dacian

The people inhabiting what is now Romania before it's romanization. Romanians sometimes still identify by this ethnicity. Dacian culture placed a large emphasis on cunning and physical prowess, and were known to be fierce and mysterious warriors. Dacian is a different ethnicity from the Romani people, who are a nomadic folk from India with a distinct cultural heritage, and who are ubiquitous in most European countries. The original name of the Dacians was "daoi," which referred to the Phrygian cognate "Daos", the name of the wolf god. This most likely came from serpent-wolf standards carried by the Dacian warriors. Some Romanian villages still carry on the tribal tradition of dressing up in wolf or bear (or other animal) hides around Christmas and running around beating the shit out of people from surrounding villages who stray outdoors at night.