We know of Tarot cards today as a tool for divination. A way to receive guidance from somewhere within or beyond ourselves. Think of it as having a close confidante. One who will never spill your secrets and provide you with unbiased advice each time.
But where did the cards come from and how did its symbolisms come about? Modern research by Tarot scholars such as Michael Dummett, Thierry Depaulis, and Stuart Kaplan firmly debunks any links to ancient mysticism. Nonetheless, the Tarots origin is just as fascinating.
The Mamluk cards, considered to be the ancestor of the Tarot, first appeared in the Islamic world in the 14th century. Some scholars believe they were derived from Chinese playing cards and were later adapted for Mamluk society through trade.
The Mamluks were a powerful military class of formerly enslaved soldiers who ruled parts of the Islamic Middle East from the 13th to the early 16th century. They were well-known for their exceptional cavalry skills and their rich culture.
As a society, they enjoyed displays of wealth and status, seen in their lavish clothing and grand architecture. Their love for the finer things also extended to everyday objects, including playing cards.
The cards they used were hand-painted by skilled artisans using colorful pigments, such as bright reds and blues, and gilded with gold. Their designs featured floral motifs and geometric shapes, creating beautiful symmetry. The Mamluks also used calligraphy to decorate the cards, inscribing them with moral sayings.
It is believed that these cards were reserved solely for the use of the elite, suggesting that they also served as status symbols, especially ornate ones like the Topkapi deck.
The Mamluk deck generally had 52 cards in total, including four suits, consisting of cups, coins, swords, and Polo sticks or mallets. Each suit had ten pip or numbered cards and three court cards.
Each suit represented different aspects of life that the Mamluks saw as important. Their symbolism was more practical than mystical, but still held value for the people who used them.
The court cards represented courtly roles, identified through calligraphy rather than human faces and figures. This is because in some Islamic art, the use of such is discouraged. The ranks are as follows: Malik for King, Naib for Viceroy or First Deputy, and Naib Thani for Second Deputy.
If the Mamluk decks structure feels familiar, this is because it was the blueprint for both Tarot cards and modern playing cards. As it journeyed westward, however, its threads were woven into a much larger tapestry.
In the 14th century, the Mamluk cards found a place in the wealthy courts of Italy through trade and cultural exchange. The Italians adopted its four-suit structure, but changed the design to suit their aesthetic.
The Polo sticks became batons or staves. The use of human figures in place of calligraphy for the court cards also became more commonplace. The distinct floral and geometric motifs found in the Mamluk cards were also replaced with Christian and feudal imagery, making the cards more recognizable to Italians.
A Queen court card, known as the donna or regina, was added to the deck in 1440. This expanded the court cards to King, Queen, Knight (cavalier), and Page (fante or servo). It was also during this period that more experimental designs for the cards began to emerge. Some decks even featured female figures for the knights and pages. An attempt to appeal to the women who also enjoyed the game.
In the mid-15th century, playing cards began to gain popularity in northern Italy, particularly in Ferrara, Milan, and Florence. From these regions, a new deck took shape. It built upon the original four-suit structure, but added a fifth suit of 22 trump cards called Trionfi (carte da trionfi) or cards of triumph.
By 1505, this new deck had become known as the Tarocchi. The etymology of the name is unclear. Though, some suggest it was derived from the word taroch, which has a similar meaning to foolishness.
One of the oldest surviving examples is the Visconti-Sforza Tarot deck, created in 15th-century Milan for the Visconti and Sforza families. The deck is noted not just for its historical value, but also for its artistry. The cards bore incredibly detailed imagery, sometimes featuring members of the Visconti-Sforza family themselves, and incorporated luxurious materials such as silver and gold foil.
No complete deck has survived, but it was known to have had 78 cards in total, including 56 suit cards and 22 trump cards. It was also one of the first decks to feature the Queen as a court card.
Beyond playing cards, the word Trionfi held a much deeper meaning for Italians. It referred to their triumphal processions, which celebrated lifes victories, including weddings, religious feasts, civic pride, and military accomplishments.
These festivals wouldve been a sight to behold, with participants dressed up as different allegorical figures. They took on the roles of Roman gods, personifications of virtues, and cosmic forces, such as Temperance or Death. These figures took to the streets and paraded in a hierarchy, showing how one force triumphed over the next, taking inspiration from Petrarchs I Trionfi.
This concept was a popular motif for the time period and influenced the imagery and function of the Trionfi, creating the foundation for what would later become the Tarot cards Major Arcana.
While the Italians recognized the moral and philosophical symbolism in the Tarocchi, there is no surviving evidence that shows they were used for divinatory purposes.
The Tarot cards popularity in Italy spread to the rest of Europe through cultural exchanges such as trade, noble marriages, and military campaigns.
In France, by the late 15th and early 16th centuries, the Tarocchi, now known as Tarot, became more localized. New designs emerged from various regions such as Savoy, Provence, and Lyon (e.g., early Geoffroy decks circa 1557), but it was the Tarot de Marseille that became the dominant model.
Tarot cards became more widespread from the 15th century onward, as woodblock printing allowed for the creation of more affordable decks. Before this, decks had to be commissioned and hand-painted, which made them exclusive to the elite who could afford such luxuries. By the 17th and 18th centuries, many regions had begun to standardize deck designs, and mass production became the norm.
As advancements in printing continued, the accessibility of Tarot cards grew as well. By the late 18th and 19th centuries, it began to circulate among non-gamers. This period marks the true shift from its gaming roots to a more symbolic interpretation.
France in the 18th century underwent an occult revival. While Enlightenment thinkers placed importance on logic and reason, there was also a growing esoteric movement. They emphasized the study of hidden knowledge and ancient wisdom.
People were searching for deeper meaning, looking beyond traditional knowledge to explain their experiences. This increasingly spiritual environment would lead to one of the most influential, and misleading, interpretations of the Tarots origins.
One of the prevailing misconceptions about Tarot cards is that it has roots in ancient Egyptian wisdom. This idea can be traced directly to a single figure: Antoine Court de Gébelin
Gébelin was a Protestant pastor, Freemason, and philologist. As a prominent name in the occult revival, many saw him as an authority on the subject, often taking his words as fact.
In his series Le Monde Primitif (The Primitive World), published in 1781, he claimed the Tarot was a surviving fragment from the Book of Thoth. This book is believed to contain divine knowledge capable of granting the reader supernatural power. Including the ability to understand animal speech and even commune with deities.
However, this claim was unfounded. Court de Gébelin is known to have formed this theory not through the study of historical texts, but by drawing parallels between Tarot imagery and his own understanding of ancient Egyptian religion.
Despite the lack of evidence, many still believed him, altering the way Tarot cards are regarded.
Court de Gébelin imbued Tarot cards with mystical meaning, but Etteilla developed the system to access it.
Etteilla, also known as Jean-Baptiste Alliette, was a famed occultist and Tarot researcher. He was known for his innovative thinking. Unlike his predecessors, he was more interested in how the cards could be used as a divinatory tool rather than focusing on their origins.
It was his idea to give each card a specific meaning. One that moved away from the allegories of Renaissance Italy. Instead of representing moral symbols, he designed each one to answer practical life questions.
For his system to fully take shape, the Major Arcana had to be rearranged. The hierarchy inspired by Petrarchs I Trionfi was changed to a creation story. A narrative influenced by Etteillas interest in Egyptian and Hermetic ideas. He correlated the cards with astrology, the elements, and the humors. Further adding nuance to readings by introducing the concept of upright and reversed meanings.
Later, he designed a deck of his own, specifically intended for use in divination. It came with a copy of his book, Manière de se récréer avec le jeu de cartes nommées Tarots (Way to Recreate Yourself with the Deck of Cards Called Tarots). The manual provided instructions on how to interpret card spreads, laying down the groundwork for Tarot cartomancy.
Theres something poetic about the Tarot cards transformation from something quite mundane to its current place in the esoteric. Today, it is one of the most popular divination tools used by many in the practice, and echoes of Etteillas system still remain.
While it may not have been rooted in the occult from the beginning, this does not at all diminish its mystique. On the contrary, it only deepens it. The Tarot proves that even ordinary objects can become vessels for guidance and knowledge through intention, belief, and practice.
Comments