It was a glacial winter evening in 1713, the court dwarf Frøken Elsebe broke out in a cold sweat. Queen Charlotte Amalie of Hassel Kassel seemed hypnotised by the newcomer. It was a bad omen. Her future was at stake right now. The man who stood was of medium height, his dark skin shining under the large chandelier. He did not seem impressed by so much pomp. There was even a certain nonchalance in his attitude. The queen seemed amused and curious about the young man. His name was Timotheus, and he came from a distant country called India. Frøken Elsebe had heard this name often for some time. A member of the “Dänisch-Hallesche Mission” presented the young man as a Tamil being from Tarangambadi.
However, Timotheus was not the first Tamil to come to Denmark. Frøken Elsebe knew about this small community that had been living in Copenhagen for some time. It was said that they were brought in as slave servants. They were called Morianer, which is a term used for all…