The unnamed elderly Romani woman is a minor female character who debuted in "The Castafiore Emerald" by Hergé. She is an experienced palm reader and a relative of Mike.
History[]
The elderly woman reassures Mike.
The Romani elder first meets Tintin and Captain Haddock, when the two help lead Miarka out of the forest. The old woman offers her gratitude to Captain Haddock when she offers to read his fortune for a discount. The elder reads Haddock's palm and gives him a dire warning:
"Trouble! You must be careful...otherwise I see an accident... But not serious... I see you in a carriage... AAAH! A beautiful stranger approaches... She is coming to visit you... AAAH! She has wonderful jewels, and...OOH! A terrible disaster... The jewels are gone...vanished! ...stolen!"[1]
The elder tells Haddock that his luck may improve if he gives her a silver coin, but he declines. Her predictions turn out to be mostly correct: Haddock sprains his ankle and is briefly wheelchair-bound, Bianca Castafiore visits Marlinspike Hall, and Castafiore's jewel collection goes missing. In the TV series adaptation of The Castafiore Emerald, she is present when Mike plays guitar, and when Thompson and Thomson investigate the Romani caravan in search of Castafiore's emerald and Irma's golden scissors.
Personality[]
The Romani elder is a quiet but wise woman always looking out for the rest of her troupe. She is often seen around Mike, making it likely that she is his grandmother, aunt, or another relative. She is shown to be a reassuring figure for Mike, and tries to get him to be more optimistic about Captain Haddock and Tintin.
She is an experienced palm reader, though her ability to see the future is a great exaggeration of actual palmistry practices. She will offer her fortune telling in exchange for coins, which the Roma camp uses for food and medicine.
References[]
- ↑ The Castafiore Emerald. Mammoth, 1963. pg. 4.