Tsingani / Roma (Gypsies)
Tsingani (Gypsies) are reviled and looked down on throughout the world. They are chased out of towns and villages and sometimes forced to be slaves. Only in Terre D'Ange are they accepted on the fringes of society. They are allowed to wander unmolested. The Tsingani stick together in tribes or family groups and travel the "Long Road". It is their way of life. In the book, a story is told about why they are wanderers. Back when Elua wandered the earth he came across the Tsingani. They laughed and mocked him and told him he would never find a home; he would travel forever cursed and unloved. This curse was turned back on them, so that they must forever live as wanderers.
In our world, Gypsies live a nomadic lifestyle. There is a long history of hostility towards them and lack of understanding of their lifestyle. Gypsies are known for fortune-telling, horse trading, peddlers, entertainers and metal workers. They are suspicious of the "Gadje" (outsiders) world due to persecution and believe it is unclean. Their culture is oral, with little to no reading or writing.
Throughout the story, there are a few times when a tsingano tells the future for Phedre. They have the power to part the veils of time and see what may be. The prophecies are usually confusing and hard to understand until the event comes to pass. They can look back in time as well as ahead.
The Tsingani are a very closed group. They believe that outsiders lack purity, they are unclean and defiled. They highly value chastity and virtue. If a woman slept with an outsider, she would lose her purity and she would be cast out of her family.
In our world, Gypsies live a nomadic lifestyle. There is a long history of hostility towards them and lack of understanding of their lifestyle. Gypsies are known for fortune-telling, horse trading, peddlers, entertainers and metal workers. They are suspicious of the "Gadje" (outsiders) world due to persecution and believe it is unclean. Their culture is oral, with little to no reading or writing.
Throughout the story, there are a few times when a tsingano tells the future for Phedre. They have the power to part the veils of time and see what may be. The prophecies are usually confusing and hard to understand until the event comes to pass. They can look back in time as well as ahead.
The Tsingani are a very closed group. They believe that outsiders lack purity, they are unclean and defiled. They highly value chastity and virtue. If a woman slept with an outsider, she would lose her purity and she would be cast out of her family.
