This Lore represents knowledge of the social structure, traditions and myths of the gypsies as they are portrayed in White Wolf's World of Darkness. This Lore often has little to do with the actual real life ethnic group, and is largely based on a stereotyped fictional portrayal of "gypsies" in fantasy role-playing setting. Non-White-Wolf sources have been consulted to add some details to better blend this Lore with the facts of reality, but little on this page which has been taken from White Wolf sources should be taken as factual about the actual Romani in any way. The author of these pages apologizes for the racism inherent to the White Wolf's depiction.

Generally Possessed By: Gangrel, Gangrel antitribu, Ravnos, Ravnos antitribu, Kindred of Rroma descent

Potential Specializations:

Sources Consulted for this List: World of Darkness: Gypsies [WW2223], Dosta.org, Rroma.org, Wikipedia

Some Notes for Outsiders: If you are utilizing this Lore page for a non-UnMasqued game, please take these changes into consideration when adapting the information here for your own chronicle:

- UnMasqued runs its werewolves from a home brew system, rather than from Werewolf: The Apocalypse. As such, connections between the Lupines and the Silent Striders is somewhat downplayed.

- UnMasqued runs its fae from a home brew system, rather than from Changeling: The Dreaming. As such, connections between the Urmen and the fae is somewhat downplayed.

- In the interests of helping to stop the propagation of antizitganist sentiment, the author has largely overlooked White Wolf writing which implies vice, criminality and a nomadic lifestyle to be inherent to the Romani as a people. The 'Truth of the Rom' Blood Affinity is specifically not mentioned to this end, and the criminal tendencies of the Jhanaki have been omitted. Discussion of various World of Darkness theories as to supernatural involvement in the Nazi Holocaust have also been largely removed.

- The author has attempted to downplay White Wolf setting an mechanics that seem to starkly contradict the ideas of Romani cleanliness. As a result, the idea of Blood Foci are heavilly muted.

- In this write-up, the author has often substituted the term gaje as used in World of Darkness: Gypsies with giorgio, given that she understands gaje's use often to be sometimes inclusive of people who are ethnically Romani, but have been socially cast out of Romani society. She feels that this term makes less sense when dealing with the idea that the Romani have inherent blood-related powers, based on their heritage.

- The author has removed the Tinkers and the Bajara as a gypsy bloodlines, as the actual Tinkers and Bajara are a real life ethnic groups unrelated to the Romani.

Lore: Gypsy x1

• You are familiar with the Romani people (also called the Rom, Rroma, Gypsies, Tsiganes, Tsigan, Gitans or Kale, depending on the region and/or precise group), an ethnic group that arrived in Europe during the 12th-15th centuries AD. (Rroma.org, Wikipedia [Romani People])
  
  
• You are aware that the Romani have often been historically perceived as being nomadic, and that this is partially due to the refusal of many regions to allow them to permanently settle there. You know that most Romani are actually a settled people, although there are still some who travel. (Rroma.org [Q&A])
  
  
• You know that the Romani have been historically persecuted by numerous nations and religious groups, and that antiziganism is still a problem in many parts of the world today with large Rom populations. You know that Romani are often stereotyped as thieves, con-men, kidnappers and tramps. (Gypsy: 5-7, 23-24; Wikipedia [Antiziganism]))
  
  
• You know that there is often a romanticized portrayal of Romani as having magical powers, or prophetic capacity, and that they are often used as plot-devices in classical and contemporary fiction. (Gypsy: 5-7; Wikipedia [Fictional Representations of the Romani People]))
  
  
• You are familiar with the idea of Romanipen, a hard to translate concept held by the Romani which encompasses the idea of adherence to Romani social mores, participation in Romani culture and Romani identity. You are aware that people who are ethnically Romani can be considered to not have Romanipen if they abandon their heritage, and that in rare cases, non-Romani (usually those who are adopted and raised by Romani parents) can be considered to possess it. (CbR: 38-39; Wikipedia [Romanipen])
  
  
• You know that the Romani have a number of deep engrained cultural traditions relating to purity (wuzho) and impurity (marhime), and that ritual cleanliness and sexual segregation make up a large part of Romani culture, at least amongst the populations of Central and Eastern Europe. (Gypsy 9, 34; Rroma.org [Ritual Cleanness]; Wikipedia [Romani Society and Culture])
  
  
• You know that the Romani place heavy value on virginity at marriage, and that in some groups there have been traditional arranged child marriages or marriage by abduction, which are increasingly frowned upon. (Wikipedia [Romani Society and Culture])
  
  
• You are familiar with the tradition of the kris, in which Romani hold communal judgment over one another by gathering together and electing five to eleven krisatora (judges) to oversee their dispute. Once judgment is passed, a guilty party may be expected to pay a fine, or may be temporarily declared marhime. In extreme cases, a Romani may be declared marhime permanently, thus exiling them from Romani culture. (CbR: 38-39; Wikipedia [Kris])
  
  

Lore: Gypsy x2

• You have heard the story of Daenna, who is claimed by some groups as the legendary mother of all Romani people. You have heard how she is said to have married Dracian, a man of sorcerous means who crafted for her a tree of knowledge. It is said that she partook of the tree's fruit and gained eternal wisdom from it, which has forever been passed down her bloodline. You have also heard tell of Daenna's brother Sarrath, who opposed her wedding and vowed to wander with her forever when she left her parents' house, and of Amriat, the king who slew Dracian in pursuit of his tree. (Gypsy: 12-19)
  
  
• You have heard that some consider that a great deal of the persecution faced by the Romani has been a result of their gift gotten through Daenna's blood, which leads giorgio (non-gypsies) to sense a feeling of "otherness" or prikaza (bad luck) when they encounter them. (Gypsy: 22-24)
  
  
• You are familiar with the five major bloodlines of European Romani (sometimes called the "Children of Daenna") who trace their lineage to the Daenna. These are: The Ravnos, who are often accused of having ties to undying spirits or to be carriers of vampirism in the countries where such legends exist; The Lupines, who are often traveling performers or carnival workers and who have often been branded as shape-shifters or werewolves; The Urmen, who are travelers to Greece and Russia, and whose myths often claim outlandish ties to the 'fair folk'; The Phuri Dae; who are renowned as mystics and possessors of "the Sight" or other folk-magics; and the Tsurara (The Knife Tribe) who have a violent hatred of the Ravnos family and seek to hunt out the otherworldly when possible. (Gypsy: 26-28)
  
  
• You are cognizant of the major Romani ethnic branches outside of the Children of Daenna, and know that these groups comprise the majority of European and New World Romani. These include: The Roma, native to Central and Eastern Europe; the Iberian Kale (also sometimes called Gitano), who are native to Spain, Portugal, Southern France and Latin America; Finnish Kale, some of which have emigrated to Sweeden; Welsh Kale; Romanichal, who are native to the United Kingdom, United States and Australia; Sinti, who are native to German-speaking European regions; Manush, who are native to French-speaking European regions; and the Romanisæl, who are native to Norway and Sweden. (Wikipedia [Romani People])
  
  
• You are also aware that there are numerous nomadic or otherwise culturally downtrodden groups that are often mistaken for the Romani. You have heard that the Irish Travelers (also called Tinkers or Pavees) native to Ireland and Great Britain, and also the Banjara and Doomba of India have sometimes been erroneously referred to as gypsies. You are also aware that the subcultural movements of the 1960s-1970s led many people with no common ethnic ties to adopt a "gypsy-like" lifestyle, and that these New Age Travelers are also sometimes confounded with actual Romani. (Wikipedia [Banjara], Wikipedia [Banjara], Wikipedia [Domba], Wikipedia [New Age Traveller], Wikipedia [Irish Traveller])
  
  
• You are familiar with the idea of the "King of the Gypsies," a position which has been claimed by numerous Romani throughout history. You know that precisely what it entailed varied from region to region, and that in some cases it was nothing more than a post of public relations, which had the "king" take responsibility for dealing with the giorgio. (Wikipedia [King of the Gypsies])
  
  You know that the Children of Daenna hold close to the idea that the world is split into five classical elements: earth, air, fire, water, and spirit, and feel that there is a correspondence between these elements and the five bloodlines. You also know that these groups hold that each Romani child has an affinity with one of these elements and that birth readings are often performed to determine how to appropriately raise a child in tune with their element. (Gypsy: 32)
  
  
• You have heard that the Children of Daenna sometimes have young Romani go on "tours" of the other tribes, to learn about different traditions and ideas. You know that this practice is not common to Romani outside of these unique groups, however. (Gypsy: 32-33, 36-38)
  
  
• You have enough knowledge to scrape by in terms of etiquette around Romani. You know that bodily fluids, menstruation, genitalia, childbirth, the lower half of the body, separate parts of the body (nail clippings or hair) and dead bodies are considered marhime. You are aware that touching an unrelated woman's skirt or an unrelated girl's dolls are considered an affront. You know that garments for the lower body must be washed separately from those for the upper body, and that clothing must always be washed separately from dishes and eating utensils. (Gypsy 9, 34; Rroma.org (Ritual Cleanness); Wikipedia (Romani Society and Culture))
  
  
• You are familiar with some of the major cultural instances of antiziganism outside of the porajmos (Nazi Holocaust). You are aware that ethnic Romani were used for slave labor in the region of modern Romania for from the 13th through 19th centuries and also in the Carribean and Americas during the 17th century. You also know about some of the numerous edicts exiling Romani from regions (such as the English Egyptians Acts of 1530 and 1555) and know that many European rulers made it legal at various points in time for Romani to be murdered by non-Romani without provocation. (Wikipedia [Antiziganism])
  
  
• You have heard the tale stating that a Romani boy attempted once attempted to steal the nails for Christ's crucifixion, and hence the Savior told him that for his kindness, he and his people would forever be forgiven should they transgress against the seventh commandment. (Gypsy: 39)
  
  
• You are aware of some very well known celebrities who claim Romani heritage, such as: Charlie Chaplin, Fairuza Balk and Adam Ant (Wikipedia [List of Romani People])
  
  

Lore: Gypsy x3

• You have heard stories that say that Dracian, the husband of Daenna numbered amongst the undying - or shilmulo, and that Sarrath, her brother, was in reality a werewolf. You have also heard that Dracian's tree was said to be able to cure a shilmulo (vampire) of their thirst for blood, and that it was for this reason that Amriat (another of the cursed dead) destroyed him. (Gypsy: 12-19)
  
  
• You are aware that some of the hearsay surrounding the Ravnos and the Lupines bears actual truth, and that there are, in fact shilmulo amongst the Ravnos and shape-shifters amongst the Lupines. (Gypsy: 12-19)
  
  
• You have heard that there is an ongoing pact between the shilmulo and the Romani such as that neither will harm another. You know that this myth has its roots in the story of Jorsca and Lareth, a Romani boy and a shimulo who attempted to eat him. It is said that Jorsca kept Lareth awake all night with his tricks, and that he then saved the vampire from death by hiding him in his wagon when the sun began to burn him. Because of this, it is said that Lareth and his people made a pact never to again hunt the people of Jorsca. You know, however, that most people who deal with the shilmulo don't put much stock in this folktale, and that it is probably best to err on the side of caution. (Gypsy: 38-39)
  
  
• You have heard that Daenna put five seeds from the fruit of Dracian's tree into a locket and gave it to her great-granddaughter Evania and her descendants to protect. The five seeds are: Kooseren, the Seed of Earthly Awakening, which reveals to its bearer the simple truth of things; Jalomasin, the Seed of Stars, which enables its bearer to have no limit to their memory and capacity to learn; Ruzlekin, the Seed of Burning Tears, which allows its bearer to fly into a berserker-like rage; Eivalen, the Seed of Brightest Waters, which grants its bearer true knowledge of themselves; and Bonnerin, the Seed of the Balanced scale, which reveals to its bearer the true value of things. (Gypsy: 29-31)
  
  
• You know that the five major families of the Children of Daenna claim to each represent one of the five seeds. You know that the Ravnos are traditionally associated with Kooseren, the Lupines are traditionally associated with Ruzlekin, the Urmen are traditionally associated with Jalomasin, the Phuri Dae are traditionally associated with either Eivalen or Bonnerin, and the Tsurara are associated with either Bonnerin or (as they claim) all five seeds. (Gypsy: 85, 89, 92, 101)
  
  
• You know that the Ravnos Romani claim that Daenna returned to the city after Amriat drove her from it, and that she found a stone amongst the ashes of Dracian which was still coated in his blood. According to this story, Daenna found a man named Ravnos among her kin, and placed the stone in his mouth before stabbing him in the heart. The blood of Dracian was said to be so potent, that Ravnos re-arose as a shilmulo himself, and that he and his family forever after had ties to the undying. (Gypsy: 88-89)
  
  
• You know that some Lupine Romani hold that Daenna was incestuously involved with her brother Sarrath, leading to their lineage being "double-blooded." Their legends state that the sibling-couple had twin sons, Abram and Zarrin, and that they took wolf-maidens as lovers and later traveled to the land of Egypt where they contrived to steal the beard of the Pharaoh. Some claim that the Lupines are the descendants of these boys, and that this is why so many of them are alleged to gain the power to shift shape. (Gypsy: 85-86)
  
  
• You know that some Urmen make claims that their progenitor, a man named Dmitri, disappeared for nine months as a youth after wrapping himself in a golden thread from Daenna's shawl, and that he later re-emerged with nine children. (Gypsy: 85-86)
  
  
• You know that the Urmen currently are split into three major groups (although they previously are said to have claimed nine) and that these are: the Baroshkin, who currently travel in Russia; the Urme, who currently travel in Greece; and the Pestrella, who numbered only about fifty or so and have apparently disappeared into the mountainous regions of Scotland. (Gypsy: 92-94)
  
  
• You have heard the Phuri Dae legend of Noahe, a Romani women who ate the fish of knowledge and became more aware of the world with each rib she ate. You know that when she ate the last rib, it imparted upon her the knowledge of destruction, and that she forsaw the Deluge and was able to preserve the Romani people during the flood. (Gypsy: 96, 98)
  
  
• You know that the Tsurara are a relatively new addition to the group of Romani who consider themselves to be Daenna descended, and that they were first brought together in the 1940s, by a man named Korasca, who was disgusted at his discovery of a shilmulo who had received the Embrace and lost her Romani blood in an attempt to escape death in the porajmos (Holocaust). You are aware that the Tsurara are exceptionally xenophobic, and see any who intermarry with the giorgio as racial traitors. (Gypsy: 101-102)
  
  
• You know that the Tsurara are a relatively new addition to the group of Romani who consider themselves to be Daenna descended, and that they were first brought together in the 1940s, by a man named Korasca, who was disgusted at his discovery of a shilmulo who had received the Embrace and lost her Romani blood in an attempt to escape death in the porajmos. You are aware that the Tsurara are exceptionally xenophobic, and see any who intermarry with the giorgio as racial traitors. (Gypsy: 101-102)
  
  
• You know that while most of the ethnic Roma (especially those living in Romania) still face unemployment, poverty and discrimination, members of the Kalderash family have established themselves in the region as trade coppersmiths, and have thus gained some stability. (Wikipedia [Roma])
  
  
• You know some of the details of the culture of the Iberian Kale, or Gitano. You are aware that these Spanish Romani are often stereotyped as being particularly adept at dance and entertainment, and that some consider them responsible for the creation of the Flamenco dance style. You have also heard that many of the Gitano around the region of Andalusia have intermixed with the descendants of the Spanish Moors, as many of them were sheltered by Romani groups after the Reconquista. (Wikipedia [Romani people in Spain])
  
  
• You know that the wide dispersion of Romanichal in the New World is largely due to the various exiles imposed by the English during the 17th century as well as Oliver Cromwell shipping off captured Romanichal as slave labor to the Carribean. You have heard that some freed African slaves in Jamaica, Barbados, Cuba and Louisiana were documented as owning Romanichal slaves. (Wikipedia [Romanichal])
  
  
• You are aware that the Romani which settled in Russia (or the Ruska Roma) were major contributors to the region's musical and theatrical conditions, and that they faced relatively less persecution than they did in other areas. You know these Romani traditionally travelled as entertainers for most of the year and then spent the winter housing with Russian serfs. (Wikipedia [Ruska Roma])
  
  
• You have heard of some of the smaller ethnic groups of Romani. These include: The Lovari, who were originally from Hungary, but later immigrated throughout Central and Eastern Europe; the Machvaya (Machavaya, Machwaya, or Macwaia) from Serbia, who are said to be an offshoot of the Roma Kalderash; the Romungro from Hungary and neighboring carpathian countries; the Xoraxai, from Greece; the Boyash, who are specifically descended from slave laborers who worker in the mines of Romania and Moldova; and the Ursari (bear-trainers), the Argintari (silversmiths), Aurari (goldsmiths), Florari (florists) and Lautari (musicians) - who, like the Boyash also all bear Romanian/Moldovian slave heritage and have been name for their ancestors' trade. You have also heard of the Zingaresche Romani, who travel about Asia and America and who are said to be exceptionally gifted in the art of dancing. You know that they are said to have similar beliefs to the Children of Daenna. (Gypsy: 84-85; Wikipedia [Romani People]; Wikipedia [Boyash]; Wikipedia [Lovari]; Wikipedia [Machvaya])
  
  
• You have heard that some adhering to the myth of Daenna believe that there shall be an event known as "The Convergence" and it is at this time that the five seeds will be planted to give birth to a new world tree, changing creation as we know it. People who believe in this sort of end times scenario often hold that the Romani shall be instrumental in deciding what the new world will be like. (Gypsy: 34)
  
  
• You have heard some claim that Daenna's blood gives its children unique powers. You have heard tell of the mysterious Dance of Knives, which is said to allow its practitioners to move with extra-human speed and grace in combat. You have also heard tell of the Zapaderin (possibly similar in form to the Gitano Zapateo dance), another dance which is said to be able to mesmerize all who look upon it, and of the arts of fortune-telling, casting the Evil Eye and crafting draba (talismans), which apparently all give credence to folk-stories telling of "Gypsy-Magic." You also have heard that some Romani feel that their blood simply allows them to "know" things, and that as a result they are seldom taken by surprise, and that still others claim that they are able to talk to the restless dead. (Gypsy: 54-57)
  
  
• You know that the Children of Daenna are split on the issue of which bloodlines represent which elemental forces, and that there are two schools of thought on this. You know that some hold that all five of the bloodlines have elemental ties, with the Phuri Dae or the Tsurara being the element of spirit, whilst others hold that only four do, and that the Tsurara or marhime and outside the cosmological order. (Gypsy: 32)
  
  
• You know that the the traditional means of performing a birth reading, and what each birth element means. Earth-touched Romani (Dhartime) are said to often be craftsmen, laborers and pillars of family and community. Air-touched Romani (Jhanaki) are said to be socially adept and skilled at interactions with the giorgio. Fire-touched Romani (Kuyan) are traditionally skilled at combat. Water-touched Romani (Jastima) are often characterized as being very graceful and poised, an are said to be incredibly beautiful dancers. Spirit-touched Romani (Satamara), which are very rare, are said to be capable of the Sight and to have a genuine skill with magic. (Gypsy: 45-47)
  
  
• You have heard of some of the draba that Romani mystics are said to have been able to create. You know that in addition to being able to actually produce love potions, healing balms, and wards of protection, a skilled drabane may also make dilko (headscarves) that can add a glamor to those who wear them, charms that can better allow the bearer to operate complex machines or hack computers, feathered necklaces that can let their wearer speak to their loved ones from afar, or veils which allow those gazing through them to see the world as it truly is. (Gypsy: 73-77)
  
  
• You have at least heard, in passing, of some fairly famous Romani such as: Black Ellen, a famously skilled teller of stories, Grigoras Dinicu, a famous composer and violinist of the early 20th century, Ricardo_Quaresma, a popular Portuguese football player, Ceija Stokja, a well known writer, artist and Holocaust survivor, and Iulian Radulescu, the current self-proclaimed "emperor of the gypsies" who has created the conceptual Romani state of "Cem Romengo." (Gypsy: 117; Wikipedia [List of Romani People])
  
  

Lore: Gypsy x4

• You know that shape-shifters and shilmulo descended from the Romani lose any powers that Daenna's blood might have granted them once they are transformed. You have heard, however, that the shilmulo can recapture the lost powers of their heritage by drinking the blood of their relatives, and that many of the mortals in the Ravnos bloodline often are abused to sate this desire. (Gypsy: 60-61, 86)
  
  
• You are aware that the shilmulo in the myth of Jorsca and Lareth was a member of a specific bloodline of the cursed dead (called, by some accounts, the Gangrel), and that many of the other vampires a Romani may encounter will not hesitate to prey upon them. (Gypsy: 38-39)
  
  
• You know how to identify the seeds of knowledge, and know that they are all said to be a dark nutty brown, with silver veins tracing their shells in the shapes of pentagrams. The "Children of Daenna" claim these pentacles represent the five elements of their cosmology. (Gypsy: 32)
  
  
• You have heard that only one possessing the blood of Daenna can truly possess one of the five seeds without falling into ruin or madness. You have heard that if one of the giorgio possesses one, the following ills shall befall them: If they possess Kooseren, they shall become engulfed in lies and fantasies; if they possess Jalomasin, they shall not be able to end any task they set out upon, until they suffer physical collapse or death; if they possess Ruzlekin, their sense of justice shall be perverted, and they shall take out their anger on those which seem most convenient; if they possess Eivalen, they shall be swallowed up by their ego and pride; and if they possess Bonnerin, they shall succumb to a frenzy of avarice. (Gypsy: 29-31)
  
  
• You have heard that some Urmen believe that it is their purpose to increase the amount of mana (magic) in the world, such as that they might restore the Fae to their place in the world, an event they feel is necessary to hearken in the Convergence. (Gypsy: 93)
  
  
• You have heard that some claim that the Phuri Dae Romani had an impact on the writings of Byron, William Blake and H. P. Lovecraft, and that they used such authors to attempt to spread a less static view of "reality" to the giorgio. (Gypsy: 96)
  
  
• You have heard a rumor that the Tsurara are attempting to find and slaughter the five Guardians of the seeds, such as that they might possess them all. (Gypsy: 32)
  
  
• You hear that the Tsurara have found a means to sense shilmulo and other beings they consider marhime. (Gypsy: 102-103)
  
  
• You know that the Tsurara believe that "traitors" to their purpose can only be made pure again through a ritual punishment known as the "Cleansing", in which the marhime victim is hoisted spread-eagle over a fire and made to bleed out from his wrists, throat and groin. (Gypsy: 103)
  
  
• You have heard legends dealing with the idea of the Convergence. You have heard the story of Alako, who lives in the moon and who will allow his people to walk between heaven and earth when the tree is planted. You have also heard stories among the Urmen which claim that when a new tree bears fruit, the first bite of this fruit shall take its taster to the realm of the faerie, the second to the realm of the dead, and the third to a rebirth into the real world. (Gypsy: 34)
  
  
• You have heard it said that several Romani may make a symbolic oath together to call up a deeper power as relates to such arts as the Dance of Knives, the Zapaderin or Romani magic. You have heard a tale of five Romani on the run from violent Turks, who all consecrated the dinner knife of their relative Korbin with their blood, allowing him to dance a Dance of Knives so gracefully, that he slew twenty Turks through its enactment. (At the same time, you know that the idea of shedding a bodily fluid on an object is extremely marhime, and that many Romani would be reluctant to do such a thing. (It's a near guarantee that Korbin didn't eat with that knife.) (Gypsy: 61-62)
  
  
• You have heard of some of the rare draba that are said to have been crafted. These include Mule-vi (or ghost lenses) which enable the user to see ghosts, enchanted needles that allow the bearer to walk through the realms of spirits and weapons that serve to channel some of the potency of the lycanthropes. (Gypsy: 77-81)
  
  
• You've heard of some of the fairly obscure Romani of note, such as: Black Ellen, a famously skilled teller of stories; Peddlequick, an infamous Urme drabane; and Seth Browne, a young Phuri Dae Fantasy author who was formerly adopted by giorgio, and Azis, a Bulgarian pop star. (Gypsy: 117-119; Wikipedia [Azis]).
  
  

Lore: Gypsy x5

• You have heard of the Ninth Wave, the army of the fae that some few Urmen believe will descend upon the earth at the time of the Convergence. (Gypsy: 93)
  
  
• You know that it is said by some that the mysterious Italian heretic group called the Benedanti stole their arts of Mediumship from the Romani people, or otherwise had the art of talking to the dead transmitted to them by gypsies. (Gypsy: 72)
  
  
• You have heard it said that there is a mysterious group amongst the shilmulo that know of the five seeds and their power, and that they are known as the Inconnu. (Gypsy: 33)
  
  

• Go to the Lores Page
• Go to the Gangrel Clan Page
• Go to the Ravnos Clan Page