日志
Alfred Douglas: the tarot （1）
||
preface: what is tarot
56 cards: lesser arcana small cards
Italian —— bastoni (batons or clubs)
coppes (cups)
spade (swords)
denari (coins)
Ace 1-10
Re (king) Dama(queen) Cavallo(knight) Fante(knave or jack)
English (French) : Trefles (trefoils) Coeurs (hearts) Piques (pikes) Carreaux (paving tiles)
Clubs Hearts Spades Diamonds
22 cards: greater arcana Tarot trumps
Italian French English
Chapter 1 The origin of Tarot cards
the earliest playing cards originated in China and Korea
at least the 11th century Tang dynasty
India cards western playing cards first appeared in India during the 16th century
Arab cards Spain —— naipes Flemish word "Knaep" meaning paper
pack was brought into Europe by Gypsies coming from either Egypt or India. But the Gypsies did not appear in the west in any numbers until the middle of the 15th century , a full hundred years after the cards were known in every country from Italy to Northern France. The Gypsies adopted them and did much to spread them abroad, but they did not invent playing cards. pp.20
the designs originated inside Europe not from elsewhere
Tarot Ta-rosh Egyptian word ------- the royal way
rota Latin word -------- a wheel
Torah Hebrew -------- the law Qabalah (spain)
Thoth Egyptian god of magic
Tarot French
Tarocco Italy
Taro Taroc Tarok
4 suits : from china
court cards: from chess
major trumps : existence in 1415
majority of the packs for the great families of Northern Italy
after 1750 Italy, French, other trump designs
Chapter 2 the symbolism of the tarot
the medieval renaissance
multi-religions multi-racial translation
Sylvester
a commentary on the first books of the Aeneid, a verse translation of an Arabic work on astrological geomancy, and a long poem chronicling the outcome of an astrologer's prediction. pp.30
Gnostic influences on medieval thought
resurgence of interest in pagan classical beliefs
the Gnostic theme of the major trumps
if the 22 cards are viewed in sequence, they reveal the theme of classical gnosticism.
the varied sources of tarot imagery
incorporate not only christian gnostic and islamic imagery, but celtic and norse elements as well
the art of memory
the game of triumphs 22 major cards renaissance italy
the minor cards of the tarot pack
