The Sorcerer's Conspectus:
A comprehensive view of Andre Norton's Witch World
by Lotsawatts
Races of Witch World ~ Kioga
The Kioga are first introduced in Gryphon's Eyrie
Appearance: The Kioga have dark skin, hair, and eyes.1 Kioga have high bridge noses and cheekbones. Most wear braided hair. Men wear mustaches. Illustrations in the book make them look like Mongols.
Living Area(s): Originally the Kioga were a nomadic race in Arvon. They have since settled near Kar Garudwyn.
Life Span: The exact lifespan of a Kioga is unknown, but Nidu seems to have had a rather long lifespan.
Power: Kioga seem to have some way with their horses, though whether it's Power is a different question. Nidu certainly has some kind of Power with her drumming, and it could be there are talents of other sorts not displayed in the books.
Other: The Kioga Gated themselves in barely a generation ago when another race of their own world began enslaving them. They have a deep bond with their horses. They carry short, barbed spears as weapons. Kioga worship the Mother of Mares (who seems a bit like Gunnora) and her Twins. Their horses are intelligent and strong and Choose their rider. They do not seem to have mind speech but could well have near-human intelligence. Whether the Kioga would ever deal with the Keplian now that some have turned to the Light is unknown, but they seem to value their own horses too much for that.
Sorcerer's Notes:
The directions that are given in Gryphon's Eyrie make little sense given the maps. Kerovan and the Kioga go south and slightly east in their searching for new mountainous places. Since Kar Garudwyn is next door to Car Re Dogan, and Car Re Dogan is close to the Gate near the boarder, they ought to be heading either into The Waste west of the Dales or back into the Dales themselves (especially since they've been traveling thirty days). Instead they find themselves in a seemingly endless prairie with only a wide river running through it. It seems far more likely they were heading either northwest or northeast.
Footnotes:
1. Though exact hair and eye color are not mentioned, it is not unreasonable to assume they have black hair and brown or hazel eyes.
Formatted and Edited by Jay Watts ~ May, 2022
Copyright ~ Andre-Norton.com
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