Chapter 31
CHAPTER IX.
HISTORY OF THE SYMBOLISM OF THE TAROT.
INQUIRY INTO ITS ORIGIN.
The Tarot is an Egyptian Book — Its Transformations — Mantegna's
Pack — Venetian Tarot — Florentine Tarot — Bolognese — Hindu
Tarot — Chinese Tarot — Modern Tarots — Etteila — Marseilles —
Besançon — Watillaux — Oswald Wirth — Italian and German
Tarots — Constitution of the Symbolism of the Tarot — The
16 primitive Hieroglyphic Signs — The 22 Hebrew Letters.
Origin of the Symbolism of the Tarot.
As we have already stated, each card of the Tarot repre-
sents a symbol, a number, and an idea.
We have endeavoured to avoid empiricism as far as
possible in the course of these explanations ; and therefore
we first studied the numbers, for they are the most settled
element, and give the most unvarying results in their
combinations.
Relying firmly upon the basis which we have hus con-
structed, we can now study the symbols with absolute
assurance.
We hope that for this purpose you have procured the
Tarot l of Marseilles, the most correct in its symbolism, or
1 See p. 89, the price of the Tarots and the addresses where they
may be procured.
G
82 THE TAROT.
else the twenty-two keys designed by Oswald Wirth ;
perhaps — and this is really almost indispensable — you have
both of them.
You need, then, only deal the cards upon the table, to
see at once that the personages depicted upon them all
wTear dresses of the Renaissance period.
And yet, is this pack of cards of ancient origin ? It
does not appear so.
Look at your figures more attentively and you will soon
perceive Egyptian symbols [the triple cross (No. 5), ibis
(No. 17)] combined with these Eenaissance costumes.
They at once prove that the Tarot of Marseilles is really
the exact representation of the primitive Egyptian. Tarot,
slightly altered to the epoch denoted by the costumes.
Only the gypsies possess the primitive pack intact.
The studies of those learned men who have investigated
the Tarot have confirmed this fact by the strongest
evidence. And the works of Chatto,1 Boiteau,2 and above
all of Merlin,3 show us that history corroborates our
assertion.
Merlin conducted his researches very scientifically, and
succeeded in discovering the original of our Tarot of
Marseilles in an Italian Tarot at Venice, the father of all
the later packs.
He believes also that he has discovered the origin of
this Venetian Tarot in the philosophical pack of Mantegna.
But he cannot determine the origin of this pack, because
1 Chatto, Facts and Speculations on the Origin and History of
Playing Cards in Europe. 8vo. London, 1848.
2 Boiteau, Les Cartes à Jouer et la Cartomancie. 4to. Paris, 1854.
3 Merlin, Origine des Cartes à Jouer, recherches nouvelles sur les
Naïbis, les Tarots et sur les autres Espèces de Cartes. A work orna-
mented with 70 illustrations. 4to. Paris, 1869.
HISTORY OF THE SYMBOLISM OF THE TAROT.. 83
the one that Merlin believed to be the source of the
Tarot is on the contrary a reproduction, made by one of
the Initiates. The Ars Magna of Kaymond Lulle was
produced in the same way ; it is drawn entirely from the
Tarot.
We have given for reference the pack of Mantegna,
known in the trade as the cards of Baldini, as well as
the packs of the Italian Tarots, from which most of ours
are derived.
The tableau 1 which indicates the connection between
the Tarot packs and that of Mantegna ought to be reversed,
and on the contrary show the cards of Mantegna derived
from the Tarot, as we have stated.
Here are the figures of the Tarots. (See page 84.)
1 Page 86.
84
THE TAROT.
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HISTORY OF THE SYMBOLISM OF THE TAROT. 85
ORIGIN OF THE OTHERS.
Minchiate of Florence,
Venetian Tarot,
Tarot of Bologna,
97 cards,
78 cards,
62 cards,
of which 40 are Tarots.
c
0
if which 21 are Tarots.
of which 21 are Tarots.
0 The Foolish Man.
The Foolish Man.
0 The Foolish Man.
1 The Juggler.
1
The Juggler.
1 The Juggler.
2 The Grand Duke.
2
The High Priestess
2 The High Priestess.
3 The Emperor of
3
The Empress.
3 The Empress.
the West.
4 The Emperor of
4
The Emperor.
4 The Emperor.
the East.
5 Love.
5
The Pope.
5 The Pope.
6 Temperance.
6
The Lovers.
6 Love.
7 Strength.
7
The Chariot.
7 The Chariot.
8 Justice.
8
Justice.
8 Temperance.
9 The Wheel of For-
9
The Hermit.
9 Justice.
tune.
10 The Chariot.
10
The Wheel of For-
tune.
10 Strength.
11 The Old Man, with
11
Strength.
11 Fortune.
an Hour-glass.
12 The Hanged Man.
12 The Hanged Man.
12 The Old Man.
13 Death.
13
Death.
13 The Hanged Man.
14 The Devil.
14
Temperance.
14 Death.
15 Hell.
15
The Devil.
15 The Devil.
16 Hope.
16
The Lightning-
16 Thunder.
17 Prudence.
struck Tower.
18 Faith.
19 Charity.
20 Fire.
21 Water.
22 The Earth.
23 Air.
24 The Scales.
25 The Virgin.
26 The Scorpion.
27 The Ram.
28 Capricornus.
29 Sagittarius.
30 Cancer.
31 Pisces.
32 Aquarius.
33 The Lion.
34 The Bull.
35 The Twins.
36 The Star.
17
The Star.
17 The Star.
37 The Moon.
18
The Moon.
18 The Moon.
38 The Sun.
19
The Sun.
19 The Sun.
39 The Universe.
20
The Last Judgment.
20 The Universe.
40 Fame.
21
The Universe.
21 The Angel.
86
THE TAROT.
CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN THE PRIMITIVE ITALIAN PACKS AND
THE MODERN TAROT —
Modern Tarot.
The King
The Knight
The Knave
The Emperor
The Pope
Temperance
Strength.
Justice
The Moon
The Sun
Mantegna.
King
Knight
Knave
No. 8 of Mantegna
6 —
2 —
4 of the Tarot is the IX series E of Mantegna
5 — X — E —
14 — 34 — B —
11 — 36 — B —
8 _ 37 — B —
18
19
41 — A —
44 _ A —
The Foolish Man (unnumbered) Beggar
The Star 17
The Chariot 7
The Hermit 9
The Universe 21
Venus
Mars
Saturn
j Jupiter
I First cause
No. 1 Mantegna
42 —
10 —
47 —
46 —
50 —
If, however, the existence of purely Egyptian symbols
in these so-called Italian Tarots do not convince the
reader, a few words on the transformation of the Tarot in
the East, and in other countries of Europe besides Italy,
will completely enlighten him on the subject.
HINDU TAROTS.
In spite of Merlin's assertions, the Tarot represents the
summary of the scientific knowledge of the ancients. This
is unquestionably proved by Chatto's researches amongst
Orientals on this subject.
In fact the Indians possess a game of chess, the Tchcttu-
HISTORY OF THE SYMBOLISM OF THE TAROT. 87
ranga, evidently derived from the Tarot, from the manner
in which the men are arranged in four series.
Elephants, chariots, horses, foot-soldiers.
The Mussulmen of India also possess a pack of cards
that is derived from the old symbols of the Tarot: the
Gungeifu or Ghendgifeh.
This game is composed of eight series of twelve cards
each, divided in this way —
Superior Section Inferior Section
or Bishbur : or Kunbur :
Crowns Harps
Moons Suns
Sabres Royal diplomas
Slaves. Bales of Merchandise.
CHINESE TAROT.
An inexperienced eye might find some difficulty in
recognizing the Tarot in these games, but the Chinese
have given us an irrefutable argument in favour of our
assertion, in the arrangement of their Tarot, which is
represented by the figure on page 83.
We have placed the correspondences of the minor and
major arcana, and of the four letters of the tetragrammaton»
above this figure.
A description of this Chinese pack will be found in
Court de Gcbelin {Le Monde Primitif), and in the work
of J. A. Vaillant.
With regard to the foreign Tarots, we possess nearly all
of them at the present time, and this induces us to name
the various editions of the Tarot which we are now able
to consult.
88
THE TAROT.
MINOR ARCANA.
yod he vau
MAJOR ARCANA.
he
1
15
29
43
57
71
2
16
30
44
58
72
3
17
31
45
59
73
4
18
32
46
60
74
5
19
33
47
61
75
6
20
34
48
62
76
7
21
35
49
63
77
8
22
36
50
64
9
23
37
51
65
10
24
38
52
66
11
25
39
53
67
12
26
40
54
68
13
27
41
55
69
14
28
42
56
70
MODERN TAROTS.
The following are the most important of these modern
Tarots —
The Tarot of Etteila.
The Italian Tarot.
The Marseilles Tarot.
The Tarot of Besançon.
HISTORY OF THE SYMBOLISM OF THE TAROT. 89
The double-headed Tarot of Besançon.
The Tarot of Watillaux.
The German Tarot.
The Tarot of Oswald Wirth.
THE FRENCH TAROT PACKS.
The Tarot of Etteila is of no symbolic value, it is a bad
mutilation of the real Tarot.
This pack is used by all our fortune-tellers. Its sole
interest lies in the strangeness of its figures. It can be
obtained for 5 or 8 francs from all the great card-sellers in
Paris.
The Tarot of Watillaux, or pack of the princess Tarot,
reproduces the minor arcana very correctly. It is worth
consideration on this account.
The Italian Tarot, that of Besancon and of Marseilles,1
are unquestionably the best which we now possess, par-
ticularly the latter, which fairly reproduces the Primitive
symbolical Tarot.
FOREIGN PACKS OF TAROTS.
Besides the Italian we must quote the German Tarot,
in which the symbols of the minor arcana are different.
For
The Cups are represented by The Hearts
The Pentacles — The Bells
The Swords — The Leaves
The Sceptres — The Acorns
However, this Tarot is a very bad one.
1 These Tarots are to be found in Paris, 20 Rue de la Banque,