Zingaran"His armor and garments were rich and ornate after the fashion of a Zingaran grandee." -- Robert E. Howard: "The Pool of the Black One" Zingara was founded by people who were an admixture of Zingg Valley folk (possibly of Shemite origin), invading Picts, and Hyborian tribes. Most historians place the Zingarans among the Hyborian peoples. The Zingarans were apparently agricultural, maritime, and pastoral, ruled by petty princelings only nominally subservient to the capital of Kordava. Bordered by the Shemites to the east and south, and the powerful Pictish tribes to the north, the Zingarans continued their expansion by building ships and sailing the Western Ocean. Her chief adversary and rival is Argos. The Zingarans blame Argos for the current rash of pirate activity, and see the Argosseans as "cutting in" on their shipping. Zingara has few allies. Their haughty manner and domination of the sea have made them few friends, although their privateer captains have made all the coastal nations respectful. Zingaran pride and independence has made it a very fractious nation. Internal problems, dissensions, and even civil wars have long prevented Zingara from eliminating her enemies and once more ruling the Western Ocean. In theory, the law comes from the king, much as in Aquilonia. In practice, each noble makes his own justice, and unless an important noble or commoner is involved, the king ignores it. Executions are by hanging (for commoners) or beheading (for nobles). Commoners can also be mutilated (hands removed, etc.) for crimes, while nobles can at worst be fined and (for the most serious crimes) exiled. The Zingarans are halfhearted Mitra worshippers. Their devotion is not as strong as in Aquilonia, but their isolation has made it difficult for other faiths to gain a foothold. |