Having become a true symbol of resilience in the aftermath of the 2015 attacks, Paris's motto testifies to the pride of its inhabitants, but also to its history.
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First, a little translation: the Latin expression
fluctuat Nec Mergitur
means “
it is tossed by the waves, but does not sink
”.
The first word of the motto, "
fluctuat
", as Philippe Cibois then clarifies in "
La Question du latin
", comes from "
fluctuo
" which means "
rolling waves, waves
" (an idea of sloshing that we find moreover with the verb “to
fluctuate
”).
The Latin conjunction “
nec
”, meaning “
and not…not
”, is appended to the word “
mergitur
”.
This is the conjugated form of the verb "
mergo
(in French “immerse”, “plunge”, “sombrer”).
With marine origins…
But what does the " he
" present in the French translation of the motto
refer to ?
To understand the source of this motto, you have to go against the tide of history.
We are in 1210. Before the barges, riverboats or zodiacs invaded the Seine, before the banks of the latter became places of rest or points of observance, the river crossing Paris was very frequented by merchant seamen.
The waves, the water and the river are indeed at the origin of the creation of the city, located at a strategic commercial point.
At this time, the first seals associated with Paris were created, in particular that of the corporation of the Nautes (the boat owners), very powerful at the time.
And their seal represents a ship with a visible nave, symbolizing the commercial power of the city.
It is this corporation, also, which is at the origin of the municipality of the city, according to the site of the city of Paris.
The “
he
” of the motto then refers to a boat;
to the sailing boat present on the coat of arms...
…To the emergence and immortality of “
Fluctuat”
The motto "
fluctuat nec mergitur
" is then commonly used as the city's motto, but among many others.
It only became the official and exhaustive motto of the capital from November 24, 1853, on the decision of Baron Haussmann.
At the time prefect of the Seine, he wished, by choosing this motto exclusively, to recall the invincibility of the capital in the face of the many risks of flooding it experienced.