Following the big carnivorous footsteps: the bear in the oral tradition toponymy of mountainous Piedmont

This study, dedicated to dialectal zoo-toponyms in mountainous Piedmont, explicitly or indirectly connected to bears, is a part of the project Sulle orme dei grandi carnivori: itinerari reali e virtuali tra saperi linguistici ed etnografici [Follo­wing the big carnivorous footsteps: real and virtual itineraries between linguistic and ethnographic aspects], which has as purpose to retrace the ecological, cultural and social aspects in the history of the big carnivorous in order to understand the depth and meaning of the connection between man and these animals, especially the wolf, the bear and lynx. Our research is based on the toponymic data offered by Atlante Toponomastico del Piemonte Montano [The Toponymic Atlas of mountainous Piedmont] (ATPM). Examining the database, we identified 124 toponyms referring to the bear, found in 60 different communes in Piedmont area, having a density that varies between 1 and 10 attestations per commune. The quantity and quality of the attestations of oral tradition toponyms prove that the bear has been a relevant and significant presence in the alpine fauna system from Piedmont.