Thalasse |
Thalasse, geographically, seems to be the port of Tallart, east of Saint-Malo, as posited by LeFranc. When Pantagruel outlined his projected voyage to his father (in Chapter 48 of The Third Book), Gargantua, after delivering himself of a few obligatory words on the subject of marriage, gives his blessing to the voyage. “My treasury is entirely at your disposal. Take any ships you please from my arsenal at Thalassa, and any pilots, sailors, or interpreters you require.” At the departure of Pantagruel’s fleet, the burgers and burgesses of Thalassa rushed to the mole to see their sails sink into the sunset. The eminent emigree Hans Carvel was overheard to remark, in this light, on the fishiness of his finger. Freud’s disciple Sandor Ferenczi declared (in, if you must know, his study entitled Thalassa: A Theory of Genitalia) that men make love to women because the womb smells of herring brine. The sacred act, in his view, symbolizes an attempt to return into the primordial sea that coasts our veins. The connection between Thales and Thalasse remains obscure, despite the conjectures of many excellent seafarers and cosmonauts. Pantagruelion |