Gyptians in His Dark Materials are similar to Roma but travel by boat. The term “gyptian” may come from “gypsy” or Dutch Geuzen. They are a close-knit group with a council and king, and help Lyra save Roger. They face bias and are accused of theft and smuggling.
Gyptians are an ethnic group from the fantasy novels His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman. They have a certain resemblance to the Roma of our world, with some fundamental differences. They are the protagonists in the books, assisting Lyra in finding her to save Roger.
The word Gyptian is probably an esoteric renaming of the English word Gypsy. In our world, the term gypsy came about due to people in the past mistakenly thinking that Roma people have their origins in Egypt, clipping it to gypsy. Gyptians have many similarities to Roma, and the word gyptian is even closer to Egyptian.
In our world, most Roma actually live in permanent settlements. However, in the popular imagination, they are a nomadic, trading people, often with a negative reputation. This stereotype seems to lay some of the groundwork for the gyptians of Lyra’s world, although her gyptians appear to travel almost exclusively by boat, while most nomadic Roma travel overland.
There is also reason to believe that Gyptians should be of Dutch origin, especially the Geuzen who opposed the Spanish when they ruled the Netherlands in the 16th century. Many of the names given to gyptians in the books are Dutch, such as Vries, Ruud and van Gerrit. The Geuzens operated predominantly at sea, and their proximity to England would make them likely candidates to migrate there to the world of Lyra.
Whatever their origins, gyptians are a close-knit and devoted group of people. Their society consists of several family clans, each of which has a family head who can vote for his or her clan in a group council. Also, there is a gyptian king, John Faa in the book days, who rules the council. Another figure, a wise old man named Farder Coram, completes the advice.
Gyptians travel the rivers of England, trading at various seasonal fairs. Their culture appears to be colorful and vibrant, although there is reason to believe that there is as substantial a bias against them in Lyra’s world as there is against Roma in ours. People in Lyra’s world speak of them as horse thieves and smugglers, and the gyptians suggest that when their children are stolen by the General Oblation Council, the outside world doesn’t care.
The gyptians have a base of operations in the Norfolk marshes, where they seem to have a pretty clear run. It is from here that they vote to launch an attack against Bolvangar in the north to rescue gyptian children, as well as any others who may have been abducted. They assist Lyra as best they can, in part because they feel they owe her father, Lord Asriel, a debt for her part in passing a waterways bill through Parliament, which has helped the gyptians immensely.
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