The Alps: between myth and reality - The complexity of the Alps has influenced the representations that they may be given, as demonstrated by the history of alpine geography from the 16th to 19th century. In each period of history, authors who have tackled this difficult subject of the mountains, have never remained strictly within the bounds of science, but have added mythical elements to their descriptions, which have acted as a kind of mirror of the ideologies and preoccupations of their time. This article attempts to provide evidence of this as a way of showing that what is not scientifically based can nevertheless be the subject of scientific reflection of a second order. Thus, by studying the works of authors such as Thomas Platter, Josias Simler, Albrecht von Haller et Horace de Benedict de Saussure, and Elisée Reclus, to mention but few, it is possible to determine their appraisals of mountains, interpretations which are often a mixture of reality and myth. Although myths have changed, they persist to the extent that the Alps as an "object" continue to crystallise fascinations and generate utopian visions