Tirza is a gypsy who was born under a dark star, a sign that she was cursed. She was eventually cast out of her clan, while they were traveling through the forests of the old Western United States, after one too many tragic events seemed to be attributable to her presence. She was believed to be a witch, possessed by the demon Asmodeus. A young American rancher found the girl and tried to convince her that the curse was not real, but her people were not satisfied until she underwent an exorcism. The exorcism was deemed to be successful, and Tirza was allowed to return to her clan.

It is unclear if Tirza was actually a witch. She did seem to frighten animals and after performing a gypsy dance, she seemed to take credit for the lightning and thunder that followed. She claimed that she was a shape shifter, capable of trasforming into a wolf or a fish. She was an exceptional dancer and she carried a dagger.

[http://archive.org/details/Bonanza-DarkStar Bonanza: Season 1, Episode 31 (Dark Star)]

[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0529530/ IMDb]
Category:Television Characters
Category:Female Characters
Category:Witch Characters
Category:Bonanza Characters
Category:Magic Characters
Category:Western Character
Category:NBC Characters
Category:Lewis Allen - Creator
Category:Anthony Lawrence - Creator
Category:Susan Harrison - Creator
Category:1960 Debuts
Category:Shape-Shifting Characters
Category:Gypsy Characters