland areas such as the Lower Dauphine region of the French Alps. On the basis of accounts collected in other regions, the authors are able to suggest some possible answers. Thus a distinction may be made between a region like the Lower Dauphine, which in the past was ruled over by lords, and the highland areas which were never subjected to such a rule. In the former, people were more involved in social conflict, which they tried to resolve through different beliefs, while in the latter the population was more concerned by the metaphysical, and in particular by their own salvation. Thus they sought to avoid going astray and falling into the cycle of punishment reserved for the ungodly by practising acts of charity and pious hospitality. Consequently, the instigators or causes of supernatural disasters, whether pertaining to the earth or the sky, are only found in areas where the people are concerned by this cycle. There is certainly no indication that their presence in mountainous areas is in any way related to the degree of slope !