The Tuatha’an

     The Tuatha’an, known more commonly as the Traveling People or Tinkers, wander the land searching for the Old Song.  The Tinkers do not know what the Old Song is, but they claim they will know it when they hear it.  Tinkers follow the Way of the Leaf, and rely primarily on movement to avoid any harm.  The Traveling People live in large wagons that resemble small houses on wheels.  Like everything else about the Tinkers, their houses are brightly colored.

     As followers of the Way of the Leaf the Tinkers do no violence, even in their own defense.  Despite this, the Traveling People are not tolerated in towns or cities.  Only very small villages will accept their presence for a time, making use of the Tinkers’ excellent abilities at working metal.  The primary reason the Tuatha’an are not permitted near towns and cities is the belief that they are thieves.  Particularly,

Artwork by Jeff Wadsworth

there are stories that the Traveling People steal young people and try to convert them to the Way of the Leaf.  This is untrue.  Some townsfolk are simply drawn to the simple, peaceful life which the Tuatha’an lead.

     The Tuatha’an are also well known for their singing and dancing.  They sing and dance at any opportunity, and Tinker camps are seldom without music.  Sometimes the Tinker women will dance the tiganza, a dance capable of bring mens’ blood to a boil.

     Virtually unknown to all, the Tuatha’an are descendants of the Da’shain Aiel.  They left the rest of the Da’shain Aiel when they became frustrated with the guardianship of the angreal and ter’angreal the Aes Sedai had given them.  They viewed it as a lost cause, and decided to go in search of the Old Song.  By finding the Old Song, these men and women hoped to bring back happier times.  It is for this reason that Aiel avoid Tinkers, and the Traveling People are allowed to cross the Waste unhindered.

     Just as the Da’shain Aiel after the Breaking of the World struggled to follow the Way of the Leaf in a world filled with violence, so now do the Tuatha’an struggle in a world increasingly fraught with peril.

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