A brief glimpse at the language and legends of Provence

Aïoli Garlic mayonnaise—lots of garlic—and also the traditional dish of boiled vegetables and steamed fish, usually cod, that is served with it.

Balthazar One of the Three Magi, who traveled to Provence and fathered the "race of young eagles, vassals to none" who became the medieval lords of Les Baux-de-Provence. Claiming their Magi heritage, they added the star of Bethlehem to their coat of arms: a silver comet with 16 silver rays.

Bouillabaisse The famous Provençal fish stew flavored with garlic and saffron. Like Marseille, where it's said to have originated, it's a spicy marine melting pot with a certain quantity of ugly bottom fish.

Bourride A lighter and milder fish stew, usually made with monkfish or anglerfish served with aioli.

Cabro d'Or The Golden Goat, or more precisely Golden Kid, who guards hordes of treasure in fairy holes beneath the ground. Some say he lives in the Val d'Enfer—the Valley of Hell—near Les Baux-de-Provence, others say he's under the Roman monuments called Les Antiques near St-Remy, still others say he's below the 12th-century monastery at St-Paul-de-Mausole which later was the asylum home of Van Gogh.

Courses Camarguaises Camargue-style acrobatic bullfights, in which teams attempt to seize a cockade strung between the bull's horns—a sport as old as time, very like those depicted on ancient Greek vases. Practiced in Arles, Nîmes and the surrounding territory.

Alphonse Daudet (1840-1897) A writer whose Lettres de Mon Moulin (Letters From My Mill) recounts the delights and foibles of Provence. The mill is still there in Fontvieille.

Drac A dragon who lives near Beaucaire, feeding on maidens and children. A relative of the tarasque (see below).

Galéjade A tall tale, preferably elaborate, often filled with mystery, always with mischief.

Gardians Camargue cowboys who guard the region's black bulls. Their traditional wide-brimmed black felt hats and trident staffs are now worn only for festive occasions.

Gaspard One of the Three Magi, Gaspard passed through Provence long enough to bestow the countryside with almond trees and lavender.

Jean Giono (1895-1970) The beloved writer who lived in Manosque and Forcalquier and painted a fairly harsh picture of the Provençal landscape. Among his works: Colline, Regain and Le Hussard sur le Toit.

Langue d'oc The language of the south of France during the Middle Ages, used by the legendary troubadors in their courts of love. Eclipsed by the northern langue d'oïl, the forerunner of modern French, in the 16th century.

La Légende Dorée The Golden Legend, a compendium of the lives of Christian saints assembled in the 13th century by Jacques de Voragine, full of miracles and probably quite a few galéjades. Names and stories from the Legend Dorée turn up constantly all over Provence.

Marius The first Provençal hero, a Roman general who defeated invading barbarians in the epic battle of 102 BC.  Countless generations of Provençal boys have been named after him.

Mistral A wind that howls down the Rhône valley and clears the skies to a steel-blade blue. It blows for three days, or six, or nine, and it can drive you mad.

Frédéric Mistral (1830-1914) Poet and writer, founder of the Félibrige, a group devoted to preserving the Provençal language. He used his 1904 Nobel Literature Prize money to build the Museon Arlaten, a museum of Provençal folk arts in Arles.

Nostradamus Michel de Notre-Dame, 16th-century philosopher, prophet and seer born in St. Remy. (He couldn't have predicted the sad little museum in his former home—try the wonderful Musée de l'Emperi instead in Salon de Provence.)

Marcel Pagnol (1895-1974) Another much-beloved writer born in Aubagne, author of the renowned Marseille trilogy Marius, Fanny and César, all of which have been made into movies.

Pan bagnat A specialty of Nice, a round roll filled with raw vegetables and generously drizzled (or bagna, bathed) with olive oil.

Pastis The traditional Provençal apéritif, an anise-flavored alcohol served over ice and diluted with water, which turns it milky-white. The fuel for many galéjades.

Pétanque The quintessential Provençal pastime, a version of boules or bocce. The word comes from the Provençal pèd tanco, meaning feet fixed to the ground.

Tarasque An amphibian monster that lives in the Rhône-a giant six-legged, spike-backed turtle with the head of a lion and a swirling serpent's tail. (Arles was settled by veterans of Caesar's legions, who brought along crocodiles from Cleopatra's Nile, which may explain some sightings of the tarasque.) According to the Légende Dorée, Saint Marthe tamed the tarasque, and she is often portrayed walking the beast on a leash.

Originally published in the February 2008 issue of France Today.