Many fictional depictions of the
Romani
Romani may refer to:
Ethnicities
* Romani people, an ethnic group of Northern Indian origin, living dispersed in Europe, the Americas and Asia
** Romani genocide, under Nazi rule
* Romani language, any of several Indo-Aryan languages of the Roma ...
in literature and art present Romanticized narratives of their supposed mystical powers of
fortune telling, and their supposed irascible or passionate temper paired with an indomitable love of freedom and a habit of criminality. Critics of how Romani people have been portrayed in popular culture point out similarities to
portrayals of Jewish people, with both groups stereotyped negatively as wandering, spreading disease, abducting children, and violating and murdering others.
Romani people were portrayed in Victorian and modern British literature as having "sinister occult and criminal tendencies" and as associated with "thievery and cunning", and in English Renaissance and baroque theatre as incorporating "elements of outlandish charm and elements which depict
hemas the lowest of social outcasts," connected with "magic and charms," and "juggling and cozening." In opera, literature and music, throughout Europe, Romani women have been portrayed as provocative, sexually available, gaudy, exotic and mysterious. Hollywood and European movies, as well as popular music and other forms of pop culture, have promoted similar stereotypes.
Particularly notable representations of Romani people appear in classics like ''
Carmen
''Carmen'' () is an opera in four acts by the French composer Georges Bizet. The libretto was written by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on the novella of the same title by Prosper Mérimée. The opera was first performed by the ...
'' by
Prosper Mérimée
Prosper Mérimée (; 28 September 1803 – 23 September 1870) was a French writer in the movement of Romanticism, and one of the pioneers of the novella, a short novel or long short story. He was also a noted archaeologist and historian, and a ...
and adapted by
Georges Bizet
Georges Bizet (; 25 October 18383 June 1875) was a French composer of the Romantic music, Romantic era. Best known for his operas in a career cut short by his early death, Bizet achieved few successes before his final work, ''Carmen'', whi ...
,
Victor Hugo
Victor-Marie Hugo (; 26 February 1802 – 22 May 1885) was a French Romantic writer and politician. During a literary career that spanned more than sixty years, he wrote in a variety of genres and forms. He is considered to be one of the great ...
's ''
The Hunchback of Notre-Dame'' and
Miguel de Cervantes
Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (; 29 September 1547 (assumed) – 22 April 1616 NS) was an Early Modern Spanish writer widely regarded as the greatest writer in the Spanish language and one of the world's pre-eminent novelists. He is best kno ...
' ''
La Gitanilla''.
The Romani were also heavily romanticized in the Soviet Union, a classic example being the 1975 ''
Tabor ukhodit v Nebo''.
A more realistic depiction of contemporary
Romani in the Balkans
The Romani (also spelled Romany or Rromani , ), colloquially known as the Roma, are an Indo-Aryan ethnic group, traditionally nomadic itinerants. They live in Europe and Anatolia, and have diaspora populations located worldwide, with sig ...
, featuring Romani lay actors speaking in their native dialects, although still playing with established clichés of a Romani penchant for both magic and crime, was presented by
Emir Kusturica
Emir Kusturica ( sr-cyrl, Емир Кустурица; born 24 November 1954) is a Serbian film director, screenwriter, actor, producer and musician. He also has French citizenship.http://www.serbia.com/emir-kusturica-artist-builder-and-anti-glo ...
in his ''
Time of the Gypsies
''Time of the Gypsies'' ( sh-Cyrl-Latn, Дом за вешање, Dom za vešanje, Home for Hanging) is a 1988 Yugoslav coming-of-age fantasy crime drama directed by Emir Kusturica. Filmed in Romani and Serbo-Croatian, ''Time of the Gypsies' ...
'' (1988) and ''
Black Cat, White Cat
''Black Cat, White Cat'' ( sr, Црна мачка, бели мачор, Crna mačka, beli mačor) is a 1998 Serbian romantic black comedy film directed by Emir Kusturica. It won the Silver Lion for Best Direction at the Venice Film Festival.
...
'' (1998). Another realistic depiction of Romanies in Yugoslavia is ''
I Even Met Happy Gypsies
''I Even Met Happy Gypsies'' is a 1967 Yugoslav film by Serbian director Aleksandar Petrović. Its original Serbian title is ''Skupljači perja'', which means ''The Feather Gatherers''. The film is centered on Romani people's life in a village ...
'' (1967).
Literature
*1596: ''
A Midsummer Night's Dream
''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' is a comedy written by William Shakespeare 1595 or 1596. The play is set in Athens, and consists of several subplots that revolve around the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. One subplot involves a conflict a ...
'' by
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...
– Which includes the lines "Sees Helen's beauty in the brow of Egypt" ("Egyptian" was used to refer to the Romani people of England). Here,
Theseus
Theseus (, ; grc-gre, Θησεύς ) was the mythical king and founder-hero of Athens. The myths surrounding Theseus his journeys, exploits, and friends have provided material for fiction throughout the ages.
Theseus is sometimes describ ...
is imagining the face of a lover can make the dark-skinned Roma look like
Helen of Troy
Helen of Troy, Helen, Helena, (Ancient Greek: Ἑλένη ''Helénē'', ) also known as beautiful Helen, Helen of Argos, or Helen of Sparta, was a figure in Greek mythology said to have been the most beautiful woman in the world. She was believe ...
, who he considers more beautiful.
*1600: ''
As You Like It
''As You Like It'' is a pastoral comedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1599 and first published in the First Folio in 1623. The play's first performance is uncertain, though a performance at Wilton House in 1603 h ...
'' a pastoral comedy by Shakespeare – He uses the word "ducdame" (Act II, Sc. 5), possibly a corruption or mishearing of the old
Anglo-Romani
Angloromani or Anglo-Romani (literally "English Romani"; also known as Angloromany, Rummaness, or Pogadi Chib) is a mixed language of Indo European origin involving the presence of Romani vocabulary and syntax in the English used by descendants o ...
word ''dukka me'' or (I foretell or I tell fortunes).
[ E. K. Chambers. ''William Shakespeare: A Study of Facts and Problems'', 2 vols., (Vol. 1, Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1930)]
*1603: ''
Othello
''Othello'' (full title: ''The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice'') is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare, probably in 1603, set in the contemporary Ottoman–Venetian War (1570–1573) fought for the control of the Island of Cyp ...
'' by Shakespeare –
Desdemona
Desdemona () is a character in William Shakespeare's play ''Othello'' (c. 1601–1604). Shakespeare's Desdemona is a Venetian beauty who enrages and disappoints her father, a Venetian senator, when she elopes with Othello, a Moorish Venetian ...
's handkerchief a gift to Othello's mother is a gift from an "Egyptian charmer" who can almost read the thoughts of people.
[''Shakespeare's Caliban: a cultural history'' by Alden T. Vaughan, Virginia Mason Vaughan 1993 Cambridge University Press]
*1611: ''
The Tempest'' by Shakespeare –
Caliban, the only human inhabitant of the mythical island, is thought to be named after the word ''Kaliban'' meaning "black" or "with blackness" in Anglo-Romani. As the first Romani immigrants arrived in England a century before Shakespeare wrote ''The Tempest'', it is thought he may have been influenced by looks and
exoticised them.
* 1613: Miguel de Cervantes
Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (; 29 September 1547 (assumed) – 22 April 1616 NS) was an Early Modern Spanish writer widely regarded as the greatest writer in the Spanish language and one of the world's pre-eminent novelists. He is best kno ...
' novel '' La Gitanilla''
* 1631: Ben Jonson
Benjamin "Ben" Jonson (c. 11 June 1572 – c. 16 August 1637) was an English playwright and poet. Jonson's artistry exerted a lasting influence upon English poetry and stage comedy. He popularised the comedy of humours; he is best known for t ...
's play ''Bartholomew Fair
The Bartholomew Fair was one of London's pre-eminent summer charter fairs. A charter for the fair was granted to Rahere by Henry I to fund the Priory of St Bartholomew; and from 1133 to 1855 it took place each year on 24 August within the preci ...
''. A comedy set in London's Bartholomew Fair
The Bartholomew Fair was one of London's pre-eminent summer charter fairs. A charter for the fair was granted to Rahere by Henry I to fund the Priory of St Bartholomew; and from 1133 to 1855 it took place each year on 24 August within the preci ...
where a band of Romani entertain a crowd.
* 1722: Daniel Defoe
Daniel Defoe (; born Daniel Foe; – 24 April 1731) was an English writer, trader, journalist, pamphleteer and spy. He is most famous for his novel '' Robinson Crusoe'', published in 1719, which is claimed to be second only to the Bible in its ...
's ''Moll Flanders
''Moll Flanders'' is a novel by Daniel Defoe, first published in 1722. It purports to be the true account of the life of the eponymous Moll, detailing her exploits from birth until old age.
By 1721, Defoe had become a recognised novelist, wi ...
''. Moll's earliest memory is of wandering "among a group of people they call Gypsies or Egyptians" in England.
* 1798: William Wordsworth
William Wordsworth (7 April 177023 April 1850) was an English Romantic poet who, with Samuel Taylor Coleridge, helped to launch the Romantic Age in English literature with their joint publication '' Lyrical Ballads'' (1798).
Wordsworth's ' ...
's poem, ''The Female Vagrant'' from Lyrical Ballads. A young homeless woman is welcomed by a band of Roma who take her in and offer her charity and companionship.
19th century
* 19th century: Guy de Maupassant
Henri René Albert Guy de Maupassant (, ; ; 5 August 1850 – 6 July 1893) was a 19th-century French author, remembered as a master of the short story form, as well as a representative of the Naturalist school, who depicted human lives, destin ...
's short stories. Romani appear in several short stories by the French writer.
* 19th century: John Clare's ''Vagabond in a Native Place''. A selection of poems romanticizing the lives, culture, and wanderings of the English Romami people.
* 1815: Jane Austen
Jane Austen (; 16 December 1775 – 18 July 1817) was an English novelist known primarily for her six major novels, which interpret, critique, and comment upon the British landed gentry at the end of the 18th century. Austen's plots of ...
's '' Emma''. Roma make a brief appearance in ''Emma'' as children who bait Harriet in a lonely lane. Austen's description of the Romani is romanticized.
* 1815: Walter Scott
Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet (15 August 1771 – 21 September 1832), was a Scottish novelist, poet, playwright and historian. Many of his works remain classics of European and Scottish literature, notably the novels '' Ivanhoe'', '' Rob Roy ...
's novel '' Guy Mannering.''
* 1823: Scott's novel ''Quentin Durward
''Quentin Durward'' is a historical novel by Sir Walter Scott, first published in 1823. The story concerns a Scottish archer in the service of the French King Louis XI (1423–1483) who plays a prominent part in the narrative.
Compositi ...
.'' Called Bohemians.
* 1824: Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin
Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin (; rus, links=no, Александр Сергеевич ПушкинIn pre-Revolutionary script, his name was written ., r=Aleksandr Sergeyevich Pushkin, p=ɐlʲɪkˈsandr sʲɪrˈɡʲe(j)ɪvʲɪtɕ ˈpuʂkʲɪn, ...
's poem '' The Gypsies.''
* 1831: Victor Hugo
Victor-Marie Hugo (; 26 February 1802 – 22 May 1885) was a French Romantic writer and politician. During a literary career that spanned more than sixty years, he wrote in a variety of genres and forms. He is considered to be one of the great ...
's novel
A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itself ...
''The Hunchback of Notre Dame
''The Hunchback of Notre-Dame'' (french: Notre-Dame de Paris, translation=''Our Lady of Paris'', originally titled ''Notre-Dame de Paris. 1482'') is a French Gothic novel by Victor Hugo, published in 1831. It focuses on the unfortunate story ...
''
* 1835: Karel Hynek Mácha
Karel Hynek Mácha () (16 November 1810 – 5 November 1836) was a Czech romantic poet.
Biography
Mácha grew up in Prague, the son of a foreman at a mill. He learned Latin and German in school. He went on to study law at Prague University; ...
's novel Cikáni (Gypsies; because of problems with a censorship, it was published only in 1857).
* 1841: Charles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian er ...
's '' The Old Curiosity Shop''. Describes the first literary mention of an English Romanichal vardo or wagon.
* 1845: Robert Browning
Robert Browning (7 May 1812 – 12 December 1889) was an English poet and playwright whose dramatic monologues put him high among the Victorian poets. He was noted for irony, characterization, dark humour, social commentary, historical sett ...
's "The Flight of the Duchess," loosely inspired by the English ballad The Raggle Taggle Gypsy. A Duchess runs away from her husband after speaking with an old Traveller woman.
* 1845: Prosper Mérimée
Prosper Mérimée (; 28 September 1803 – 23 September 1870) was a French writer in the movement of Romanticism, and one of the pioneers of the novella, a short novel or long short story. He was also a noted archaeologist and historian, and a ...
's short story "Carmen", upon which the opera was based.
* 1847: Emily Brontë
Emily Jane Brontë (, commonly ; 30 July 1818 – 19 December 1848) was an English novelist and poet who is best known for her only novel, '' Wuthering Heights'', now considered a classic of English literature. She also published a book of poe ...
's novel '' Wuthering Heights''. Heathcliff is described as looking like a Romani man and is presumed to be one by several characters, although this is never confirmed.
* 1847: Charlotte Brontë
Charlotte Brontë (, commonly ; 21 April 1816 – 31 March 1855) was an English novelist and poet, the eldest of the three Brontë sisters who survived into adulthood and whose novels became classics of English literature.
She enlisted i ...
's ''Jane Eyre
''Jane Eyre'' ( ; originally published as ''Jane Eyre: An Autobiography'') is a novel by the English writer Charlotte Brontë. It was published under her pen name "Currer Bell" on 19 October 1847 by Smith, Elder & Co. of London. The first ...
''. English Romanies set up camp near Thornfield Hall, later Rochester disguises himself as an old Romani fortune teller in order to get Jane
Jane may refer to:
* Jane (given name), a feminine given name
* Jane (surname), related to the given name
Film and television
* Jane (1915 film), ''Jane'' (1915 film), a silent comedy film directed by Frank Lloyd
* Jane (2016 film), ''Jane'' (20 ...
to confide her feelings for him.
* 1853: Matthew Arnold
Matthew Arnold (24 December 1822 – 15 April 1888) was an English poet and cultural critic who worked as an inspector of schools. He was the son of Thomas Arnold, the celebrated headmaster of Rugby School, and brother to both Tom Arnold, lit ...
's "The Scholar Gypsy
"The Scholar-Gipsy" (1853) is a poem by Matthew Arnold, based on a 17th-century Oxford story found in Joseph Glanvill's ''The Vanity of Dogmatizing'' (1661, etc.). It has often been called one of the best and most popular of Arnold's poems, and ...
". A poem based on a legend recounted by Joseph Glanvill
Joseph Glanvill (1636 – 4 November 1680) was an English writer, philosopher, and clergyman. Not himself a scientist, he has been called "the most skillful apologist of the virtuosi", or in other words the leading propagandist for the approa ...
in ''The Vanity of Dogmatizing'' (1661), on the thoughts and reflections of Roma people's relationship with God.
* 1853: Józef Ignacy Kraszewski's "Chata za wsią (Polish)" "The Cottage behind the Village." Realistic depiction of Roma in Poland in the 1800s.
* 1856: Elizabeth Barrett Browning
Elizabeth Barrett Browning (née Moulton-Barrett; 6 March 1806 – 29 June 1861) was an English poet of the Victorian era, popular in Britain and the United States during her lifetime.
Born in County Durham, the eldest of 12 children, Elizabet ...
's verse novel '' Aurora Leigh.'' Marian Erle is Rom.
* 1857: George Borrow
George Henry Borrow (5 July 1803 – 26 July 1881) was an English writer of novels and of travel based on personal experiences in Europe. His travels gave him a close affinity with the Romani people of Europe, who figure strongly in his work. Hi ...
's novels '' Lavengro'' and '' The Romany Rye''
* 1860: George Eliot
Mary Ann Evans (22 November 1819 – 22 December 1880; alternatively Mary Anne or Marian), known by her pen name George Eliot, was an English novelist, poet, journalist, translator, and one of the leading writers of the Victorian era. She wrot ...
's '' The Mill on the Floss''. The protagonist Maggie runs away to Roma, but decides she has gone out of her depth. They do not harm her, but the episode darkly prefigures the steps that she will take in adulthood.
* 1891: J. M. Barrie's novel ''The Little Minister''. A young Scottish minister falls in love with a wild Roma girl.
* 1892: Arthur Conan Doyle
Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle (22 May 1859 – 7 July 1930) was a British writer and physician. He created the character Sherlock Holmes in 1887 for ''A Study in Scarlet'', the first of four novels and fifty-six short stories about Ho ...
's Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes () is a fictional detective created by British author Arthur Conan Doyle. Referring to himself as a " consulting detective" in the stories, Holmes is known for his proficiency with observation, deduction, forensic science and ...
story, "The Adventure of the Speckled Band
"The Adventure of the Speckled Band" is one of 56 short Sherlock Holmes stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the eighth story of twelve in the collection '' The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes''. It was originally published in ''Strand Mag ...
". Dr. Grimesby Roylott is established as being friendly with a group of wandering Romani, and gives them permission to encamp om his estate. At the start of the story, Holmes speculates that there will be a connection between the death of Helen Stoner's sister and the Romani (among other things). When Dr. Watson questions what the Romani might have done, Holmes responds that he cannot imagine. Dr. Watson responds with "I see many objections to any such theory", which Holmes admits to also seeing. In the end, the Romani are shown to have had no involvement in the death of Helen's sister. The story ends with Holmes admitting his mistake, noting that it shows "how dangerous it always is to reason from insufficient data".
* 1892: Maxim Gorky
Alexei Maximovich Peshkov (russian: link=no, Алексе́й Макси́мович Пешко́в; – 18 June 1936), popularly known as Maxim Gorky (russian: Макси́м Го́рький, link=no), was a Russian writer and social ...
's short story " Makar Chudra" (Макар Чудра). A love story between the Roma girl Rada and the horse thief Zobar.
* 1897: Bram Stoker
Abraham Stoker (8 November 1847 – 20 April 1912) was an Irish author who is celebrated for his 1897 Gothic horror novel '' Dracula''. During his lifetime, he was better known as the personal assistant of actor Sir Henry Irving and busi ...
's ''Dracula
''Dracula'' is a novel by Bram Stoker, published in 1897. As an epistolary novel, the narrative is related through letters, diary entries, and newspaper articles. It has no single protagonist, but opens with solicitor Jonathan Harker taki ...
.'' Features a group of Romanies working for the Count.
20th century
* 1902: E. Nesbit's ''Five Children and It
''Five Children and It'' is a children's novel by English author E. Nesbit. It was originally published in 1902 in the ''Strand Magazine'' under the general title ''The Psammead, or the Gifts'', with a segment appearing each month from April ...
''. The children run into a band of English Roma on the road.
* 1908: Kenneth Grahame
Kenneth Grahame ( ; 8 March 1859 – 6 July 1932) was a British writer born in Edinburgh, Scotland. He is most famous for '' The Wind in the Willows'' (1908), a classic of children's literature, as well as '' The Reluctant Dragon''. Both books ...
's '' The Wind in the Willows''. Toad, owner of Toad Hall, an impulsive and conceited character, buys a horse-drawn English Romami vardo. Toad later trades a stolen horse to a Roma for food.
* 1911: Saki's short story "Esme" (included in ''The Chronicles of Clovis''). Features a degrading depiction of a Traveller child that is used to foreground the heartless nature of the English aristocrats.
* 1926: D. H. Lawrence
David Herbert Lawrence (11 September 1885 – 2 March 1930) was an English writer, novelist, poet and essayist. His works reflect on modernity, industrialization, sexuality, emotional health, vitality, spontaneity and instinct. His best-k ...
's ''The Virgin and the Gypsy
''The Virgin and the Gipsy'' is a short novel (or novella) by English author D.H. Lawrence. It was written in 1926 and published posthumously in 1930. Today it is often entitled ''The Virgin and the Gypsy'' which can lead to confusion because fir ...
''. A young Romani hero is a useful antidote to a rigid social class system.
* 1930: Hermann Hesse
Hermann Karl Hesse (; 2 July 1877 – 9 August 1962) was a German-Swiss poet, novelist, and painter. His best-known works include '' Demian'', '' Steppenwolf'', '' Siddhartha'', and '' The Glass Bead Game'', each of which explores an individual ...
's novel '' Narcissus and Goldmund.'' Features a Romani girl called Lisa.
* 1943–1978: Malcolm Saville
Leonard Malcolm Saville (21 February 1901–30 June 1982)
Retrieved 16 July 2016 was an English writer best known for the ...
's Lone Pine books. A Roma family (Reuben, Miranda and Fenella) are friends and allies of the Lone Pine Club
''Lone Pine'' is a series of children's books written by English author Malcolm Saville.
Although they were written over a 35-year timespan, between 1943 and 1978, the characters only age by a few years in the course of the series. The earlie ...
's members especially of the club's vice captain Petronella Sterling.
* 1940: Ernest Hemingway
Ernest Miller Hemingway (July 21, 1899 – July 2, 1961) was an American novelist, short-story writer, and journalist. His economical and understated style—which he termed the iceberg theory—had a strong influence on 20th-century f ...
's ''For Whom the Bell Tolls
''For Whom the Bell Tolls'' is a novel by Ernest Hemingway published in 1940. It tells the story of Robert Jordan, a young American volunteer attached to a Republican guerrilla unit during the Spanish Civil War. As a dynamiter, he is assigne ...
.'' Featured a Romani named Rafael.
* 1946: ''The Ursitory'', the first novel by the French writer (of Romani ethnicity) Mateo Maximoff Mateo may refer to: People
;Name
* Mateo (given name)
* Mateo (surname)
;People named Mateo
* Mateo (singer) (born 1986), former stage name of American pop/R&B singer-songwriter
Arts, entertainment, and media
* ''Mateo'' (1937 film), a 1937 Argent ...
is published in France. The English-language edition (published in England in 1949) claims it to be "the first novel ever written by Gypsy."
* 1947: The Nancy Drew Mystery Story '' The Clue in the Old Album''. Some of the main characters are Roma.
* 1951: Hergé
Georges Prosper Remi (; 22 May 1907 – 3 March 1983), known by the pen name Hergé (; ), from the French pronunciation of his reversed initials ''RG'', was a Belgian cartoonist. He is best known for creating ''The Adventures of Tintin'', ...
's ''The Adventures of Jo, Zette and Jocko
''The Adventures of Jo, Zette and Jocko'' is a Franco-Belgian comics series created by Hergé, the writer-artist best known for ''The Adventures of Tintin''. The heroes of the series are two young children, brother and sister Jo and Zette Legran ...
'' comic book ''Destination New York.'' Features several Romani characters in a very sympathetic manner.
* 1956: Dodie Smith's '' The Hundred and One Dalmatians''. After escaping from Cruella De Vil
Cruella de Vil is a fictional character in British author Dodie Smith's 1956 novel ''The Hundred and One Dalmatians''. A pampered and glamorous London heiress and fashion designer, she appears in Walt Disney Productions' 17th animated feature fi ...
's country house, the dogs are nearly trapped by an old Roma woman who wants to sell them. Her horse helps the dogs escape again.
* 1957: Ian Fleming
Ian Lancaster Fleming (28 May 1908 – 12 August 1964) was a British writer who is best known for his postwar ''James Bond'' series of spy novels. Fleming came from a wealthy family connected to the merchant bank Robert Fleming & Co., an ...
's James Bond
The ''James Bond'' series focuses on a fictional British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short-story collections. Since Fleming's death in 1964, eight other authors hav ...
novel '' From Russia, with Love''. Set in a Romani encampment in Turkey, features a fight to the death between two Roma girls vying for the affection of the same man.
* 1958: Elizabeth Goudge's ''The White Witch''. Features a description of the lifestyle of the Romnichals
Romanichal Travellers ( ; more commonly known as English Gypsies or English Travellers) are a Romani people, Romani subgroup within the United Kingdom and other parts of the English-speaking world. There are an estimated 200,000 Romani in the ...
of the UK during the civil war.
* 1959: Ludwig Bemelmans
Ludwig Bemelmans (April 27, 1898 – October 1, 1962) was an Austrian-American writer and illustrator of children's books and adult novels. He is known best for the ''Madeline'' picture books. Six were published, the first in 1939.
Early life
...
’s '' Madeline and the Gypsies''
* 1963: Hergé
Georges Prosper Remi (; 22 May 1907 – 3 March 1983), known by the pen name Hergé (; ), from the French pronunciation of his reversed initials ''RG'', was a Belgian cartoonist. He is best known for creating ''The Adventures of Tintin'', ...
's ''The Adventures of Tintin
''The Adventures of Tintin'' (french: Les Aventures de Tintin ) is a series of 24 bande dessinée#Formats, ''bande dessinée'' albums created by Belgians, Belgian cartoonist Georges Remi, who wrote under the pen name Hergé. The series was one ...
'' comic book '' The Castafiore Emerald.'' Features several Romani characters and a few Romani
Romani may refer to:
Ethnicities
* Romani people, an ethnic group of Northern Indian origin, living dispersed in Europe, the Americas and Asia
** Romani genocide, under Nazi rule
* Romani language, any of several Indo-Aryan languages of the Roma ...
words. This graphic novel
A graphic novel is a long-form, fictional work of sequential art. The term ''graphic novel'' is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-fiction, and anthologized work, though this practice is highly contested by comic scholars and industry ...
is very sympathetic to the Romani characters.
* 1967: Gabriel García Márquez
Gabriel José de la Concordia García Márquez (; 6 March 1927 – 17 April 2014) was a Colombian novelist, short-story writer, screenwriter, and journalist, known affectionately as Gabo () or Gabito () throughout Latin America. Considered one ...
's '' One Hundred Years of Solitude.''
* 1969-1981: Swedish writer and Romani civil rights leader Katarina Taikon
Katarina Taikon-Langhammer (29 July 1932 – 30 December 1995) was a Swedish Romany activist, leader in the civil rights movement, writer and actor, from the Kalderash caste. She was the sister of Rosa Taikon.
Biography
During Taikon's ch ...
publishes her series of autobiographical children's book about Romani girl Katitzi. In the 1976 book ''Katitzi Z-1234'', set in 1945 (ending with people celebrating the end of World War II), Katitzi meets a Roma woman named Zoni. Zoni is a survivor of Auschwitz
Auschwitz concentration camp ( (); also or ) was a complex of over 40 Nazi concentration camps, concentration and extermination camps operated by Nazi Germany in Polish areas annexed by Nazi Germany, occupied Poland (in a portion annexed int ...
, and tells the young Katitzi about the horrors of the Romani holocaust.
* 1971, 1972: Martin Cruz Smith
Martin Cruz Smith (born November 3, 1942) is an American mystery novelist. He is best known for his nine-novel series (to date) on Russian investigator Arkady Renko, who was first introduced in 1981 with '' Gorky Park''.
Early life and educat ...
's ''Gypsy in Amber'' and ''Canto for a Gypsy.''
* 1972: Rumer Godden
Margaret Rumer Godden (10 December 1907 – 8 November 1998) was an English author of more than 60 fiction and non-fiction books. Nine of her works have been made into films, most notably ''Black Narcissus'' in 1947 and '' The River'' in ...
's children's book ''The Diddakoi
''The Diddakoi'' is a 1972 children's novel by Rumer Godden. Set in England, it features an orphan traveller or Romani girl, seven-year-old Kizzy Lovell, who faces persecution, grief, and loss in a hostile, close-knit, village community. The titl ...
'' (also published as ''Gypsy Girl''). Winner of the Whitbread Award. Adapted for television by the BBC as ''Kizzy''.
* 1975: Roald Dahl
Roald Dahl (13 September 1916 – 23 November 1990) was a British novelist, short-story writer, poet, screenwriter, and wartime fighter ace of Norwegian descent. His books have sold more than 250 million copies worldwide. Dahl has be ...
's children's book ''Danny, the Champion of the World
''Danny, the Champion of the World'', or simply Danny, is a 1975 children's book by Roald Dahl. The plot centres on Danny, a young English boy, and his father, William. They live in a Gypsy caravan, fix cars for a living in their mechanic sh ...
''. A young boy lives with his father in a traditional English vardo, although it is unclear if the protagonist Danny and his father are themselves Romanichal and admire the culture or prefer the lifestyle.
* 1978–present: The ''Star Wars'' expanded universe books. A race of aliens known as the Ryn possess many stereotypical Roma traits, including clan family structures, wanderer natures, reputations as thieves and more.
* 1981, 1988: Robertson Davies
William Robertson Davies (28 August 1913 – 2 December 1995) was a Canadian novelist, playwright, critic, journalist, and professor. He was one of Canada's best known and most popular authors and one of its most distinguished " men of letters" ...
's novels '' The Rebel Angels and '' The Lyre of Orpheus''.'' Feature major characters who maintain Romani traditions, including the care and repair of musical instruments, in modern Canada.
* 1983: Tim Powers
Timothy Thomas Powers (born February 29, 1952) is an American science fiction and fantasy author. Powers has won the World Fantasy Award twice for his critically acclaimed novels '' Last Call'' and ''Declare''. His 1987 novel ''On Stranger Tide ...
' novel ''The Anubis Gates
''The Anubis Gates'' is a 1983 time travel fantasy novel by American writer Tim Powers. It won the 1983 Philip K. Dick Award and 1984 Science Fiction Chronicle Award.
Plot summary
In 1801 the British have risen to power in Egypt and suppress ...
.'' Features a band of Romanies led by Egyptian magicians and utilizes quite a few expressions from the Romani language
Romani (; also Romany, Romanes , Roma; rom, rromani ćhib, links=no) is an Indo-Aryan macrolanguage of the Romani communities. According to '' Ethnologue'', seven varieties of Romani are divergent enough to be considered languages of their ...
.
* 1984: Stephen King
Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author of horror, supernatural fiction, suspense, crime, science-fiction, and fantasy novels. Described as the "King of Horror", a play on his surname and a reference to his high s ...
's novel '' Thinner.'' Includes the classic plot device of the Romani curse. It was also made into a movie.
* 1984-2013: Robert Jordan's fantasy series The Wheel of Time
''The Wheel of Time'' is a series of high fantasy novels by American author Robert Jordan, with Brandon Sanderson as a co-author for the final three novels. Originally planned as a six-book series, ''The Wheel of Time'' spans 14 volumes, in ad ...
features a race of Romani-like people called the Tinkers, who travel in caravans and practice strict pacifism.
* 1985: Charles de Lint's novel ''Mulengro.'' Contemporary fantasy portrayal of the Romani and their cultural myths.
* 1986: Robert Silverberg
Robert Silverberg (born January 15, 1935) is an American author and editor, best known for writing science fiction. He is a multiple winner of both Hugo and Nebula Awards, a member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame, and a Gran ...
's ''Star of Gypsies.'' A sci-fi epic about the King of the Romanies searching out the long lost Romany home star system.
* 1987: Piers Anthony's ''Incarnations of Immortality
''Incarnations of Immortality'' is the name of an eight-book fantasy series by Piers Anthony. The books each focus on one of eight supernatural "offices" (Death, Time, Fate, War, Nature, Evil, Good, and Night) in a fictional reality and history p ...
'' series. The latter half features the Romani in a hugely positive light, most prominent in ''Being A Green Mother''.
* 1987: John Crowley's ''Ægypt
''Ægypt '' is a fantasy tetralogy written by American author John Crowley. The series describes the life and work of Pierce Moffett, a history professor who prepares a manuscript for publication even as it prepares him for some as-yet unknown ...
'' cycle. Much of the narrative of unfolds from an encounter with a Roma fortune-teller, and revolves around the question of why people believe Romanies can tell the future.
*1987: Isobelle Carmody
Isobelle Jane Carmody (born 16 June 1958) is an Australian writer of science fiction, fantasy, children's literature, and young adult literature. She is recipient of the Aurealis Award for best children's fiction.
Biography
Isobelle Carmody wa ...
's Obernewtyn series. A fantasy fiction novel about the land of men and beings destroyed by what they call the "Great White". This story includes many Romani, and how the townspeople are very jealous of their very good living.
* 1988–present: Mercedes Lackey
Mercedes Ritchie Lackey (born June 24, 1950) is an American writer of fantasy novels. Many of her novels and trilogies are interlinked and set in the world of Velgarth, mostly in and around the country of Valdemar. Her Valdemar novels include i ...
's Valdemar series. Features a fictional race of people based loosely on the Romani, even to the extent of using Romani language; most prominent in the Vows and Honor books.
* 1991: ''Young Indiana Jones and the Gypsy Revenge'' (UK title: ''Young Indiana Jones and the Crusader's Crown''), a young adult novel in the ''Indiana Jones
''Indiana Jones'' is an American media franchise based on the adventures of Dr. Henry Walton "Indiana" Jones, Jr., a fictional professor of archaeology, that began in 1981 with the film '' Raiders of the Lost Ark''. In 1984, a prequel, '' Th ...
'' franchise. Set in 1914 France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
, a 15-year-old Indiana Jones
''Indiana Jones'' is an American media franchise based on the adventures of Dr. Henry Walton "Indiana" Jones, Jr., a fictional professor of archaeology, that began in 1981 with the film '' Raiders of the Lost Ark''. In 1984, a prequel, '' Th ...
encounters a young, beautiful Romani fortune teller.
* 1992: Joe Gores
Joseph Nicholas Gores (December 25, 1931 - January 10, 2011) was an American mystery writer. He was known best for his novels and short stories set in San Francisco and featuring the fictional "Dan Kearney and Associates" (the "DKA Files") privat ...
's novel ''32 Cadillacs''. The DKA investigate a network of American Romani criminals.
* 1995: ''The Parsley Parcel'' by Elizabeth Arnold is a children's novel set among Roma in the English New Forest
The New Forest is one of the largest remaining tracts of unenclosed pasture land, heathland and forest in Southern England, covering southwest Hampshire and southeast Wiltshire. It was proclaimed a royal forest by William the Conqueror, featu ...
and was the basis for a seven-part ''Gypsy Girl
''Gypsy Girl'' is a TV series that ran on CITV in early 2001, based on the books ''The Parsley Parcel'' and ''Gold and Silver Water'' by Elizabeth Arnold. It centred on a gypsy girl (Freya Boswell) and her family, who lived in a typical gypsy ...
'' TV series in 2001.
* 1995-2000: Philip Pullman
Sir Philip Nicholas Outram Pullman (born 19 October 1946) is an English writer. His books include the fantasy trilogy ''His Dark Materials'' and ''The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ'', a fictionalised biography of Jesus. In 2008, ''The ...
's ''His Dark Materials
''His Dark Materials'' is a trilogy of fantasy novels by Philip Pullman consisting of '' Northern Lights'' (1995; published as ''The Golden Compass'' in North America), ''The Subtle Knife'' (1997), and ''The Amber Spyglass'' (2000). It follows ...
'' trilogy. Features a nomadic race called the "Gyptians
''His Dark Materials'' is a trilogy of fantasy novels by Philip Pullman consisting of '' Northern Lights'' (1995) (published as ''The Golden Compass'' in North America), ''The Subtle Knife'' (1997), and ''The Amber Spyglass'' (2000). This is a lis ...
". Gyptians are roughly the equivalent of Roma in our universe, with the exception that they use narrowboats
A narrowboat is a particular type of canal boat, built to fit the narrow locks of the United Kingdom. The UK's canal system provided a nationwide transport network during the Industrial Revolution, but with the advent of the railways, commerc ...
in place of caravan
Caravan or caravans may refer to:
Transport and travel
*Caravan (travellers), a group of travellers journeying together
**Caravanserai, a place where a caravan could stop
*Camel train, a convoy using camels as pack animals
*Convoy, a group of veh ...
s. Throughout the books they are portrayed as good and kindly people.
* 1996-2001: Tad Williams
Robert Paul "Tad" Williams (born March 14, 1957) is an American fantasy and science fiction writer. He is the author of the multivolume ''Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn'' series, ''Otherland'' series, and ''Shadowmarch'' series as well as the standal ...
's Otherland
''Otherland'' is a science fiction tetralogy by American writer Tad Williams, published between 1996 and 2001. The story is set on Earth near the end of the 21st century, probably between 2082 and 2089, in a world where technology has advanced ...
series of science fiction books. A Romani character and references to Romani appear as nomads who disregard the borders of an advanced virtual reality cyberspace.
* 1999: Bernard Ashley's novel ''Johnnie's Blitz'' features a Roma family.
* 1999: Ana Castillo
Ana Castillo (born June 15, 1953) is a Chicana novelist, poet, short story writer, essayist, editor, playwright, translator and independent scholar. Considered one of the leading voices in Chicana experience, Castillo is known for her experiment ...
's novel ''Peel My Love Like an Onion.''
* 1999: Thomas Harris
William Thomas Harris III (born 1940/1941) is an American writer, best known for a series of suspense novels about his most famous character, Hannibal Lecter. The majority of his works have been adapted into films and television, the most notab ...
's novel ''Hannibal
Hannibal (; xpu, 𐤇𐤍𐤁𐤏𐤋, ''Ḥannibaʿl''; 247 – between 183 and 181 BC) was a Carthaginian general and statesman who commanded the forces of Carthage in their battle against the Roman Republic during the Second Puni ...
''. A member of a seemingly Romani band of travellers is hired by Inspector Pazzi to pickpocket Hannibal Lecter, in order to lift a fingerprint.
* 1999: Joanne Harris
Joanne Michèle Sylvie Harris (born 3 July 1964) is an English-French author, best known for her novel '' Chocolat'' (1999), which was adapted the following year for the film '' Chocolat''.
Early life
Harris was born in Barnsley, Yorkshire, t ...
's novel '' Chocolat'' (and the 2000 film
A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...
based on the novel), features a group of French river Roma.
* 1999–2003: In the ''Star Wars
''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera multimedia franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop-culture Cultural impact of S ...
New Jedi Order
''Star Wars: The New Jedi Order'' (or ''New Jedi Order'' or ''NJO'') is a series of 19 science fiction novels, published from 1999 to 2003, set in the ''Star Wars'' Expanded Universe. The series revolves around the Yuuzhan Vong invasion of ...
'' series of books, the Ryn race are inspired by the Roma.
21st century
* 2001: 's Kushiel's Legacy
''Kushiel's Legacy'' is a series of fantasy novels by Jacqueline Carey, comprising the Phèdre Trilogy and the Imriel Trilogy (called the "Treason's Heir" trilogy in the United Kingdom). Since the series features a fictional version of medieval ...
series of fantasy novels. Includes the Tsingani, based on the Roma.
* 2001: James Herbert
James John Herbert, OBE (8 April 1943 – 20 March 2013) was an English horror writer. A full-time writer, he also designed his own book covers and publicity. His books have sold 54 million copies worldwide, and have been translated into 34 l ...
's novel ''Once
Once means a one-time occurrence.
Once may refer to:
Music
* ''Once'' (Pearl Jam song), a 1991 song from the album ''Ten''
* ''Once'' (Roy Harper album), a 1990 album by Roy Harper
* ''Once'' (The Tyde album), a 2001 debut album by The Tyd ...
''. A wicca
Wicca () is a modern Pagan religion. Scholars of religion categorise it as both a new religious movement and as part of the occultist stream of Western esotericism. It was developed in England during the first half of the 20th century and was ...
n called Nell Quick is described as alluring and dressed in the manner of a Roma woman. She is noted for her extremely beautiful looks and raven-colored dark hair. The novel never fully explains her origins or if she is connected to the Gypsies.
* 2003: Louise Doughty
Louise Doughty is the author of nine novels, five plays for radio and a TV mini-series. Her most recent book is ''Platform Seven'' (2019), currently being adapted as a four-part drama. The previous book, ''Black Water'', (2016) was nominated as ...
's novel ''Fires in the Dark''. A boy from a group of nomadic Kalderash Roma, born in a barn in rural Bohemia in 1927, grows up during the Great Depression and the rise of Nazism, is interned in a camp and escapes to take part in the Prague Uprising of May 1945.
* 2005: Isabel Allende
Isabel Angélica Allende Llona (; born in Lima, 2 August 1942) is a Chilean writer. Allende, whose works sometimes contain aspects of the genre magical realism, is known for novels such as ''The House of the Spirits'' (''La casa de los espír ...
's novel ''Zorro
Zorro (Spanish language, Spanish for 'fox') is a fictional character created in 1919 by American pulp magazine, pulp writer Johnston McCulley, appearing in works set in the Pueblo of Los Angeles in Alta California. He is typically portrayed a ...
.'' Features a clan of Romanies who ally themselves with the titular hero in post-Napoleonic Spain.
* 2005: Edith Layton's novel ''Gypsy Lover''. Daffyd, the illegitimate son of a noblewoman and a Romani, returns to England from a penal colony in Botany Bay
Botany Bay (Dharawal: ''Kamay''), an open oceanic embayment, is located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, south of the Sydney central business district. Its source is the confluence of the Georges River at Taren Point and the Cook ...
to pardon and clear the name of his adopted father the Earl of Egremont.
* 2006: Louise Doughty
Louise Doughty is the author of nine novels, five plays for radio and a TV mini-series. Her most recent book is ''Platform Seven'' (2019), currently being adapted as a four-part drama. The previous book, ''Black Water'', (2016) was nominated as ...
's novel ''Stone Cradle'' charts one family's path through persecution and tragedy, asking, can the Romani spirit survive in a century that no longer has space for them?
* 2006–present: Rob Thurman
Robyn Thurman, writing under the name Rob Thurman, is a New York Times Best Seller list, ''New York Times'' Best Selling American novelist. To date, she has written three series and two short stories, totaling 17 books, and has been published in ...
's Cal Leandros novel series. The lead character and his brother are both half-Romani on their mother's side.
* 2007: Lisa Kleypas
Lisa Kleypas (born 5 November 1964 in Temple, Texas) is a best-selling American author of historical and contemporary romance novels. In 1985, she was named Miss Massachusetts 1985 and competed in the Miss America 1986 pageant in Atlantic City ...
's novel ''Mine Till Midnight'' and its companion ''Seduce Me at Sunrise.'' Feature two half-Romani male protagonists.
* 2007: Nikki Poppen's ''The Romany Heiress''. The heir to the Earl of Spelthorne is captivated by the arrival of a beautiful Roma shows up on his doorstep claiming to be his deceased parents' long lost daughter.
* 2007: Colum McCann
Colum McCann is an Irish writer of literary fiction. He was born in Dublin, Ireland, and now lives in New York. He is a Thomas Hunter Writer in Residence at Hunter College, New York.
McCann's work has been published in over 40 languages, and ...
's novel '' Zoli.'' Explores the life of a fictional Slovak Romani artist.
* 2007: Paulo Coelho
Paulo Coelho de Souza (, ; born 24 August 1947) is a Brazilian lyricist and novelist and a member of the Brazilian Academy of Letters since 2002. His novel ''The Alchemist'' became an international best-seller and he has published 28 more books ...
's novel '' The Witch of Portobello''. The character Athena's biological mother is Roma.
* 2007: In Sally Gardner
Sally Gardner is a British children writer and illustrator. She won both the Costa Children's Book Award and the Carnegie Medal for ''Maggot Moon'' (Hot Key Books, 2012). Under her pseudonym Wray Delaney she has also written adult novels. 's novel ''The Red Necklace
''The Red Necklace '' is a young adult historical novel by Sally Gardner, published by Orion in 2007. It is a story of the French Revolution, interwoven with gypsy magic. The audiobook is narrated by Tom Hiddleston.
''The Silver Blade'' (Orion ...
'', the main character Yann and his companion Têtu are Roma along with the antagonist Kalliovski.
*2007: Deanna Raybourn
Deanna Raybourn (born June 17, 1968) is an American author of historical fiction and historical mysteries.
Biography
Raybourn was born in Fort Worth, Texas, but now lives in Williamsburg, Virginia. She graduated from the University of Tex ...
's Lady Julia Grey series (''Silent in the Grave,'' ''Silent in the Sanctuary,'' ''Silent on the Moor,'' ''Dark Road to Darjeeling,'' ''Dark Inquiry'') feature Nicholas Brisbane as the protagonist. Brisbane is the son of a reprobate Scottish nobleman and a Roma woman with the power of sight. Throughout the series, a number of Roma characters feature prominently.
* 2007, 2008: Kate Wild's teenage/young adult novels ''FightGame'' and ''FireFight.'' Thrillers with a science fiction overtone featuring a young Roma protagonist called Freedom Smith.
* 2008: James Rollins
James Paul Czajkowski (born August 20, 1961), better known by his pen name of James Rollins, is an American veterinarian and writer of action-adventure/ thriller, mystery, and techno-thriller novels who gave up his veterinary practice in Sacramen ...
' novel '' The Last Oracle''. Cmdr. Gray Pierce must stop a rogue group in Russia from using autistic savant
Savant syndrome () is a rare condition in which someone with significant mental disabilities demonstrates certain abilities far in excess of average. The skills that savants excel at are generally related to memory. This may include rapid calcu ...
Romani descendants from being used as weapons.
* 2010: Sonia Meyer's novel ''Dosha, Flight of the Russian Gypsies''. About Romani in the 1950s Soviet Union.
* 2010: Levi Pinfold's children's book ''The Django'' (2010), inspired by Romani musician Django Reinhardt
Jean Reinhardt (23 January 1910 – 16 May 1953), known by his Romani nickname Django ( or ), was a Romani-French jazz guitarist and composer. He was one of the first major jazz talents to emerge in Europe and has been hailed as one of its most ...
* 2011: Stef Penney's novel ''The Invisible Ones''. Ray Lovell, a small-time PI of Roma descent, is hired to investigate the disappearance of a Romani woman, 7 years previously.
* 2013: ''Cazzarola! Anarchy, Romani, Love, Italy'' by Norman Nawrocki includes a Romani family and camp living in Rome, Italy. Talks about the persecution and discrimination the Romani face in Europe.
* 2015: Linda De Quincey's novel ''Roma: Charlie and Poppy''. The tale of an orphaned Romany child who is adopted by an abusive mother and falls for his adoptive sister who lifts his spirits as he plans his escape.
Plays and musicals
* ''Carmen
''Carmen'' () is an opera in four acts by the French composer Georges Bizet. The libretto was written by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on the Carmen (novella), novella of the same title by Prosper Mérimée. The opera was first perfo ...
'', a 1875 opera by Georges Bizet
Georges Bizet (; 25 October 18383 June 1875) was a French composer of the Romantic music, Romantic era. Best known for his operas in a career cut short by his early death, Bizet achieved few successes before his final work, ''Carmen'', whi ...
. It is set in southern Spain and tells the story of the downfall of Don José, a naïve soldier who is seduced by the wiles of the fiery Carmen, a Romani woman. José abandons his childhood sweetheart and deserts from his military duties, yet loses Carmen's love to the glamorous torero
A bullfighter (or matador) is a performer in the activity of bullfighting. ''Torero'' () or ''toureiro'' (), both from Latin ''taurarius'', are the Spanish and Portuguese words for bullfighter and describe all the performers in the activity ...
Escamillo, after which José kills her in a jealous rage.
* ''Notre-Dame de Paris
Notre-Dame de Paris (; meaning "Our Lady of Paris"), referred to simply as Notre-Dame, is a medieval Catholic cathedral on the Île de la Cité (an island in the Seine River), in the 4th arrondissement of Paris. The cathedral, dedicated to the ...
'', a 1998 musical based on the 1831 novel ''The Hunchback of Notre Dame
''The Hunchback of Notre-Dame'' (french: Notre-Dame de Paris, translation=''Our Lady of Paris'', originally titled ''Notre-Dame de Paris. 1482'') is a French Gothic novel by Victor Hugo, published in 1831. It focuses on the unfortunate story ...
'' by Victor Hugo
Victor-Marie Hugo (; 26 February 1802 – 22 May 1885) was a French Romantic writer and politician. During a literary career that spanned more than sixty years, he wrote in a variety of genres and forms. He is considered to be one of the great ...
.
* ''The Hunchback of Notre Dame
''The Hunchback of Notre-Dame'' (french: Notre-Dame de Paris, translation=''Our Lady of Paris'', originally titled ''Notre-Dame de Paris. 1482'') is a French Gothic novel by Victor Hugo, published in 1831. It focuses on the unfortunate story o ...
'', a 1999 musical adapted from the 1996 Walt Disney Animation Studios
Walt Disney Animation Studios (WDAS), sometimes shortened to Disney Animation, is an American animation studio that creates animated features and short films for The Walt Disney Company. The studio's current production logo features a scene fro ...
film adaptation
A film adaptation is the transfer of a work or story, in whole or in part, to a feature film. Although often considered a type of derivative work, film adaptation has been conceptualized recently by academic scholars such as Robert Stam as a dial ...
of Victor Hugo's 1831 novel.
* '' Klokkeren fra Notre Dame (The Hunchback of Notre Dame)'', a 2002 Danish musical written and composed by Knud Christensen (better known as Sebastian), based on the Hugo novel.
Other media
* The Cirque du Soleil
Cirque du Soleil (, ; "Circus of the Sun" or "Sun Circus") is a Canadian entertainment company and the largest contemporary circus producer in the world. Located in the inner-city area of Saint-Michel, it was founded in Baie-Saint-Paul on 16 Ju ...
traveling show ''Varekai
Varekai was a Cirque du Soleil touring production that premiered in Montréal in April 2002. Its title means "wherever" in the Romani language, and the show is an "acrobatic tribute to the nomadic soul".
The show begins with the Greek myth of Ica ...
'' takes its name from the Romani language and the characters represented on stage are loosely based on the nomadic way of life associated with the Romani people.
* Warhammer Fantasy Warhammer Fantasy can mean:
* ''Warhammer Fantasy'' (setting), the fictional setting of the various games and media
* ''Warhammer'' (game), a table-top fantasy miniature wargame, and origin of the franchise
*''Warhammer Age of Sigmar'', the success ...
includes an ethnic group of humans, the Strigany, who are often referred to as gypsies. They conflate the Romani with Romanians: the Strigany are from the same geographical area as Romania
Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...
, and negative stereotypes about the Romani people are justified against the Strigany, who are persecuted for vampire worship and sometimes actually enabling the Undead.
* The Curse of Strahd supplement for Dungeons & Dragons
''Dungeons & Dragons'' (commonly abbreviated as ''D&D'' or ''DnD'') is a fantasy tabletop role-playing game (RPG) originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. The game was first published in 1974 by TSR (company)#Tactical Studies Rules ...
includes a fantasy version of the Romani, the Vistani. Early printings portrayed the Vistani in a stereotyped light.
Songs
* "Zigenarvän" (Eng: "Gypsy Friend". 1969) – Agnetha Fältskog
Agneta Åse Fältskog (born 5 April 1950), known as Agnetha Fältskog (), is a Swedish singer, songwriter, and musician. She first achieved success in Sweden with the release of her 1968 self-titled debut album. She later achieved internatio ...
(later of ABBA
ABBA ( , , formerly named Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Anni-Frid or Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Frida) are a Swedish supergroup formed in Stockholm in 1972 by Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. The group's ...
fame): featured on the album '' Agnetha Fältskog Vol. 2'', the song tells of a young woman's visit to a Romani camp. The young woman finds herself drawn to the Romani camp one night. The light from their fire leads the way. From a distance, the young woman can hear their laughter, singing and music. She attends a Romani wedding, and dances with the bride's brother (whom she falls in love with). She returns the next day, only to find it gone. The young woman is left wondering if it was all just a dream. The song was the album's biggest hit, but its overly romantic lyrics became the source of controversy. Its release coincided with a heated debate about Romani people in the Swedish media, and Fältskog was accused of deliberately trying to make money out of the situation by writing the song.
Music videos
* " Rock 'n' Roll Children" (1985) – Dio: a young couple, both aspiring rock musicians, seek shelter from a rainstorm in an antique store, after an argument. The store is run by a Romani-esque mystic (Ronnie James Dio
Ronald James Padavona (July 10, 1942 – May 16, 2010), known professionally as Ronnie James Dio, was an American heavy metal singer. He fronted and founded numerous bands throughout his career, including Elf, Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Dio and H ...
), who keeps out of their sight. The couple go into a closet, entering another world, where they are separated. Through a crystal ball
A crystal ball, also known as an orbuculum or crystal sphere, is a crystal or glass ball and common fortune-telling object. It is generally associated with the performance of clairvoyance and scrying in particular.
In more recent times, the cry ...
, the mystic observes the couple, while they're being subjected to discrimination, exclusion, and demands from others to give up their way of life and culture. After the couple are reunited, and rekindle their love (while hostile people begins to circle around them), the mystic smashes the crystal ball onto the floor, releasing them from the other world.
* "Who's That Girl Who's That Girl? may refer to:
Film and television
* ''Who's That Girl'' (1987 film), an American film starring Madonna
* ''Who's That Girl'', a Philippine film of 2011
* "Who's That Girl?", an episode of ''Wow! Wow! Wubbzy!''
Music
* Who's Tha ...
" (1987) – Madonna
Madonna Louise Ciccone (; ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Widely dubbed the " Queen of Pop", Madonna has been noted for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, songwriting, a ...
: Madonna goes to visit a Romani fortune-teller. The fortune-teller shows Madonna a tarot card, with a moving (cartoon) image, and mysteriously disappears.
* "Love to Hate You
"Love to Hate You" is a 1991 song by English synth-pop duo Erasure. It was released as the second single from their fifth studio album, ''Chorus'' (1991). Written by band members Vince Clarke and Andy Bell, it is an electronic dance track insp ...
" (1991) – Erasure
Erasure () is an English synth-pop duo formed in London in 1985, consisting of lead vocalist and songwriter Andy Bell with songwriter, producer and keyboardist Vince Clarke, previously known as co-founder of the band Depeche Mode and a membe ...
: the video features a group of female dancers, wearing Romani dress
Romani dress is the traditional attire of the Romani people, widely known in English by the exonymic slur Gypsies. Romani traditional clothing is closely connected to the history, culture, and national identity of the Roma people.
Certain schola ...
.
* "Ain't It Funny
"Ain't It Funny" is a song by American singer Jennifer Lopez. It was written by Lopez and Cory Rooney for the Adam Shankman-directed romantic comedy ''The Wedding Planner'' (2001). Shankman, however, felt that the song had too much of a Latin ...
" (2001) – Jennifer Lopez
Jennifer Lynn Affleck (' Lopez; born July 24, 1969), also known as J.Lo, is an American singer, actress and dancer. In 1991, she began appearing as a Fly Girl dancer on the sketch comedy television series ''In Living Color'', where she rema ...
: Lopez comes across a Romani camp, where a fortune-teller reads her future. Young Romani women comes and makes over Lopez into one of them. In the camp, Lopez finds an irresistible man, and falls in love with him. She then performs a flamenco
Flamenco (), in its strictest sense, is an art form based on the various folkloric music traditions of southern Spain, developed within the gitano subculture of the region of Andalusia, and also having historical presence in Extremadura and ...
-influenced routine.
Comics
DC Comics
* Dick Grayson
Richard John "Dick" Grayson is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly in association with Batman and Teen Titans. Created by writer Bill Finger and artist Bob Kane, he first appeared in ''Detective Comics' ...
(a.k.a. Robin and Nightwing) was established to be of Romani descent in 2015.
* Zatanna Zatara
Zatanna Zatara () is a superheroine appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros ...
, a superheroine and magic user, is of Romani descent on her father's side. Her powers originate from her homo magi heritage (through her non-Roma mother), an off-shoot of humanity capable of naturally manipulating magic energies. Zatanna's father, Giovanni "John" Zatara, is also a superhero. He made his debut in ''Action Comics'' #1 (the same issue as Superman
Superman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, and debuted in the comic book ''Action Comics'' #1 (cover-dated June 1938 and publi ...
).
* Nimue Inwudu (Madame Xanadu) is a Romani mystic and fortune teller. Madame Xanadu has the appearance of a stereotypical Romani fortune teller who wears dangly earrings.
* Cynthia Reynolds styles herself after the stereotypical image of Romani women and adopts "Gypsy" as her superhero identity. In her first appearance, the character is introduced as a petty thief, and a trickster. In 2013, a revamped version of the character is shown acquiring her alias from Amanda Waller
Amanda Blake Waller (née White), also known as "the Wall", is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in ''Legends'' #1 in 1986 and was created by John Ostrander, Len Wein, and ...
, who tells her "You seem to prefer a more nomadic existence. That makes you something of a trans-dimensional... gypsy.".
* Tora Olafsdotter (Ice) was originally presented as a princess of an isolated tribe of magic-wielding Norsemen. In the 2010 series ''Justice League: Generation Lost'', that origin is revealed to have been a lie. It is revealed that Tora was born Romani
Romani may refer to:
Ethnicities
* Romani people, an ethnic group of Northern Indian origin, living dispersed in Europe, the Americas and Asia
** Romani genocide, under Nazi rule
* Romani language, any of several Indo-Aryan languages of the Roma ...
. Her grandfather was the leader of a clan of Romani criminals in Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...
. When Tora began manifesting her cryokinetic powers, her parents feared that her grandfather would try using her for crime, and fled from the clan. Tora had made up her previous origin story, upon becoming a superhero, to make herself more acceptable to the world (stating that heroes come from better stock than her).
Film & Television Adaptations
* The animated TV series ''Justice League Unlimited
''Justice League Unlimited'' (''JLU'') is a 2004–2006 American superhero animated television series that was produced by Warner Bros. Animation and aired on Cartoon Network. Featuring a wide array of superheroes from the DC Comics universe, and ...
'' (2004-2006) features Cynthia Reynolds/Gypsy as a recurring, non-speaking, background member of the Justice League
The Justice League (also known as The Justice League of America) are a team of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team first appeared in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #28 (March 1960). The team was conceived ...
. The character dressed in the stereotypical image of Romani women.
* The ''Smallville
''Smallville'' is an American superhero television series developed by writer-producers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, based on the DC Comics character Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. The series was produced by Millar Gough ...
'' season six episode "Crimson" (aired 1 February 2007), features a young Romani woman named Star. She gives Lois Lane
Lois Lane is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, she first appeared in ''Action Comics'' #1 (June 1938). Lois is an award-winning journalist for ...
a lipstick (partially made from Red Kryptonite), that causes Lois to fall madly in love (obsessed) with Clark Kent
Superman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, and debuted in the comic book ''Action Comics'' #1 (cover-dated June 1938 and publish ...
. In one scene, Star claims to be psychic, and says Clark's name (despite no one having told his name to her), while also (accurately) predicting that Lois and Clark will eventually become a couple. She is also shown to run a New Age
New Age is a range of spiritual or religious practices and beliefs which rapidly grew in Western society during the early 1970s. Its highly eclectic and unsystematic structure makes a precise definition difficult. Although many scholars conside ...
-style shop. When Henry James Olsen (older brother of Jimmy Olsen
Jimmy Olsen is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Olsen is most often portrayed as a young photojournalist working for the ''Daily Planet''. He is close friends with Lois Lane and Clark Kent, and has ...
) seeks her out, and asks if Star's got a counter agent for the lipstick, Star happily gives it (made from Green kryptonite
Kryptonite is a fictional material that appears primarily in Superman stories published by DC Comics. In its best-known form, it is a green, crystalline material originating from Superman's home world of Krypton that emits a unique, poisonous r ...
) to him. Star is established to have made both the lipstick and counter agent herself (using different types of kryptonite). Within the context of the series, Green kryptonite was well-established to have a mutagenic effect on humans, granting them different superhuman powers, including telepathy and precognition.
* The 2010 animated film '' Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths'' features an evil version of superheroine Cynthia Reynolds/Gypsy, from an alternate universe. This version goes by "Gypsy Woman", and dresses in the stereotypical image of Romani women.
* The animated TV series ''Young Justice
Young Justice is a fictional DC Comics superhero team consisting of teenaged heroes.
The team was formed in 1998 when DC's usual teen hero group, the Teen Titans, had become adults and changed their name to the Titans. Like the original ''Teen ...
'' features Nimue Inwudu (Madame Xanadu) as an occasional guest character. The series changes Madame Xanadu to African-American.
* In the 2012 film ''The Dark Knight Rises
''The Dark Knight Rises'' is a 2012 superhero film directed by Christopher Nolan, who co-wrote the screenplay with his brother Jonathan Nolan, and the story with David S. Goyer. The film is based on the DC Comics character Batman, it is th ...
'', Tom Hardy portrays the terrorist Bane
Bane may refer to:
Fictional characters
* Bane (DC Comics), an adversary of Batman
* Bane (''Harry Potter''), a centaur in the ''Harry Potter'' series
* Bane (''The Matrix''), a character in the ''Matrix'' film trilogy
* Bane the Druid, a Gu ...
. In the comics, Bane is Latino, which Hardy is not. Fearing possible objections to that, Hardy and Christopher Nolan
Christopher Edward Nolan (born 30 July 1970) is a British-American filmmaker. Known for his lucrative Cinema of the United States, Hollywood blockbusters with complex storytelling, Nolan is considered a leading filmmaker of the 21st century. ...
decided to change Bane to Romani.
* The CW
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
TV Series ''The Flash
The Flash (or simply Flash) is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Harry Lampert, the original Flash first appeared in ''Flash Comics'' #1 (cover date ...
'' features Cynthia/Gypsy in a recurring role, played by Jessica Camacho
Jessica Lisa Camacho (born November 26, 1982) is an American actress. She is known for her recurring role as Gypsy in The CW superhero series ''The Flash''. Camacho also starred on the second season of the NBC drama series '' Taken''.
Early l ...
. She is the daughter of Breacher (Danny Trejo
Danny Trejo ( ; born May 16, 1944) is an American actor. He has appeared in films including ''Desperado'', ''Heat'', and the ''From Dusk Till Dawn'' film series. With frequent collaborator and his second cousin Robert Rodriguez, he portrayed ...
). Cynthia and Breacher are both depicted as Latin. Cynthia is said to have taken the moniker "Gypsy" to make herself sound moody and mysterious.
* The 2019 ''Swamp Thing
The Swamp Thing is a superhero in American comic books published by DC Comics. A humanoid/plant elemental List of swamp monsters, creature, created by writer Len Wein and artist Bernie Wrightson, the Swamp Thing has had several humanoid or mo ...
'' TV series features Nimue Inwudu (Madame Xanadu). Nimue is portrayed by Jeryl Prescott
Jeryl Prescott Sales is an American actress, best known for her role as Jacqui in the AMC series '' The Walking Dead''. In 2019, she had series regular role of Madame Xanadu in the short-lived DC Universe series ''Swamp Thing''.
Life and caree ...
, with the character being changed to African-American.
Marvel Comics
* Superheroes (originally supervillains) and twins Wanda Maximoff (Scarlet Witch) and Pietro Maximoff (Quicksilver) have had several origin stories over the decades, but have consistently been linked to the Romani people. In 1979, the twins were revealed to have been raised by Romani couple Django and Marya Maximoff, as part of their tribe. Their biological mother was established to be a Romani woman named Magda. In 1982, the twins biological father was revealed to be the Jewish mutant Magneto
A magneto is an electrical generator that uses permanent magnets to produce periodic pulses of alternating current. Unlike a dynamo, a magneto does not contain a commutator to produce direct current. It is categorized as a form of alternator, ...
, whom Magda has met when they had both been imprisoned in a concentration camp. In 2014, Marvel Comics retconned the twins origin. Their biological parents were no longer Magda and Magneto. In 2016, the twins were revealed to be the children of Natalya Maximoff (an earlier Scarlet Witch), a Romani woman and sister of Django Maximoff. In the late 1990s, artist George Perez
George may refer to:
People
* George (given name)
* George (surname)
* George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George
* George Washington, First President of the United States
* George W. Bush, 43rd Presiden ...
gave Scarlet Witch a new costume, that put an emphasis on her Romani identity (explained in-universe as her feeling more in tune with her Romani heritage). She would also wear civilian clothes, that visually highlighted her ethnicity. Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver were introduced as reluctant members of the supervillain team the Brotherhood of Mutants
The Brotherhood of Mutants (originally called the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, sometimes referred to as BoEM or B.O.E.M) is a fictional team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The characters are depicted as being devot ...
. They had joined to team, after Magneto had saved Wanda from an angry mob (after she had set fire to a building, with her mutant powers (which ignorant villagers mistook for witchcraft and labeled Wanda a "Scarlet Witch"), by accident), leaving the twins in his debt. About a year after their original introduction, Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver became members of the superhero team the Avengers
Avenger, Avengers, The Avenger, or The Avengers may refer to:
Arts and entertainment In the Marvel Comics universe
* Avengers (comics), a team of superheroes
**Avengers (Marvel Cinematic Universe), a central team of protagonist superheroes of ...
. While Quicksilver's come and gone from the team over the years, Scarlet Witch has been a longtime Avengers mainstay, having even served as leader of the team.
** Pietro Maximoff has a daughter named Luna Maximoff
The following is a list of known fictional characters who are Inhumans, a race of superhumans appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.
Known Inhumans
Inhuman Royal Family
The Inhuman Royal Family are the ruling class of ...
, together with Crystal
A crystal or crystalline solid is a solid material whose constituents (such as atoms, molecules, or ions) are arranged in a highly ordered microscopic structure, forming a crystal lattice that extends in all directions. In addition, macros ...
(a member of the Inhumans
The Inhumans are a fictional superhuman race of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The comic book series has usually focused more specifically on the adventures of the Inhuman Royal Family, and many peop ...
).
** Wanda Maximoff once had twin sons, named William and Thomas, with the android superhero Vision
Vision, Visions, or The Vision may refer to:
Perception Optical perception
* Visual perception, the sense of sight
* Visual system, the physical mechanism of eyesight
* Computer vision, a field dealing with how computers can be made to gain un ...
. William and Thomas were eventually erased from existence, but were reincarnated as Young Avengers
The Young Avengers are the names of two fictional superhero teams appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The first team, created by Allan Heinberg and Jim Cheung, features numerous adolescent characters who typically have ...
members Billy Kaplan (Wiccan) and Tommy Shepherd (Speed).
* Canonical origin of the supervillain Doctor Doom
Doctor Victor Von Doom is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, and first appeared in ''The Fantastic Four'' #5 in July 1962. The monarch of the fi ...
of the Romani people, and was driven to his nominally villainous actions as a response to the persecution of his family. As dictator of the fictional nation of Latveria, Doom has taken a special interest in the welfare of Gypsies, as that is his heritage, and often that race is first to be taken care of in a manner similar to Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein ( ; ar, صدام حسين, Ṣaddām Ḥusayn; 28 April 1937 – 30 December 2006) was an Iraqi politician who served as the fifth president of Iraq from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003. A leading member of the revolution ...
showering his Tikrit
Tikrit ( ar, تِكْرِيت ''Tikrīt'' , Syriac language, Syriac: ܬܲܓܪܝܼܬܼ ''Tagrīṯ'') is a city in Iraq, located northwest of Baghdad and southeast of Mosul on the Tigris River. It is the administrative center of the Saladin Gover ...
i tribe with benefits.
* Cynthia Von Doom
Cynthia von Doom is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. She is the mother of Doctor Doom. She has magic-based abilities, such as a knowledge of spells which allowed her to contact demons and make de ...
, who was the mother of Doctor Doom, and a Romani witch.
* Werner Von Doom, healer and father of Doctor Doom.
* Meggan of the superhero team Excalibur
Excalibur () is the legendary sword of King Arthur, sometimes also attributed with magical powers or associated with the rightful sovereignty of Britain. It was associated with the Arthurian legend very early on. Excalibur and the Sword in th ...
was born to a band of Romanies in England. She was expelled when they saw that she was a shapeshifter
In mythology, folklore and speculative fiction, shape-shifting is the ability to physically transform oneself through an inherently superhuman ability, divine intervention, demonic manipulation, sorcery, spells or having inherited the ...
, and believed her to be a demon.
* Margali Szardos, the foster-mother of Kurt Wagner (Nightcrawler) of the superhero teams Excalibur and X-Men
The X-Men are a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, first appearing in Uncanny X-Men, ''The X-Men'' #1 by artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby and writer/editor Stan Lee in 1963. Although initially cancelled in ...
, is a French Romani sorceress.
* Superheroine Amanda Sefton
Amanda Sefton (real name Jimaine Szardos) (also known as Daytripper and the second Magik) is a fictional character and a witch appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Her lover is Kurt Wagner, Nightcrawler of the X-Men.
...
(real name Jimaine Szardos), also known as Daytripper and the second Magik, the daughter of Margali Szardos. Like her mother, Amanda is a Romani sorceress.
* Astrid Mordo, the daughter of Baron Mordo
Baron Karl Amadeus Mordo (known as Baron Mordo) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is depicted commonly as an adversary of Doctor Strange. The character was created by writer St ...
, with a Romani woman named Lilia Calderu.
* Elena, the Romani great-grandmother of superheroes Colossus (Piotr Rasputin) and Magik (Illyana Rasputina)
Magik (Illyana Nikolaievna Rasputina) (Russian: Ильяна Николаевна Распутина) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is depicted most often in relation to the ...
, and supervillain Mikhail Rasputin
Mikhail Nikolaievitch Rasputin is a fictional supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is the older brother of Colossus of the X-Men and Magik of the New Mutants. He first appeared in ''The Uncanny ...
. Elena was one of the many lovers of Grigori Rasputin
Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin (; rus, links=no, Григорий Ефимович Распутин ; – ) was a Russian mystic and self-proclaimed holy man who befriended the family of Nicholas II, the last Emperor of Russia, thus g ...
(the great-grandfather of Colossus, Illyana, and Mikhail).
** Colossus (Piotr Rasputin) is a mutant, and a member of the superhero teams Excalibur and X-Men.
** Magik (Illyana Rasputina) is a mutant and a capable sorceress, who've been a member of the superhero teams New Mutants
The New Mutants are a group of fictional mutant superheroes
A superhero or superheroine is a stock character that typically possesses ''superpowers'', abilities beyond those of ordinary people, and fits the role of the hero, typically us ...
and X-Men.
** Mikhail Rasputin is a mutant supervillain, and former Cosmonaut
An astronaut (from the Ancient Greek (), meaning 'star', and (), meaning 'sailor') is a person trained, equipped, and deployed by a human spaceflight program to serve as a commander or crew member aboard a spacecraft. Although generally r ...
.
* Lianda
When the Second Sino-Japanese War broke out between China and Japan in 1937, Peking University, Tsinghua University and Nankai University merged to form Changsha Temporary University in Changsha and later National Southwestern Associated Universi ...
, a Romani healer, and vampire. In the 15th Century, a dying Vlad Dracula
Vlad III, commonly known as Vlad the Impaler ( ro, Vlad Țepeș ) or Vlad Dracula (; ro, Vlad Drăculea ; 1428/311476/77), was Voivode of Wallachia three times between 1448 and his death in 1476/77. He is often considered one of the most imp ...
was placed in her care. As punishment for his persecution of the Romani people, Lianda turned Dracula into a vampire.
* Nocturne (Talia Wagner)
Nocturne (Talia Josephine "T.J." Wagner) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is depicted as a member of the reality-hopping Exiles and formerly associated with New Excalibur.
Fict ...
, a mutant superhero, and the daughter of Nightcrawler and the Scarlet Witch, from an alternate universe.
* Valeria, a Romani woman from Latveria. Valeria grew up in the same camp as Victor von Doom, and was romantically involved with Victor during their teenage years. They were separated when Victor went as a student to the United States. Valeria was reunited with Victor (now the supervillain Doctor Doom), after she was kidnapped by the supervillain Diablo, who wanted to use her against him. Valeria was freed, but fled from Victor, upon realizing what sort of man that he had become (and that he was no longer the man whom she had once loved). Victor made many attempts to win Valeria's heart, which failed (even though the compassionate Valeria showed Victor kindness, after he was injured by the Hulk
The Hulk is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in the debut issue of ''The Incredible Hulk (comic book), The Incredible Hulk' ...
). Valeria fled Latveria, to get away from Victor. He sought her out, without his armor, and managed to win her heart. However, Victor had Valeria's life sacrificed for mystical power.
Film & Television Adaptations
* The animated TV Series ''Fantastic Four
The Fantastic Four is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The team debuted in ''The Fantastic Four'' #1 ( cover dated Nov. 1961), helping usher in a new level of realism in the medium. It was the first ...
'' (1994-1996) features Dr. Doom in a recurring role. Flashbacks shows Doom being the son of a doctor and scientist, who would use his skills to help a Romani tribe in Latveria. The Romani are shown living in a camp, and depicted as simple folk who take the medical science of Doom's father for magic, and believe him to be a sorcerer. In one scene, three Romani men attempt to rob, and murder, Doom's father. Dr. Doom labels the Romani "superstitious fools". In one episode, Dr. Doom is shown to have a loyal Romani henchwoman in his service.
* The animated TV Series ''Iron Man
Iron Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was co-created by writer and editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby. The charact ...
'' (1994-1996) features Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch as a regular, and as a member of the superhero team Force Works
Force Works was the name of different fictional superhero teams appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.
Publication history
The first version of Force Works first appeared in the comic book series ''Force Works'' #1 (July ...
. Scarlet Witch is referenced as being " Middle European", and occasionally uses tarot cards
The tarot (, first known as '' trionfi'' and later as ''tarocchi'' or ''tarocks'') is a pack of playing cards, used from at least the mid-15th century in various parts of Europe to play card games such as Tarocchini. From their Italian roots ...
.
* '' X-Men: The Animated Series'' (1992-1997)
** A flashback in the season four episode "Nightcrawler" (aired 13 May 1995), shows a newborn Kurt Wagner being rescued by a Romani couple, after his biological mother ( Mystique) left him for dead in a river. The Romani couple adopted Kurt as their own, and raised him as part of their small circus.
** The season four episode "Family Ties" (aired 4 May 1996) explores the origin of recurring characters Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver. They are established to have been raised by Romanian Romani couple Django and Marya Maximoff, after they were brought to the Maximoffs as newborns. Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver learn that they are the biological children of Magneto, and his wife Magda (not identified onscreen as Romani). A flashback depicts the Maximoffs as living in a house, as opposed to the stereotypical caravan.
* Alan Cumming
Alan Cumming (born 27 January 1965) is a British actor. His London stage appearances include ''Hamlet'', the Maniac in ''Accidental Death of an Anarchist'' (for which he received an Olivier Award), the lead in '' Bent'', The National Theatre o ...
portrays Kurt Wagner/Nightcrawler in the film '' X2'' (2003). Kurt is depicted as a German, former circus performer, who was the victim of mind control by the film's villain. After being freed, he joins the X-Men. The role of Kurt Wagner was later recast with Kodi Smit-McPhee
Kodi Smit-McPhee (born 13 June 1996) is an Australian actor. He gained recognition as a child actor for his leading roles in ''The Road'' (2009) and '' Let Me In'' (2010). In 2021, Smit-McPhee garnered critical acclaim for his performance as Pe ...
, who portrayed a younger Kurt in '' X-Men: Apocalypse'' (2016) and ''Dark Phoenix
"The Dark Phoenix Saga" is an extended X-Men comic-book storyline published by Marvel Comics, focusing on Jean Grey and the Phoenix Force. It was written by Chris Claremont with art by John Byrne.
The Dark Phoenix Saga commonly refers to the s ...
'' (2019). When first introduced in ''X-Men: Apocalypse'', he is depicted as wearing Romani-esque clothing (upon coming to America, he gets different clothes), and a victim of an underground arena (which forces captured mutants to fight each other to the death). Kurt is rescued by Mystique (unlike in the comics, not indicated to be his biological mother), and joins the X-Men.
* Daniel Cudmore
Daniel Cudmore (born January 20, 1981) is a Canadian actor and stuntman. He is perhaps best known for his roles as the superhero Peter Rasputin / Colossus in the ''X-Men'' film series, and as the Volturi Felix in ''The Twilight Saga'' film se ...
portrays Colossus in the films ''X2'' (2003), '' X-Men: The Last Stand'' (2006), and '' X-Men: Days of Future Past'' (2014). Colossus is a minor character in the films (even after becoming a member of the X-Men), and no backstory is provided for the character.
* Julian McMahon
Julian Dana William McMahon (born 27 July 1968) is an Australian actor, former model, and the son of a former Prime Minister of Australia, Sir William McMahon. He is best known for his roles as Detective John Grant in '' Profiler'', Cole Turn ...
portrays Victor von Doom in the films ''Fantastic Four
The Fantastic Four is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The team debuted in ''The Fantastic Four'' #1 ( cover dated Nov. 1961), helping usher in a new level of realism in the medium. It was the first ...
'' (2005) and '' Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer'' (2007). No reference is made to Victor being of Romani heritage. ''Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer'' indicates that Victor hails from Latverian aristocracy
Aristocracy (, ) is a form of government that places strength in the hands of a small, privileged ruling class, the aristocracy (class), aristocrats. The term derives from the el, αριστοκρατία (), meaning 'rule of the best'.
At t ...
.
* In the 2011 film '' Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance'', Danny Ketch is depicted as the son of a Romani thief named Nadya Ketch, and the demon Mephistopheles
Mephistopheles (, ), also known as Mephisto, is a demon featured in German folklore. He originally appeared in literature as the demon in the Faust legend, and he has since appeared in other works as a stock character (see: Mephistopheles in t ...
. Nadya agreed to carry the child of Mephistopheles, in return for him saving her life, after she had become mortally wounded. The film revolves around Johnny Blaze (Ghost Rider) attempting to protect Danny and Nadya from Mephistopheles. After Johnny's had his powers taken away from him, Danny uses his own powers to turn Johnny back into Ghost Rider.
* Evan Peters
Evan Thomas Peters (born January 20, 1987) is an American actor. He is known for his multiple roles on the FX anthology series '' American Horror Story''; as Detective Colin Zabel in the HBO crime drama limited series '' Mare of Easttown'', w ...
portrays Peter Maximoff
Peter Maximoff is a fictional character appearing in 20th Century Fox's ''X-Men'' film series, portrayed by Evan Peters and based on the Marvel Comics character Quicksilver, a mutant with the ability to move at superhuman speed. The charac ...
(an adaptation of Pietro Maximoff/Quicksilver) in the 20th Century Fox
20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Dis ...
movies '' X-Men: Days of Future Past'' (2014), '' X-Men: Apocalypse'' (2016), and ''Dark Phoenix
"The Dark Phoenix Saga" is an extended X-Men comic-book storyline published by Marvel Comics, focusing on Jean Grey and the Phoenix Force. It was written by Chris Claremont with art by John Byrne.
The Dark Phoenix Saga commonly refers to the s ...
'' (2019). In ''X-Men: Days of Future Past'', Peter is depicted as a petty thief, who lives with his mother and little sister (in the extended ''Rogue Cut'', a second sister is referenced). In ''X-Men: Apocalypse'', Peter is established as being the son of Erik Lehnsherr (Magneto), making him half-Jewish. What ethnicity Peter's mother hails from is never touched upon.
** In ''X-Men: Apocalypse'', Magneto is shown living in Poland and have a daughter with his wife, Magda. The film never touched upon whether Magda is Romani, as she was in the comics. Magda and her daughter are killed off, which drives Magneto to ally himself with Apocalypse
Apocalypse () is a literary genre in which a supernatural being reveals cosmic mysteries or the future to a human intermediary. The means of mediation include dreams, visions and heavenly journeys, and they typically feature symbolic imager ...
* Elizabeth Olsen
Elizabeth Chase Olsen (born February 16, 1989) is an American actress. Born in Sherman Oaks, California, Olsen began acting at age four. She starred in her debut film role in the thriller ''Martha Marcy May Marlene'' in 2011, for which she wa ...
portrays Wanda Maximoff (Scarlet Witch) in the Marvel Cinematic Universe
The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on a series of superhero films produced by Marvel Studios. The films are based on characters that appear in American comic books published by ...
franchise (with Aaron Taylor-Johnson
Aaron Perry Taylor-Johnson (né Johnson; born 13 June 1990) is an English actor. He is best known for his portrayal of the title character in '' Kick-Ass'' (2010) and its 2013 sequel, and the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) character Pietro Ma ...
portraying Pietro Maximoff in the films '' Captain America: The Winter Soldier'' (post-credit sequence) and '' Avengers: Age of Ultron''). As of her Disney+ limited series, ''WandaVision
''WandaVision'' is an American television miniseries created by Jac Schaeffer for the streaming service Disney+, based on Marvel Comics featuring the characters Wanda Maximoff / Scarlet Witch and Vision. It is the first television series in ...
'', no reference has been made to Wanda (and her twin brother) being of Romani heritage. In the ''WandaVision'' episode " All-New Halloween Spooktacular!", Wanda dresses up as a "Sokovian fortune-teller" (an outfit based on the classic Scarlet Witch costume from the comic books) for Halloween. The plot of ''WandaVision'' has Wanda use magic on a town. She brainwashes all the residents (turning them into sitcom characters), and separating parents from their children ( acts rooted in anti-Romani stereotypes). When the locals are freed, one of the women (in tears) begs Wanda to let her be reunited with her daughter. In ''Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
''Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness'' is a 2022 American superhero film based on Marvel Comics featuring the character Doctor Strange. Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, it is the sequel ...
'' (directed by ''Drag Me to Hell
''Drag Me to Hell'' is a 2009 American supernatural horror film directed and co-written by Sam Raimi. It stars Alison Lohman, Justin Long, Lorna Raver, Dileep Rao, David Paymer, and Adriana Barraza. The plot, written with his older brother Ivan, ...
'' director Sam Raimi
Samuel M. Raimi ( ; born October 23, 1959) is an American filmmaker. He is best known for directing the Spider-Man (2002 film series), ''Spider-Man'' trilogy (2002–2007) and the ''Evil Dead'' franchise (1981–present). He also directed the 1 ...
) Wanda is shown attempting to steal the children of her alternate reality counterpart. ''Avengers: Age of Ultron'' introduces and depicts Wanda and Pietro as having been willing members of Hydra. Hydra is a fictional organization, that '' Captain America: The First Avenger'' introduced as the former science division of the Nazi Party. Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver were adapted for the Marvel Cinematic Universe by Joss Whedon
Joseph Hill Whedon (; born June 23, 1964) is an American filmmaker, composer, and comic book writer. He is the founder of Mutant Enemy Productions, co-founder of Bellwether Pictures, and is best known as the creator of several television series: ...
, the creator of ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer
''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' is an American supernatural fiction, supernatural drama television series created by writer and director Joss Whedon. It is based on the Buffy the Vampire Slayer (film), 1992 film of the same name, also written by W ...
''. (For information on the depiction of Romani on ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'', and its spin-off, see under ''Television''.) The casting of Elizabeth Olsen (a blond white woman) was met with backlash from fans, who felt that the character was being ruined by removing her Roma heritage. In a 2022 interview, Olsen stated that Scarlet Witch is not a role model, nor someone whom children should idolize.
* Stefan Kapičić voiced Colossus (the character appears through CGI) in ''Deadpool
Deadpool is an antihero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Fabian Nicieza and artist/writer Rob Liefeld, the character first appeared in ''New Mutants'' #98 (cover-dated Feb. 1991). Initially, Deadp ...
'' (2016) and ''Deadpool 2
''Deadpool 2'' is a 2018 American superhero comedy film based on the Marvel Comics character Deadpool. Distributed by 20th Century Fox, it is the sequel to ''Deadpool'' (2016) and the eleventh installment overall in the ''X-Men'' film series. ...
'' (2018). While Kapičić's role is bigger than the Daniel Cudmore version, no backstory is provided for the character. In the films, Colossus tries to recruit Deadpool
Deadpool is an antihero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Fabian Nicieza and artist/writer Rob Liefeld, the character first appeared in ''New Mutants'' #98 (cover-dated Feb. 1991). Initially, Deadp ...
into the X-Men, and teaching him the morality of being a superhero.
* The television series ''Legion
Legion may refer to:
Military
* Roman legion, the basic military unit of the ancient Roman army
* Spanish Legion, an elite military unit within the Spanish Army
* Legion of the United States, a reorganization of the United States Army from 179 ...
'' (2017-2019) depicts Gabrielle (the mother of series protagonist David Haller
Legion (David Charles Haller) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is the mutant son of Charles Xavier and Gabrielle Haller. Legion takes the role of an antihero who has a severe mental illne ...
) as Romani (and, by extension, David Haller). In the comics, Gabrielle is Jewish.[''Uncanny X-Men'' Vol 1 #161 (September, 1982)] (For further information, see under ''Television''.)
* Anya Taylor-Joy portrays Illyana Rasputin in the film ''The New Mutants
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...
'' (2020). Outside of being established as being a former victim of child trafficking
Trafficking of children is a form of human trafficking and is defined by the United Nations as the "recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring, and/or receipt" kidnapping of a child for the purpose of slavery, forced labour and exploitation. ...
, the film gives no backstory on Illyana. The trauma of her past as a trafficking victim is shown to have made Illyana distant and hostile towards others, though she gets close to the other young mutants at the institution (where they're all kept prisoners), even willing to save the others in the end. Throughout the film, Illyana is shown having a purple dragon hand puppet named Lockheed. During the climax, Lockheed transforms into a real dragon.
Other
* In the web comic ''The Science Table Comic'', Alex, one of the recurring characters, is a gypsy and is adorned in what is stated by another character as his "Traditional native garbs."
*Katerina Donlan of Gunnerkrigg Court
''Gunnerkrigg Court'' is a Science fantasy, science-fantasy webcomic created by Tom Siddell and launched in April 2005. It is updated online three days a week, and eight volumes of the still continuing comic have been published in print format b ...
is referred to as "gypsy" by another character. Tom Sidell, the comic's author, confirmed she is half-Roma, her mother belonging to the gitano ethnical group.
Anime and manga
* In the anime '' Blood +'', it is implied that the character Haji is Roma. However, he was bought from his caravan at a young age and does not identify as such thereafter.
* In the anime '' Cowboy Bebop'', the character Faye Valentine claims to be one of the Romani people, though this is later dispelled through her own personal flashbacks.
* In the anime ''Kaze to Ki no Uta
is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Keiko Takemiya. It was serialized in the manga magazine '' Shūkan Shōjo Comic'' from 1976 to 1980, and in the manga magazine ''Petit Flower'' from 1981 to 1984. One of the earliest w ...
'', Serge Battour is the orphaned son of a viscount
A viscount ( , for male) or viscountess (, for female) is a title used in certain European countries for a noble of varying status.
In many countries a viscount, and its historical equivalents, was a non-hereditary, administrative or judicial ...
and a beautiful Roma woman.
* In the ''Code Geass
, often referred to simply as ''Code Geass'', is a Japanese anime television series produced by Sunrise. It was directed by Gorō Taniguchi and written by Ichirō Ōkouchi, with original character designs by Clamp. Set ...
'' OVA spinoff, ''Akito the Exiled'', the main cast of characters encounter a group of elderly Romani.
* The ''Fullmetal Alchemist
is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Hiromu Arakawa. It was serialized in Square Enix's shōnen manga, ''shōnen'' manga anthology magazine ''Gangan Comics#Monthly Shōnen Gangan, Monthly Shōnen Gangan'' between July 20 ...
'' movie, '' Conqueror of Shamballa'', features Romani women in Pre-Nazi Germany.
Video games
* The videogame '' Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King'' features Romani characters Kalderasha, named after the Kalderash
The Kalderash are a subgroup of the Romani people. They were traditionally coppersmiths and metal workers and speak a number of Romani dialects grouped together under the term Kalderash Romani, a sub-group of Vlax Romani.
The Kalderash of the ...
, and his daughter Valentina.
* In the videogame ''Psychonauts
''Psychonauts'' is a 2005 platform video game developed by Double Fine Productions. The game was initially published by Majesco Entertainment and THQ for Microsoft Windows, Xbox and PlayStation 2. In 2011, Double Fine acquired the rights for t ...
'' and its sequel, ''Psychonauts 2
''Psychonauts 2'' is a platform game developed by Double Fine and published by Xbox Game Studios. The game was announced at The Game Awards 2015 ceremony, and released on August 25, 2021 for PlayStation 4, Windows, Xbox One and Xbox Series X and ...
'', The main character, Razputin Aquato, and his family are Romani.
* In '' Assassin's Creed: Revelations'', courtesan NPCs are replaced by Romanies which act as moving hiding spots and can be used to distract guards.
* The ''Crimson Skies
''Crimson Skies'' is a tabletop and a video game media franchise created by Jordan Weisman and Dave McCoy, first released as a board game in 1998 and then as a PC game in 2000.
The series' intellectual property is currently owned by Microsoft C ...
'' character Nathan Zachary has claimed Romani heritage.
* The four protagonists of '' Mother Russia Bleeds'' are all referred to as Romani (their background is vague, but they were apparently raised in an impoverished Roma camp somewhere in Russia).
* The videogame ''Bohemian Killing'' features a Romani protagonist guilty of murder, who has to try and convince the jury he didn't do it.
* In Koudelka
is a role-playing video game developed by Sacnoth for the PlayStation. The game was published by SNK in Japan in 1999, and by Infogrames internationally in 2000. Set in the haunted Nemeton Monastery in Wales, the plot follows protagonists K ...
, the main protagonist Koudelka Iasant is a Romani young lady from Wales.
Television
* In the television series '' Car 54, Where Are You'' episode "The Gypsy Curse" (aired 12 November 1961), Maureen Stapleton
Lois Maureen Stapleton (June 21, 1925 – March 13, 2006) was an American actress. She received numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a BAFTA Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and two Tony Awards, in addition to ...
plays a Romani matriarch telling fortunes from a storefront in Toody and Muldoon's precinct. Stereotypical jokes abound. She lifts a guy's wallet, the father is a layabout, the children don't go to school, they pack up and move to another storefront in short order, etc.
* The ''Dennis the Menace'' episode "Dennis in Gypsyland" (aired 4 November 1962), featured a group of Romanies who visited Dennis's town, were accused of theft, and almost inveigled police Officer Murphy into marrying one of their women, to whom he had offered bread at dinner.
* In ''The Andy Griffith Show
''The Andy Griffith Show '' is an American situation comedy television series that aired on CBS from October 3, 1960, to April 1, 1968, with a total of 249 half-hour episodes spanning eight seasons—159 in black and white and 90 in color.
The ...
'' episode "The Gypsies" (aired 21 February 1966), a family of Romanies (one of whom is played by Jamie Farr
Jamie Farr (born Jameel Joseph Farah; July 1, 1934) is an American comedian and actor. He is best known for playing the cross-dressing Corporal turned Sergeant Maxwell Q. Klinger in the CBS television sitcom ''M*A*S*H''.
He was inducted to ...
) places a curse on the town of Mayberry.
* ''The Hunchback of Notre Dame
''The Hunchback of Notre-Dame'' (french: Notre-Dame de Paris, translation=''Our Lady of Paris'', originally titled ''Notre-Dame de Paris. 1482'') is a French Gothic novel by Victor Hugo, published in 1831. It focuses on the unfortunate story o ...
'' (1966), a seven episode adaptation of the 1831 novel by Victor Hugo
Victor-Marie Hugo (; 26 February 1802 – 22 May 1885) was a French Romantic writer and politician. During a literary career that spanned more than sixty years, he wrote in a variety of genres and forms. He is considered to be one of the great ...
, done for British television. Although some photographs exist, no recordings of the production are known to have survived.
* In ''The Monkees
The Monkees were an American rock and pop band, formed in Los Angeles in 1966, whose lineup consisted of the American actor/musicians Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork alongside English actor/singer Davy Jones. The group was conc ...
'' episode "Son of a Gypsy" (aired 26 December 1966), a family of Romanies lose an audition to The Monkees
The Monkees were an American rock and pop band, formed in Los Angeles in 1966, whose lineup consisted of the American actor/musicians Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork alongside English actor/singer Davy Jones. The group was conc ...
, whom they proceed to invite back to their camp and force them to steal a valuable statue.
* ''Bombi Bitt och jag'' (1968) (Eng: ''Bombi Bitt and Me''). A Swedish mini series focusing on a respectable young boy named Eli, and his friend Edvin/Bombi Bitt (Stellan Skarsgård
Stellan Skarsgård (, ; born 13 June 1951) is a Swedish actor. He is known for his collaborations with director Lars von Trier appearing in ''Breaking the Waves'' (1996), ''Dancer in the Dark'' (2000), ''Dogville'' (2007), ''Melancholia'' (2011 ...
), a wild rascal (whom parents forbid their children from being friends with), in the early days of the 20th Century. Bombi Bitt is depicted a child left to look after himself, and is disinterested in the knowledge gained from books (implied to be illiterate) The narration, for the first episode, establishes that Bombi Bitt's mother (Margaretha Krook
Margaretha Knutsdotter Krook (15 October 1925 – 7 May 2001) was a Swedish stage and film actress. She won the Eugene O'Neill Award in 1974. In 1976, she won the Guldbagge Award for Best Actress for the film ''Release the Prisoners to Spring''. ...
) is a dispised woman, who lives with her son in a tiny cottage, and commits fornication with "tattare" (an ethnic slur for Romani people in Sweden, usually used for the Roma group known as Travellers). The narration states that the identity of Bombi Bitt's father is unknown (though, as his mother is said to sleep with Travellers, it is possible that the boy's father was one). It is left unclear if Bombi Bitt's mother is a Traveller herself. She is depicted as a dark woman, who drinks, is abusive towards her son, and sleeps around. Together with two men, she plots to steal the church silver, but their plan is foiled by Bombi Bitt and Eli. With the aid of the church keys (which they acquire with the aid of a bottle of moonshine
Moonshine is high-proof liquor that is usually produced illegally. The name was derived from a tradition of creating the alcohol during the nighttime, thereby avoiding detection. In the first decades of the 21st century, commercial dist ...
, that Bombi Bitt says was dropped by some Traveller), the boys move and hide the church silver before the heist. Towards the end of the series, Eli and Bombi Bitt head to the market in Kivik
Kivik () is a locality in Simrishamn Municipality, Skåne County, Sweden with 960 inhabitants in 2010. It is in a part of Scania (Skåne) called Österlen.
Kivik is known for its annual market, usually taking place on the third Monday through Wedn ...
. At the market, a group of Kalderash
The Kalderash are a subgroup of the Romani people. They were traditionally coppersmiths and metal workers and speak a number of Romani dialects grouped together under the term Kalderash Romani, a sub-group of Vlax Romani.
The Kalderash of the ...
(one of whom is played by Romani singer and civil rights activist Hans Caldaras) sing and dance for the visitors.The Kalderash Roma sing in the Romani language
Romani (; also Romany, Romanes , Roma; rom, rromani ćhib, links=no) is an Indo-Aryan macrolanguage of the Romani communities. According to '' Ethnologue'', seven varieties of Romani are divergent enough to be considered languages of their ...
, and are never shown being able to speak Swedish. At the market, there is also a Traveller husband and wife, who work with horse castration. The husband is depicted as a drunk, who pulls a knife at people. The wife pulls up her skirt in front of a full crowd.
* In the ''Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!
''Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!'' is an American animated television comedy, comedy television series created by Joe Ruby and Ken Spears and produced by Hanna-Barbera for CBS. The series premiered as part of Children's programming on CBS, the network ...
'' episode "A Gaggle of Galloping Ghosts" (aired 22 November 1969), Scooby and the gang come across a "gypsy wagon" while driving, and have their fortunes told by an apparent Romani fortune teller.
* In the '' Mission: Impossible'' episode "Gitano" (aired 1 February 1970), the IMF team is tasked with protecting young King Victor of Sardia ( Barry Williams) from assassination. Among the agents, selected by Jim Phelps
This is a list of recurring fictional characters in the '' Mission: Impossible'' franchise.
Main and recurring characters
The cast changed considerably episode-by-episode throughout the program's seven-year run, so not all of the characters l ...
(Peter Graves
Peter Graves (born Peter Duesler Aurness; March 18, 1926 – March 14, 2010) was an American actor. He was best known for his role as Jim Phelps in the CBS television series '' Mission: Impossible'' from 1967 to 1973 (original) and from 1988 to ...
) for the mission is IMF agent Zorka (Margarita Cordova
Margarita Cordova (born February 26, 1939, in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico) is a Mexican dancer and actress.
Career
Stage and dancing
In 1958, Cordova and her husband Clark Allen opened for a show starring Jean Arnold at the Cabaret Concer ...
), a Romani woman and flamenco
Flamenco (), in its strictest sense, is an art form based on the various folkloric music traditions of southern Spain, developed within the gitano subculture of the region of Andalusia, and also having historical presence in Extremadura and ...
dancer. For the mission, team regulars Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
(Leonard Nimoy
Leonard Simon Nimoy (; March 26, 1931 – February 27, 2015) was an American actor, famed for playing Spock in the ''Star Trek'' franchise for almost 50 years. This includes originating Spock in the original ''Star Trek'' series in 1966, then ...
) and William "Willy" Armitage (Peter Lupus
Peter Nash Lupus Jr. (born June 17, 1932) is an American bodybuilder and actor. He is best known for his role as Willy Armitage on the television series '' Mission: Impossible'' (1966–1973).
Personal life
Lupus was one of three siblings born ...
) disguise themselves as Romani men. The team intercepts Victor, shortly before his intended assassination. The team splits up, with Zorka, Paris, and Willy transporting Victor in a caravan. To protect Victor, they disguise him as a young Romani girl.
* In the ''Hogan's Heroes
''Hogan's Heroes'' is an American television sitcom set in a Nazi German prisoner-of-war (POW) camp during World War II. It ran for 168 episodes (six seasons) from September 17, 1965, to April 4, 1971, on the CBS network, the longest broadcast ...
'' episode "The Gypsy" (aired 13 December 1970), LeBeau (Robert Clary
Robert Clary (born Robert Max Widerman; March 1, 1926 – November 16, 2022) was a French actor mainly active in the United States. He is best known for his role in the television sitcom ''Hogan's Heroes'' as Corporal Louis LeBeau (1965–197 ...
) is almost struck by lightning. The other POWs see this as an opportunity for one of their schemes. Knowing that Colonel Klink (Werner Klemperer
Werner Klemperer (March 22, 1920 – December 6, 2000) was an American actor. He was known for playing Colonel Wilhelm Klink on the CBS television sitcom ''Hogan's Heroes'', for which he twice won the award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in ...
) believes in fortunes, they have LeBeau pretend to have Romani ancestory, and that the lightning caused the psychic powers of his blood to become active. ''Hogan's Heroes'' is set in a German POW camp, during World War II.
* ''The Canterville Ghost
"The Canterville Ghost" is a humorous short story by Oscar Wilde. It was the first of Wilde's stories to be published, appearing in two parts in '' The Court and Society Review'', 23 February and 2 March 1887. The story is about an American fa ...
'' (1974) Television dramatization – Based on the (1887) short story by Oscar Wilde
Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 185430 November 1900) was an Irish poet and playwright. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular playwrights in London in the early 1890s. He is ...
. An English gypsy group are suspected of kidnapping a girl but are innocent and join in the search.
* ''M*A*S*H
''M*A*S*H'' (Mobile Army Surgical Hospital) is an American media franchise consisting of a series of novels, a film, several television series, plays, and other properties, and based on the semi-autobiographical fiction of Richard Hooker.
The ...
'' (1972–1983):
** In "Hawkeye Get Your Gun" (aired 30 November 1976), Max Klinger (Jamie Farr) attempts to get out of the army by claiming to be "Zoltan, King of the Gypsies", and dresses up in stereotypical Romani clothes. Colonel Potter (Harry Morgan
Harry Morgan (born Harry Bratsberg; April 10, 1915 – December 7, 2011) was an American actor and director whose television and film career spanned six decades. Morgan's major roles included Pete Porter in both ''December Bride'' (1954–1959 ...
) questions how Klinger could be "King of the Gypsies", when he's Lebanese. Klinger insists that he was stolen from the Romani people by two ruthless Lebanese peasants, who raised him as theirs (and have now admitted to the truth). Potter does not buy the story. Klinger, refusing to give up, says that: "Now I know why the sound of violins set my blood on fire. Why I'm so attracted to storefront windows. Why, when I smell paprika, I face towards Budapest. Why I have the urge to roam". Klinger spends the rest of the episode pretending to be a Romani fortune-teller, and claims to be "Working on a plan to turn the motor pool into a Gypsy caravan". In one scene, Major Burns asks Klinger where some tape is. Klinger assures Burns that "Just 'cause I'm a Gypsy doesn't mean I stole it".
** In "The Yalu Brick Road" (aired November 19, 1979), the whole camp is affected by a salmonella
''Salmonella'' is a genus of rod-shaped (bacillus) Gram-negative bacteria of the family Enterobacteriaceae. The two species of ''Salmonella'' are ''Salmonella enterica'' and ''Salmonella bongori''. ''S. enterica'' is the type species and is fur ...
epidemic after eating a bad Thanksgiving turkey, acquired by Klinger. When Majors Winchester and Houlihan (who had been away during the dinner) are informed of the situation, Major Winchester states that "any fool would know better than to actually eat Gypsy poultry".
** In "Yessir, That's Our Baby" (aired 31 December 1979), Klinger states that he understands babies. He adds: "It's the Gypsy in my soul".
** In "Settling Debts" (aired 6 December 1982), Colonel Potter tells the story of how he and his wife, Mildred, bought their house. He recalls that it had been Mildred's idea to buy one (previously, they had been living in rented houses on military bases). According to Colonel Potter, Mildred had "said that she was tired of livin' like a Gypsy".
* ''The Muppet Show
''The Muppet Show'' is a sketch comedy television series created by Jim Henson and featuring the Muppets. The series originated as two pilot episodes produced by Henson for ABC in 1974 and 1975. While neither episode was moved forward as a ser ...
'' (1976-1981):
** In the episode guest starring Peter Sellers
Peter Sellers (born Richard Henry Sellers; 8 September 1925 – 24 July 1980) was an English actor and comedian. He first came to prominence performing in the BBC Radio comedy series ''The Goon Show'', featured on a number of hit comic songs ...
(aired 1 January 1978), the opening number casts Sellers as a "demented Gypsy violinist". The number has Sellers dressed as a stereotypical Romani man, and features a stereotypical caravan on stage. The episode was made available on Disney+
The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment
Entertainment is a form of activity that holds the attention and interest of an audience or gives pleasure and deligh ...
, with a content advisory attached to the episode: “This program includes negative depictions and/or mistreatment of people or cultures. These stereotypes were wrong then and are wrong now. Rather than remove this content, we want to acknowledge its harmful impact, learn from it and spark conversation to create a more inclusive future together.”
**In the episode guest starring Jonathan Winters
Jonathan Harshman Winters III (November 11, 1925 – April 11, 2013) was an American comedian, actor, author, television host, and artist. Beginning in 1960, Winters recorded many classic comedy albums for the Verve Records label. He also h ...
(aired 8 February 1980), the show is placed under a curse by a stereotypically dressed "Old Gypsy Lady" muppet, causing accidents and, eventually, results in everyone talking mock-Swedish (like the Swedish Chef
The Swedish Chef is a Muppet character that appeared on ''The Muppet Show''. He was originally performed by Jim Henson and Frank Oz simultaneously, with Henson performing the head and voice and Oz performing the character with real hands. The S ...
). Jonathan Winters runs around terrified of the "Gypsy curse". The "Old Gypsy Lady" muppet performs several musical numbers, alongside other muppets, dressed in stereotypical Romani dress. One of the songs she performs is the song "Golden Earrings" from the 1947 film of the same name. The episode was made available on Disney+
The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment
Entertainment is a form of activity that holds the attention and interest of an audience or gives pleasure and deligh ...
, with a content advisory attached to the episode: “This program includes negative depictions and/or mistreatment of people or cultures. These stereotypes were wrong then and are wrong now. Rather than remove this content, we want to acknowledge its harmful impact, learn from it and spark conversation to create a more inclusive future together.”
* ''Katitzi'' (1979-1980), A Swedish mini series, which aired on SVT2
SVT2 (SVT Två; commonly referred to as Tvåan), is one of the two main television channels broadcast by Sveriges Television in Sweden.
Launched in 1969 by Sveriges Radio, the channel was until the 1990s the most watched in Sweden for many yea ...
. It was an adaptation of writer and civil rights leader Katarina Taikon
Katarina Taikon-Langhammer (29 July 1932 – 30 December 1995) was a Swedish Romany activist, leader in the civil rights movement, writer and actor, from the Kalderash caste. She was the sister of Rosa Taikon.
Biography
During Taikon's ch ...
's autobiographical children's books, about Katitzi (played in the series by Sema Sari), a young Romani girl in Sweden (during the first half of the 20th century). Janne ”Loffe" Carlsson portrayed Katitzi's father, while Monica Zetterlund
Monica Zetterlund (born Eva Monica Nilsson; 20 September 1937 – 12 May 2005) was a Sweden, Swedish jazz Singing, singer and Actor, actress. Through her lifetime, she starred in over 10 Swedish film productions and recorded over 20 studio ...
portrayed her stepmother. Taikon co-wrote the scripts, with Romani singer (and fellow activist) Hans Caldaras providing the music.
* In Jim Henson
James Maury Henson (September 24, 1936 – May 16, 1990) was an American puppeteer, animator, cartoonist, actor, inventor, and filmmaker who achieved worldwide notice as the creator of The Muppets and '' Fraggle Rock'' (1983–1987) and ...
's ''Fraggle Rock
''Fraggle Rock'' (also known as ''Jim Henson's Fraggle Rock'' or ''Fraggle Rock with Jim Henson's Muppets'') is a children's musical fantasy comedy puppet television series about interconnected societies of Muppet creatures, created by Jim H ...
'' (1983-1987), the sentient anthropomorphic Trash Heap refers to herself as a 'gypsy Trash Heap' when she performs her only act of magic. The character "The Old Gypsy Woman" appears in several episodes.
* In ''The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
''The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes'' is a collection of twelve short stories by British writer Arthur Conan Doyle, first published on 14 October 1892. It contains the earliest short stories featuring the consulting detective Sherlock Holmes, w ...
'' episode "The Speckled Band" (aired 29 May 1984), the vandering Romani tribe (that Dr. Grimesby Roylott allows to stay on the grounds of his estate) plays a bigger role than in the original short story. In the short story, they are only mentioned, and briefly serve as a red herring
A red herring is a figurative expression referring to a logical fallacy in which a clue or piece of information is or is intended to be misleading, or distracting from the actual question.
Red herring may also refer to: Animals
* Red herring (fis ...
in regard to the death of Helen Stoner's sister. In the episode, the tribe is introduced as thieves, and shown moving around the grounds of the estate with shotguns. Dr. Watson, rather than Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes () is a fictional detective created by British author Arthur Conan Doyle. Referring to himself as a " consulting detective" in the stories, Holmes is known for his proficiency with observation, deduction, forensic science and ...
, speculates that the Romani tribe might've had some involvement in the death of Helen's sister. Unlike in the short story, this theory does not spark instant objections from either Holmes or Watson.
* In the ''MacGyver
Angus "Mac" MacGyver is the title character and the protagonist in the TV series ''MacGyver''. He is played by Richard Dean Anderson in the 1985 original series. Lucas Till portrays a younger version of MacGyver in the 2016 reboot.
In both po ...
'' episode "Thief of Budapest" (aired 18 May 1990), MacGyver helps a Romani family escape from the KGB.
* In the ''Round the Twist
''Round the Twist'' is an Australian children's comedy television series based on stories by author Paul Jennings that follows the supernatural adventures of the Twist family. The series was created and produced by Patricia Edgar, and develope ...
'' episode "Lucky Lips" (aired 8 June 1990), Pete encounters a beautiful young Romani fortune teller (who infact is an old lady) at a carnival, who gives him a magic lipstick that will attract any female.
* In the '''Allo 'Allo!
''Allo 'Allo!'' is a British sitcom television series, created by David Croft and Jeremy Lloyd, starring Gorden Kaye, Carmen Silvera, Guy Siner and Richard Gibson. Originally broadcast on BBC1, the series focuses on the life of a French caf ...
'' episode "René of the Gypsies" (aired 9 March 1991), René and Edith visit a stereotypical Romani camp outside of the village, where they ask the Great Romany (the tribe's leader and a fortune-teller) to hold the tribe's annual fair in the village (intended as a cover for a Resistance operation). When the Great Romany reads Edith's palm, he becomes convinced that Edith is the long-lost Romani princess Romana (who, like Edith, had been left on a doorstep, and had an identical mark on her palm). However, he quickly changes his mind, upon hearing Edith's terrible singing voice (while Romana's mother had a great voice). He concludes that Edith's probably a distant cousin of Romana (noting that the tribe have left a lot of babies on doorsteps). The Romani tribe agrees to do the fair, but cancels after seeing a bad omen (a cat walking backward). Still needing the cover for the Resistance operation, the Resistance members dress up as Romani and hold the fair themselves. Allo 'Allo!'' is set during the German occupation of France during World War II
The Military Administration in France (german: Militärverwaltung in Frankreich; french: Occupation de la France par l'Allemagne) was an interim occupation authority established by Nazi Germany during World War II to administer the occupied zo ...
, with the episode making no reference to Nazi antiziganism
Anti-Romani sentiment (also antigypsyism, anti-Romanyism, Romaphobia, or Antiziganism) is hostility, prejudice, discrimination or racism which is specifically directed at Romani people (Roma, Sinti, Iberian Kale, Welsh Kale, Finnish Kale, H ...
. The occupying Germans both gives permission for the fair, and happily attend it. Upon learning that she was likely born Romani, Edith expresses an attraction toward the Romani way of life, which she sums up as "Living here in the open air, singing round the campfire every evening".
* In the '' Married... with Children'' episode "Psychic Avengers" (aired 1 March 1992), the Bundy family sets up a scam psychic hotline called Madame Zelda. When their business grows large, they come into conflict with Madame Inga (Candice Azzara
Candice Azzara (born May 18, 1945) is an American character actress.
She is the aunt of actress Lana Parrilla.
Azzara was born in Brooklyn, the daughter of Josephine (née Bravo) and Samuel Azzara. She was inspired to pursue acting by the film ...
), a stereotypical Romani fortune-teller from Sweden, who is a real psychic. Madame Inga places a curse upon the Bundy family. Transforming them into monkeys, while their dog is transformed into a human.
* '' Heartbeat'' (1992–2010):
** In "Outsiders" (aired 29 May 1992), a Romani circus family arrives with their trailer in Aidensfield. The father of the family had been a local man, who had fallen in love with a Romani woman, and left the village of Aidensfield with her. In the episode, the couple (and their two sons) have returned to Aidensfield, as the father is about to die from cancer, and they wanted him to die in his home. The arrival of the family is met with antiziganism from both locals and the police force, with exception of Police constable Nick Rowan (who have recently moved with his wife to the village from London). Rowan refuses to get rid of the family, on the grounds that they haven't committed any crimes. A local vicar describes the situation with the Romani, as the problem not being so much what they do, as much as the prejudice that they bring out in people. During their stay in Aidensfield, the oldest son (Milos), becomes close to the vicar's daughter, Anna. Anna is engaged to a young local, who dislikes the Romani. Anna's fiancé tries to frame Milos for a series of crimes, but Rowan uncovers the plot, and Milos is proven innocent. At the end of the episode, the Romani family leaves Aidensfield. Anna, who has fallen in love with Milos, leaves with them.
** In "The Traveller" (aired 3 December 2000), an English Traveller named Johnny Lee (David Essex
David Essex (born David Albert Cook; 23 July 1947) is an English singer, songwriter, and actor. Since the 1970s, he has attained 19 Top 40 singles in the UK (including two number ones) and 16 Top 40 albums. Internationally, Essex had the most ...
) arrives with his trailer in Aidensfield. At the same time, a group of Irish Travellers
Irish Travellers ( ga, an lucht siúil, meaning "the walking people"), also known as Pavees or Mincéirs (Shelta: Mincéirí), are a traditionally List of nomadic peoples#Peripatetic, peripatetic indigenous Ethnic group, ethno-cultural group ...
, who Johnny notes have nothing to do with him, also arrives with their own caravans, trailers, and trucks for a horse fair (which Johnny also has come for). When Police Sergeant Craddock meets Johnny, Craddock uses the term "Gypsies". Johnny corrects him: "We call ourselves Travellers. It's only very rude and ignorant people who calls us Gypsies". The presence of Johnny and the Irish Travellers spark prejudice from Craddock, and the Aidensfield Arms landlord Oscar Blaketon, while most other locals treat them with kindness. The plot of the episode has Johnny encounter a young, and comically inept would-be robber named Nathaniel Cooper (who screwed up his first attempt at a robbery, and shot himself in the foot, then shot one of the tires of his getaway car). Realizing that Nathaniel is no real criminal, Johnny decides to hide Nathaniel from the police. However, when Nathaniel steals money from the Aidensfield Arms (an act that Blaketon is quick to blame the Travellers for), Johnny changes his mind about Nathaniel. He tells Nathaniel that he had no right to steal that money (which Johnny gives back to Blaketon), and asks Nathaniel to turn himself in, but Nathaniel refuses and leaves. Johnny then helps the police track down and apprehend Nathaniel. Meanwhile, the Irish Travellers, and the show's "lovable rogue" Claude Greengrass, organise an illegal trap-racing meeting in the streets of Aidensfield.
** In "Danse Macabre" (aired 27 July 2008), a Romani group arrives in Aidensfield. A local shop owner spots one of them, and tells her daughter not to let him in. The shop owner says: "I'm not having Gypsies in my shop". When a 15-year-old girl named Natalie disappears from a house, the butler of the house blames the Romani and states that "Gypsies steal children". However, Police constable Joe Mason (Joe McFadden
Joseph McFadden (born 9 October 1975) is a Scottish actor best known for his roles in ''The Crow Road,'' '' Sex, Chips & Rock n' Roll, Heartbeat'' and '' Holby City.'' McFadden won the 2017 series of the BBC One series '' Strictly Come Dancing ...
) dismisses that notion as something that only happens in fairytales. In an ironic twist, Natalie is revealed to be a Romani child (her father's among the newly arrived group, and she had run away to see him), whom the butler had taken from her family years earlier (with the Natalie's father having spent ten years searching for her).
** In "Living Off The Land" (2 November 2008), PC Mason visits a camp of Travellers, who the episode seemingly mixes up with Hippies
A hippie, also spelled hippy, especially in British English, is someone associated with the counterculture of the 1960s, originally a youth movement that began in the United States during the mid-1960s and spread to different countries around ...
(called both "Travellers" and "Hippies" onscreen). They are shown living in tents and buses (the latter painted in Hippie-style). One of them tell PC Mason that: "We're Travellers. All we want is to be free, and live off the land".
* In the ''Frasier
''Frasier'' () is an American television sitcom that was broadcast on NBC for 11 seasons. It premiered on September 16, 1993, and ended on May 13, 2004. The program was created and produced by David Angell, Peter Casey (screenwriter), Peter Case ...
'' episode "Retirement is Murder" (aired January 10, 1995), Bulldog
The Bulldog is a British breed of dog of mastiff type. It may also be known as the English Bulldog or British Bulldog. It is of medium size, a muscular, hefty dog with a wrinkled face and a distinctive pushed-in nose.[Niles Crane
Niles Crane (born 1957) is a fictional character on the American sitcom ''Frasier'', a spin-off of the television show ''Cheers''. He was portrayed by David Hyde Pierce. Niles is the younger brother of Frasier Crane (played by Kelsey Grammer).
...]
for the first time. Upon meeting Niles, Bulldog bursts out laughing and tells Frasier
''Frasier'' () is an American television sitcom that was broadcast on NBC for 11 seasons. It premiered on September 16, 1993, and ended on May 13, 2004. The program was created and produced by David Angell, Peter Casey (screenwriter), Peter Case ...
: "Whoa! Another one just like you. Some gypsy put a curse on your family?".
* ''The Simpsons
''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, ...
'' (1989–present):
** In "Lisa's Wedding
"Lisa's Wedding" is the nineteenth episode of the sixth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on March 19, 1995.[Lisa Simpson
Lisa Marie Simpson is a fictional character in the animated television series ''The Simpsons''. She is the middle child and most accomplished of the Simpson family. Voiced by Yeardley Smith, Lisa was born as a character in ''The Tracey Ullman Sh ...]
is shown her future by a Romani fortune-teller. The fortune-teller specializes in foretelling doomed romances.
** In " Bart Carny" (aired 11 January 1998), a traveling carnival
A traveling carnival (US English), usually simply called a carnival, or travelling funfair (UK English), is an amusement show that may be made up of amusement rides, food vendors, merchandise vendors, games of chance and skill, thrill acts, ...
comes to Springfield. In one scene, Moe Szyslak
Moe Szyslak is a recurring character from the animated television series ''The Simpsons''. He is voiced by Hank Azaria and first appeared in the series premiere episode "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire". Moe is the proprietor and bartender of M ...
has his fortune told by a Romani fortune-teller. The main plot of the episode revolves around a carny
Carny, also spelled carnie, is an informal term used in North America for a traveling carnival employee, and the language they use, particularly when the employee operates a game ("joint"), food stand ("grab", "popper" or "floss wagon"), or ride ...
father and son duo (possibly Romani), who are depicted as con artists, and steals the Simpson house.
** In "Simpson Tide
"Simpson Tide" is the nineteenth episode of the ninth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on March 29, 1998. After being fired from the Springfield Nuclea ...
" (aired 29 March 1998), Milhouse Van Houten
Milhouse Mussolini Van Houten is a recurring character in the Fox animated television series ''The Simpsons'' voiced by Pamela Hayden and created by Matt Groening. Milhouse is Bart Simpson's best friend in Mrs. Krabappel's fourth grade class at ...
comes to school with an earring. Principal Skinner
Principal Seymour Skinner (born Armin Tamzarian) is a recurring fictional character in the animated sitcom ''The Simpsons'', who is voiced by Harry Shearer. He is the principal of Springfield Elementary School, which he struggles to control, an ...
tells Milhouse that earrings are specifically forbidden by the school's dress code. When Skinner notes that people of Romani heritage are excepted from this rule, Milhouse claims to be Romani, which Skinner asks him to prove. In a faux Transylvanian accent, Milhouse says: "I 'vant' to suck your blood!". Skinner corrects Milhouse: "That's a vampire. But, uh, they're also covered".
**In "Treehouse of Horror XII
"Treehouse of Horror XII" is the first episode of the thirteenth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. Because of Fox's contract with Major League Baseball's World Series, the episode first aired on the Fox network ...
" (aired 6 November 2001), the Simpson family
The Simpson family are the fictional characters featured in the animated television series ''The Simpsons''. The Simpsons are a nuclear family consisting of married couple Homer and Marge and their three children, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie. Th ...
visit a Romani fortune teller. After Homer
Homer (; grc, Ὅμηρος , ''Hómēros'') (born ) was a Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Homer is considered one of the ...
destroys the fortune teller's business, she places a curse on him (causing Homer's loved ones to be transformed or killed). In retaliation, Homer sics a leprechaun
A leprechaun ( ga, leipreachán/luchorpán) is a diminutive supernatural being in Irish folklore, classed by some as a type of solitary fairy. They are usually depicted as little bearded men, wearing a coat and hat, who partake in mischief. I ...
on the fortune teller. To Homer's surprise, the leprechaun and the fortune teller fall in love. At the end of the story, Homer and Marge
Marge is a feminine given name, a shortened form of Marjorie, Margot or Margaret (name), Margaret. Notable Marges include:
People
*Marge (cartoonist) (1904–1993), pen name of Marjorie Henderson Buell, American cartoonist
*Marge Anderson (1932 ...
attend their wedding (other guests include Kang and Kodos
Kang and Kodos Johnson are a duo of fictional recurring characters in the animated television series ''The Simpsons''. Kang is voiced by Harry Shearer and Kodos by Dan Castellaneta. They are green, perpetually drooling, octopus-like aliens from ...
, hobgoblins, fairies, dragons, hobbits, ogres, with Yoda
Yoda () is a fictional character in the ''Star Wars'' universe, first appearing in the 1980 film ''The Empire Strikes Back''. He is a small, green humanoid alien who is powerful with the Force and is a leading member of the Jedi Order until ...
officinating the wedding). Marge (whom the curse has left covered in hair from head to toe) remarks that "The best thing about a Gypsy wedding is I'm not the hairiest woman here". When the fortune teller and the leprechaun first meet, they instantly start having sex. After they've just gotten married, they start doing it again, in full view of the wedding guests.
**In "Treehouse of Horror XIII
"Treehouse of Horror XIII" is the first episode of the fourteenth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons'', and the thirteenth Treehouse of Horror episode. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on Novemb ...
" (aired 3 November 2002), The Simpson family and Ned Flanders
Nedward "Ned" Flanders Jr. is a fictional character in the animated television series ''The Simpsons'', voiced by Harry Shearer and first appearing in the series premiere episode "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire." He is the good-natured, chee ...
hold a séance in the hope of communicating with the spirit of Maude Flanders
The American animated television series ''The Simpsons'' contains a wide range of minor and supporting characters like co-workers, teachers, students, family friends, extended relatives, townspeople, local celebrities, and even animals. The write ...
. Marge dresses up as a Romani fortune-teller.
** In " The President Wore Pearls" (aired 16 November 2003), Lisa is elected student body president at Springfield Elementary. She declares an intention to take back the playground from the Romani people. The episode then cuts to a stereotypical Romani family, living on the Springfield Elementary playground. When two students are playing with a frisbee, a Romani man takes it mid-air and says "Is our frisbee now".
* In the ''NYPD Blue
''NYPD Blue'' is an American police procedural television series set in New York City, exploring the struggles of the fictional 15th Precinct detective squad in Manhattan. Each episode typically intertwines several plots involving an ensemble c ...
'' episode "Don We Now Our Gay Apparel" (aired January 3, 1995), Detective Greg Medavoy goes after a Romani family, who have scammed his elderly neighbor out of $3,000. The family operates a stereotypical fortune-teller business, fronted by a young Romani woman. When Medavoy arrests her, and her two brothers, the Romani woman says something in a foreign language and spits on him. One of the brothers informs Medavoy that she has cursed him. When Medavoy later develops a rash (which one of his co-worker says is likely just brought on by one of his numerous allergies), he starts worrying that the curse might be real.
* In the television film '' Young Indiana Jones: Travels with Father'' (aired 16 June 1996), a 10-year-old Indiana Jones
''Indiana Jones'' is an American media franchise based on the adventures of Dr. Henry Walton "Indiana" Jones, Jr., a fictional professor of archaeology, that began in 1981 with the film '' Raiders of the Lost Ark''. In 1984, a prequel, '' Th ...
visits Russia in 1909, with his family, and runs away with Leo Tolstoy
Count Lev Nikolayevich TolstoyTolstoy pronounced his first name as , which corresponds to the romanization ''Lyov''. () (; russian: link=no, Лев Николаевич Толстой,In Tolstoy's day, his name was written as in pre-refor ...
. On their journey, the duo hitches a ride with a traveling Romani tribe, and spend the night in their camp. During the night, Imperial Cossack troops (that the government uses to rid themselves of undesirable ethnic groups) attacks the camp, setting fire to the tents and killing many of the Romani people there. Indiana and Tolstoy barely make it away alive. They seek refuge at a church, only to almost be cast out by two antiziganistic priests, who mistake them for Romani.
* 1997 Greek television series ''Whispers of the Heart'' (Greek: Ψίθυροι Καρδιάς) was about a rich architect who falls in love with a young beautiful gypsy girl. It aired in 1997 and it is one of the most popular, Greek television series.
* In ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer
''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' is an American supernatural fiction, supernatural drama television series created by writer and director Joss Whedon. It is based on the Buffy the Vampire Slayer (film), 1992 film of the same name, also written by W ...
'' (1997-2003), Romanies in 19th Century Romania place a curse on the vampire Angelus
The Angelus (; Latin for "angel") is a Catholic devotion commemorating the Incarnation of Christ. As with many Catholic prayers, the name ''Angelus'' is derived from its incipit—the first few words of the text: ("The Angel of the Lord ...
to punish him for the murder of a teenage Romani girl (said to have been as "dumb as a post"), by restoring his human soul (and by extension, his conscience) and forcing him to feel guilt for his crimes. Angel was doomed to misery until he could enjoy a moment of pure happiness. It is later revealed that these Romanies were members of the Kalderash
The Kalderash are a subgroup of the Romani people. They were traditionally coppersmiths and metal workers and speak a number of Romani dialects grouped together under the term Kalderash Romani, a sub-group of Vlax Romani.
The Kalderash of the ...
tribe and that the character Jenny Calendar
Jenny Calendar is a fictional character in the fantasy television series '' Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' (1997–2003). Played by Robia LaMorte, Jenny is the computer teacher at Sunnydale High School. Unbeknownst to Buffy or anyone else, Jenny Calen ...
, actually Janna of the Kalderash, is a member of the tribe, who was sent to ensure the continued suffering of Angel. Under orders from her tribe, Jenny sets out to break up Angel and Buffy Summers
Buffy Anne Summers is the title character of the '' Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' franchise. She first appeared in the 1992 film '' Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' before going on to appear in The WB/UPN 1997–2003 television series and subsequent 1998 ...
, manipulating Angel into leaving Sunnydale
Sunnydale is the fictional setting for the U.S. television drama ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' (1997–2003). Series creator Joss Whedon conceived the town as a representation of a generic California city, as well as a narrative parody of the all ...
. After Jenny's deception, and true identity, is exposed, the Scoobies turn against her. Jenny is soon after brutally murdered by Angelus. In an analysis of the treatment of Romani people in literature and media, Nikolina Dobreva asserts that the show deserves to be criticized for associating Romani with curses and primitivism, for stereotyping the Romani people as "irrevocably foreign" in clothing and speech, and for perpetuating the persistent air of mystery surrounding them. Dobreva, however, praises the character of Jenny Calendar, writing in 2009: "Jenny’s character, despite the reversion to a few stereotypes, is arguably one of the most multi-faceted and positive representations of a female Gypsy in the past 20 years. In sharp contrast to all other Gypsy portrayals, she is technologically savvy, and, instead of resorting to incantations or obscure rituals, is able to create a computer algorithm that would make possible the restoration of Angel’s soul."
** In the episode "The Girl in Question
"The Girl in Question" is episode 20 of season 5 in the television show ''Angel (1999 TV series), Angel''. Written by Steven S. DeKnight and Drew Goddard and directed by David Greenwalt, it was originally broadcast on May 5, 2004 on the Warner Bro ...
" (aired 5 May 2004), of the spin-off ''Angel
In various theistic religious traditions an angel is a supernatural spiritual being who serves God.
Abrahamic religions often depict angels as benevolent celestial intermediaries between God (or Heaven) and humanity. Other roles include ...
'' (1999-2004), the character of Ilona Costa Bianchi ( Carole Raphaelle Davis) comments on the Romani people. She says that "The Gypsies are filthy people", who uses spells. Angel makes no objections to Ilona's comments. Whenever she mentions the Romani people, Ilona spits out of disgust.
* ''Futurama
''Futurama'' is an American animated science fiction sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series follows the adventures of the professional slacker Philip J. Fry, who is cryogenically preserved for 1000 years a ...
'' (1999-2013) features a recurring character called " Gypsy-Bot" (voiced by Tress MacNeille
Teressa Claire MacNeille (née Payne; born June 20, 1951) is an American voice actress, whose credits include voicing Dot Warner on the animated television series ''Animaniacs'', Babs Bunny on ''Tiny Toon Adventures'', Chip and Gadget Hackwrench ...
), a fortune-telling robot, whose design is based on the stereotypical image of a Romani fortune-teller (and is shown living in a stereotypical caravan). In the episode "Godfellas
"Godfellas" is the 20th episode in the third season of the American animated television series ''Futurama''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on March 17, 2002. The episode was written by Ken Keeler and directed by Su ...
", the character is hinted at not really being psychic (and is shown trying to con money from Fry), when she responds to a question with "What am I, psychic?".
* The Chilean telenovela
A telenovela is a type of a television serial drama or soap opera produced primarily in Latin America. The word combines ''tele'' (for "television") and ''novela'' (meaning "novel"). Similar drama genres around the world include '' teleserye'' ...
''Romané'' (2000) features the life of the Romani in the north of Chile.
* In ''The Twilight Zone
''The Twilight Zone'' is an American media franchise based on the anthology television series created by Rod Serling. The episodes are in various genres, including fantasy, science fiction, absurdism, dystopian fiction, suspense, horror, su ...
'' "Cradle of Darkness" (aired 2 October, 2002), a woman named Andrea Collins (Katherine Heigl
Katherine Marie Heigl ( ; born November 24, 1978) is an American actress and former fashion model. She played Dr. Izzie Stevens on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC television medical drama ''Grey's Anatomy'' from 2005 to 2010, a role tha ...
) travels back to 1889, with the intent of assassinating the infant Adolf Hitler (thus preventing World War II). Andrea drows herself and the infant Adolf. However, a housemaid working for the Hitler family, sees Andrea's actions, and decides not to inform the family. The housemaid encounters a homeless Romani mother. She buys the Romani woman's infant son, whom housemaid passes off to the Hitler family as baby Adolf Hitler. The episode's closing narration establishes this baby as historic Adolf Hitler, the very monster that Andrea had attempted to destroy.
* The television series WB television series ''Charmed
''Charmed'' is an American fantasy drama television series created by Constance M. Burge and produced by Aaron Spelling and his production company Spelling Television, with Brad Kern serving as showrunner. The series was originally broadcast ...
'' episode " The Eyes Have It" (aired 20 October 2002), depicted Romanies, referred to as "gypsies", as practicing a magical craft similar to those of modern-day witches. Much like the star witches in the series, Romanies possess supernatural powers and pass down family ''Books of Shadows''.
* In the HBO series ''Carnivàle
''Carnivàle'' () is an American television series set in the United States Dust Bowl during the Great Depression of the 1930s. The series, created by Daniel Knauf, ran for two seasons between 2003 and 2005. In tracing the lives of disparate ...
'' (2003-2005), the characters of Sophie and her mother Apollonia are said to be Roma.
* ''Stargate Atlantis
''Stargate Atlantis'' (usually stylized in all caps and often abbreviated ''SGA'') is an adventure and military science fiction television series and part of MGM's ''Stargate'' franchise. The show was created by Brad Wright and Robert C. Cooper ...
'' (2004-2009), part of the ''Stargate'' science-fiction franchise, features a recurring race of humans named "Travelers". The Travelers are depicted as a nomadic people, who have lived in space for generations, and travels between planets in their own fleet of spaceships (they are one of the few human races in the franchise to possess their own spaceships).
* In the ''House
A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condi ...
'' episode "Needle in a Haystack" (aired 6 February 2007), Dr. House
Doctor is an Academic degree, academic title that originates from the Latin word of the same spelling and meaning. The word is originally an Agent noun, agentive noun of the Latin verb 'to teach'. It has been used as an academic title in Europ ...
and his team must treat a 16-year-old Romani boy with respiratory distress. The boy's parents (who are established as having made their son drop out of school, and work for them) are played up as being anti-science and hostile towards outsiders (to the extent that they can't touch people who aren't Romani). The Doctors have to lie and distract the parents, in order to be able to examine and treat the boy. Dr. Foreman is critical of the parents, whom he feels are wasting their son's potential, and offers to help him get a job at the hospital. The boy rejects the offer, because none of the Doctors treating him are married (convincing the boy that the same would happen to him, unless he goes home with his family).
* '' Ashes to Ashes'' (2008-2010) main cast includes WPC/DC Sharon "Shaz" Granger (Montserrat Lombard
Montserrat Lombard (born 1 August 1982) is an English actress best known for playing WPC (later DC) Sharon 'Shaz' Granger in the BBC drama series '' Ashes to Ashes''.
Early life
Lombard was born in London and is of Spanish and Italian desce ...
), who is part Romani. The show centers around Detective Inspector Alex Drake Alex Drake may refer to:
* Alex Drake (Ashes to Ashes)
DI Alexandra "Alex" Drake is a fictional character in BBC One's science fiction/police procedural drama '' Ashes to Ashes''. The character is portrayed by Keeley Hawes and as a child by Lu ...
, a woman from 2008, who is shot by a criminal and wakes up in 1981. The show's ending reveals that all of the main characters are cops, who suffered traumatic deaths, and are now in Limbo (where their souls have a chance to lay their inner demons to rest). In the case of Shaz: she had been a WPC in 1995, who had attempted to apprehend a car thief, and gotten stabbed. Her Romani heritage was revealed in the second episode of Series 2 (aired 27 April 2009). The plot has Alex trying to clear her name when she is involved in the accidental death of an English Romanichal. She uncovers a premeditated plot to murder him. The episode does include some stereotypical elements as the plot unfolds; namely the plot device of an old Romani clairvoyant and friction between the police and the Romani camp. However these stereotypes are turned on their head as the local doctor who was obsessed with the victim's wife is found guilty of poisoning and elements of police corruption. When Shaz hears one of her co-workers make antiziganistic remarks, she confronts him and reveals to him (and the rest of their co-workers) that her mother was Romani. The episode ends with Shaz being proposed to by her boyfriend, Chris Skelton
PC/DC Christopher Daniel "Chris" Skelton is a fictional character in BBC One's science fiction/ police procedural drama, ''Life on Mars'' and its spin-off '' Ashes to Ashes''.
''Life on Mars''
The character of Chris Skelton has been descri ...
, whose feelings for her has been left unchanged by the revelation of her ethnic background. In the show's finale, Shaz (along with the others) is able to leave Limbo and move on to eternal happiness.
* ''Lark Rise to Candleford
''Lark Rise to Candleford'' is a trilogy of semi-autobiographical novels by Flora Thompson about the countryside of north-east Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire, England, at the end of the 19th century. The stories were previously published s ...
'', Series 2 Episode 1 (aired 21 December 2008) – A BBC costume drama
A historical drama (also period drama, costume drama, and period piece) is a work set in a past time period, usually used in the context of film and television. Historical drama includes historical fiction and romances, adventure films, and swas ...
. The village is haunted by the spirit of a young English Romany girl who drowned in the local lake.
* In the television show ''Criminal Minds
''Criminal Minds'' is an American police procedural crime drama television series created and produced by Jeff Davis (writer), Jeff Davis. The series premiered on CBS on September 22, 2005, and originally concluded on February 19, 2020; it was r ...
'', the fourth-season episode "Bloodlines" (aired 21 January 2009) depicts a family of Romani who kidnap little girls to marry their sons. During the abductions, the family also murders the parents of the girls. Penelope Garcia
Penelope Grace Garcia is a fictional character portrayed by Kirsten Vangsness on the CBS crime dramas ''Criminal Minds'' and its short-lived spin-off '' Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior''. She is the technical analyst of the Behavioral Analysis ...
discovers that they've been doing this since, at least, 1909. In addition to kidnapping little girls, the Romani family is depicted as being highly superstitious, nomadic (living out of an RV), and as being thieves (with David Rossi stating that a lot of Romani people make their living as petty thieves). The Romani family are apprehended by the FBI, but the episode ends with another Romani family (the father of which is implied as being one of the first family's sons) getting ready to commit the same acts as them.
* In the ''Family Guy
''Family Guy'' is an American animated sitcom originally conceived and created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The show centers around the Griffin family, Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter Griff ...
'' episode "Not All Dogs Go To Heaven
"Not All Dogs Go to Heaven" is the 11th episode of the seventh season of the American animated television series ''Family Guy''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on March 29, 2009. The episode was directed by Greg Colto ...
" (aired 29 March 2009), a cutaway gag references Stephen King
Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author of horror, supernatural fiction, suspense, crime, science-fiction, and fantasy novels. Described as the "King of Horror", a play on his surname and a reference to his high s ...
's '' Thinner''. In the cutaway, Britney Spears
Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American singer. Often referred to as the " Princess of Pop", she is credited with influencing the revival of teen pop during the late 1990s and early 2000s. After appearing in stage productio ...
is cursed by a Romani man, who touches her cheek and says "Thicker".
* In the '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' episode "Lost Traveller" (season 13, episode 9. Aired 30 November 2011), the detectives investigate a missing Romani boy.
* The character Willa Monday on the TV show '' The Finder'' (2012) is a Romani juvenile delinquent.
* In the ''Once Upon a Time
"Once upon a time" is a stock phrase used to introduce a narrative of past events, typically in fairy tales and folk tales. It has been used in some form since at least 1380 (according to the ''Oxford English Dictionary'') in storytelling in the ...
'' episode " The Doctor" (aired 28 October 2012), there is a young Romani witch-in-training, named Trish (played by Paula Giroday), who wears clothes similar to Esmeralda in the 1996 Disney animated film. In a flashback, Rumplestiltskin
"Rumpelstiltskin" ( ; german: Rumpelstilzchen) is a German fairy tale. It was collected by the Brothers Grimm in the 1812 edition of ''Children's and Household Tales''. The story is about a little imp who spins straw into gold in exchange for a ...
is attempting to teach Regina magic. He tries to make her crush the heart of a unicorn, thus killing it. However, Regina cannot do it, and leaves Rumplestiltskin. She later returns, and learns that he has taken on a new apprentice: Trish, a Romani woman. Without hesitation, Regina takes Trish's heart and crushes it, killing her instantly.
* In the ''Agatha Christie's Poirot
''Poirot'' (also known as ''Agatha Christie's Poirot'') is a British mystery drama television programme that aired on ITV from 8 January 1989 to 13 November 2013. David Suchet starred as the eponymous detective, Agatha Christie's fictional Her ...
'' episode "Dead Man's Folly" (aired 30 October 2013; an adaptation of the novel of the same name), the character of Sally Legge dresses up, and plays a Romani fortune teller (called "Madame Zuleika") for a summer fête
In Britain and some of its former colonies, fêtes are traditional public festivals, held outdoors and organised to raise funds for a charity. They typically include entertainment and the sale of goods and refreshments.
Village fêtes
Village f ...
. She pretend reads Poirot
Hercule Poirot (, ) is a fictional Belgian detective created by British writer Agatha Christie. Poirot is one of Christie's most famous and long-running characters, appearing in 33 novels, two plays ('' Black Coffee'' and ''Alibi''), and more ...
's future over a crystal ball, but quickly drops the theatrics, due to a mix of Poirot's questions (regarding the murder hunt, where Sally was originally going to play the murder victim, until others insisted that she'd tell fortunes instead) and Sally's own disinterest in doing this activity.
*In the ''How I Met Your Mother
''How I Met Your Mother'' (often abbreviated as ''HIMYM'') is an American sitcom, created by Craig Thomas and Carter Bays for CBS. The series, which aired from September 19, 2005 to March 31, 2014, follows the main character, Ted Mosby, and his ...
'' episode " Coming Back" (aired 23 September 2013), Barney Stinson
Barnabus Stinson is a fictional character portrayed by Neil Patrick Harris and created by Carter Bays and Craig Thomas for the CBS television series ''How I Met Your Mother'' (2005–2014).
One of the show's main characters, Barney is known f ...
reveals why he is constantly horny: the Stinson Curse. In 1807, in Moscow, his ancestors ran over an old Romani woman. The Romani woman pointed at them and said: "hornier". Cursing the male members of their family to constantly be horny (and unable to find satisfaction in committed relationships). After she's cursed them, the old Romani woman is shown magically transforming into a seductive young Romani woman, whom Barney's ancestor is unable to resist.
* The television series ''Hemlock Grove
''Hemlock Grove'' is a 2012 Horror-thriller debut novel by American author Brian McGreevy. The book was released on March 27, 2012 through Farrar, Straus and Giroux and is set in the fictional town of Hemlock Grove, Pennsylvania. A graphic nove ...
'' (2013–2015) features a family of Romani.
* The BBC television series ''Peaky Blinders
The Peaky Blinders were a street gang based in Birmingham, England, which operated from the 1880s until the 1910s. The group consisted largely of young criminals from lower- to middle-class backgrounds. They engaged in robbery, violence, racke ...
'' (2013–2022) revolves around protagonist Tommy Shelby
Thomas Michael Shelby is a fictional character born in 1890 in Birmingham, England, and the main protagonist in the British period crime drama ''Peaky Blinders''. He is played by Irish actor Cillian Murphy, who has won an Irish Film & Televisio ...
and the Shelby crime family who are of Romani heritage. It also features the Romani Lee family which includes main character Esme Lee, who marries one of the Shelby brothers.
* The television series ''Legion
Legion may refer to:
Military
* Roman legion, the basic military unit of the ancient Roman army
* Spanish Legion, an elite military unit within the Spanish Army
* Legion of the United States, a reorganization of the United States Army from 179 ...
'' (2017–2019) centers around protagonist and mutant David Haller
Legion (David Charles Haller) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is the mutant son of Charles Xavier and Gabrielle Haller. Legion takes the role of an antihero who has a severe mental illne ...
(based on the Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...
character), whom the show depicts as being half-Romani. David is the son of mutant Charles Xavier
Professor X (Charles Francis Xavier) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is depicted as the founder and sometimes leader of the X-Men. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist/co- ...
and his wife, Gabrielle ( Stephanie Corneliussen), a Romani Holocaust survivor. Charles and Gabrielle met in a mental hospital, after World War II, where they were both patients. Gabrielle had been rescued from the camps, but had lost her entire family and the trauma of the Holocaust had left Gabrielle catatonic. With his telepathy, Charles managed to get her out of that state. The two became close (helping each other get better), fell in love, and left the hospital together. Afterwards, they got married and had their son David. Gabrielle is depicted as a loving wife and mother (and a regular 1940s housewife), who struggles with the trauma of the Holocaust, when Charles leaves her alone for a while, to seek out the mutant Amahl Farouk. In the comics, Gabrielle was a Jewish Holocaust survivor.
* On the television Series ''What We Do in the Shadows
''What We Do in the Shadows'' is a 2014 New Zealand mockumentary horror comedy film written and directed by Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi and the first installment in the ''What We Do in the Shadows'' franchise. The film also stars Clem ...
'' (2019–present) the character of Nadja is a Romani Vampire.
* In the ''Father Brown
Father Brown is a fictional Roman Catholic priest and amateur detective who is featured in 53 short stories published between 1910 and 1936 written by English author G. K. Chesterton. Father Brown solves mysteries and crimes using his intuiti ...
'' episode "The Numbers of the Beast" (aired 13 January 2020), Mrs. McCarthy and her sister, Roisin, visit a Romani fortune teller named Trafalgar Devlin, who lives in a caravan. Devlin reads their tea leaves, and supplies them with what turns out to be the winning numbers in a charity bingo game. When it gets out that the winning numbers came from Devlin, many of the locals come to him for winning numbers and betting results. Father Brown and Penelope "Bunty" Windermere drops by his caravan for tea. While there, Father Brown drops his spoon on the floor, picks it up, and puts it back on the saucer of his teacup. Noting no reaction from Devlin, Father Brown realizes that Devlin is not actually Romani, but a con artist, as no true Romani man would permit such an unclean act. The cause for the winning bingo numbers are explained away, as another person having rigged the numbers.
* The television series ''1883
Events
January–March
* January 4 – ''Life'' magazine is founded in Los Angeles, California, United States.
* January 10 – A fire at the Newhall Hotel in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States, kills 73 people.
* Ja ...
'' (2021–2022) centers on a wagon train led by Shea Brennan (Sam Elliott
Samuel Pack Elliott (born August 9, 1944) is an American actor. He is the recipient of several accolades, including a National Board of Review Award, and has been nominated for an Academy Award, two Golden Globe Awards, two Primetime Emmy Aw ...
), in the 1880s. Most of the people taking part in the wagon train are European immigrants, who have come to start a new life in Oregon
Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...
. Among the immigrants is Noemi (Gratiela Brancusi), a young Romani woman, who has come to America with her husband and their two sons. When bandits attack the wagon train's camp, Noemi's husband is among the people killed, leaving her a widow. Out of desperation (scared and fearful of her, and her sons, future), Noemi offers herself up as a wife to the widowed Brennan, but he turns her down. Together with Thomas (LaMonica Garrett
LaMonica Garrett (born May 23, 1975) is an American actor and former professional Slamball player. He is best known for Deputy Sheriff Cane in '' Sons of Anarchy'' (2011–2014), Mike Ritter in ''Designated Survivor'' (2016–2018), John in '' Pr ...
), Brennan does set out to help Noemi, seeing her struggling without her husband and facing antiziganism from some of the other immigrants. Over the course of the journey, Noemi becomes more self-sufficient, teaching herself how to hunt and use a rifle. She also becomes close to and romantically involved with Thomas, despite some initial reservations from Thomas (due to him being a black man, thus unable to marry Noemi). After two of the other immigrants, Josef and his wife, are injured and unable to drive their wagon, Noemi offers and drives their wagon for them. Together with Josef (whose wife dies), Noemi and her sons, are the only ones of the immigrants to make it to Oregon. Noemi, her sons, and Thomas settles in the Willamette Valley
The Willamette Valley ( ) is a long valley in Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. The Willamette River flows the entire length of the valley and is surrounded by mountains on three sides: the Cascade Range to the east, ...
.
Film
Romani characters are frequently depicted in werewolf
In folklore, a werewolf (), or occasionally lycanthrope (; ; uk, Вовкулака, Vovkulaka), is an individual that can shapeshift into a wolf (or, especially in modern film, a therianthropic hybrid wolf-like creature), either purposely or ...
films, including Maleva the fortuneteller (Maria Ouspenskaya
Maria Alekseyevna Ouspenskaya (russian: Мария Алексеевна Успенская; 29 July 1876 – 3 December 1949) was a Russian actress and acting teacher.Nissen, Axel. 2006. ''Actresses of a Certain Character: Forty Familiar Hollywoo ...
) in '' The Wolf Man'' and the Romani clan of female werewolves in ''Cry of the Werewolf
''Cry of the Werewolf'' is a 1944 American horror film directed by Henry Levin and starring Nina Foch, Stephen Crane, Osa Massen, Blanche Yurka and Barton MacLane.
Plot
A Romani princess descended from Marie LaTour has the ability to change int ...
''.
See also
*Gypsy (term)
The Romani people are also known by a variety of other names; in English as ''gypsies'' or ''gipsies'', and ''Roma''; in Greek as (''gíftoi'') or (''tsiggánoi''), in Central and Eastern Europe as ''Tsingani'' (and variants); in France as ''gi ...
*Antiziganism
Anti-Romani sentiment (also antigypsyism, anti-Romanyism, Romaphobia, or Antiziganism) is hostility, prejudice, discrimination or racism which is specifically directed at Romani people (Roma, Sinti, Iberian Kale, Welsh Kale, Finnish Kale, H ...
Explanatory notes
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fictional Representations of Romani People