Tigana

:There is also a French-Malian football (soccer) player and manager named Jean Tigana

Tigana (1990) is a fantasy novel by Guy Gavriel Kay, set in a fictional country, the Palm Peninsula that somewhat resembles medieval Italy as well as the Peloponnesos in shape.

The country has been conquered by two powerful sorcerers, one is Brandin, king of Ygrath, the other the warlord Alberico from the empire of Barbadior. The story is largely that of a group of rebels attempting to overthrow one of them and win back their homeland.

Many of the rebels are natives of the province of Tigana, which was the province that most ably resisted Brandin. In a crucial battle, Brandin's son was killed. In retaliation for this Brandin attacked Tigana and following his victory, and in revenge for the death of his son, he used his magic to remove the name and history of Tigana from the minds of the population.

Only those born in Tigana before the invasion can hear or speak its name, or remember it as it was; as far as everyone else is concerned, that area of the country has always been an insignificant part of a neighbouring province, hence the rebels are battling for the very soul of their country.

The book puts great emphasis on the different moral shades of people - Brandin is actually a very sympathetic character, especially in his love for Dianora, one of the women of his harem. The rebels are ruthless in their attempts to depose Brandin, and the main characters are very complex.

The book is full of themes of identity, love, patriotism, revenge and magic.

Riselka

The riselka is a recurring theme in the book. Based on the rusalka of Slavic folklore and mythology, its appearance in Kay's world is a token of some portent. A portion of it reads as follows:

One man sees a riselka: his life forks there.
Two men see a riselka: one of them shall die.
Three men see a riselka: one is blessed, one forks, one shall die.
One woman sees a riselka: her path comes clear to her.
Two women see a riselka: one of them shall bear a child.
Three women see a riselka: one is blessed, one is clear, one shall bear a child.

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