History of Tarot Cards
by D. J. McAdam. © 2001-2004. All rights reserved
worldwide. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.
![history of tarot cards - the hanged man]()
There are few subjects known to Man about which more misleading or
false information has been published than the history of tarot
cards. Why?
The answers are simple:
- Tarot cards today are associated with fortune-telling and "the
occult." Serious historians, generally speaking, have no desire to
be associated with such subjects.
- The absence of serious inquiries has created a vacuum that has been
willingly filled by individuals who approach the subject with something
less than scholarly rigor.
- Tarot cards, as a "product of mystery and the unknown," have been
perceived to have benefited by allusions to "a secret past, shrouded in
mystery" - at least, by some individuals who have been involved in
marketing tarot cards.
- Misinformation about tarot cards has existed for quite some
time. Thus, many old (and presumed reliable) works are quoted by
newer works, and the misinformation is passed down from one generation
to the next.
The purpose of this article is to offer a historically accurate history
of tarot cards, to explain how some misinformation about tarot card
history came to exist, and to suggest some further avenues for study and
research.
In the beginning
Tarot cards are an early form of today's playing cards, entering Europe
in the 14th century in Italy and France. A nice facsimile of one of
these early decks, the 15th century Visconti-Sforza
Tarocchi Deck, is still available today. They were described by
Feliciano Busi as being "from Saracinia," i.e., the land of the Saracens,
or Arabia. It's important to recall that one of Europe's greatest
civilizations - Moorish Spain - was flourishing at this time, and that
there was a great deal of intellectual exchange going on between Europe
and the Middle East.
Tarot cards (or taroc cards, or tarocchi cards) were originally used
for playing a card game called tarocchi, and had no more (or less) to do
with foretelling the future than did other types of playing cards.
The major arcana cards did hold secret symbolic meanings for Sufis, who
influenced the kabala - this is why correlations are sometimes drawn
between the kabala and tarot cards. In card games, the 22
major arcana cards were trump cards, and the 56 minor arcana cards in four
suits are similar to today's standard deck of 52 cards in four suits, with
the obvious difference being that the tarot deck has fourteen cards in
each suit.
The origin of the word "tarot"
Numerous theories exist, some linking the word with geographic place
names, others much more fanciful. Idries Shah, in The Sufis,
hypothesizes that tarot is a derivation of the Arab word
turuq, which means "four ways."
And now . . .
Nowadays, most modern tarot cards are used for divination or as a
symbol-system for personal growth and development. Tarot cards are
often used as vehicles for artistic _expression_ as well, and numerous
artists (including Salvador Dali) have used the symbolism of the tarot as
a means of creative _expression_.
How did tarot cards get associated with fortune-telling?
Actually, all playing cards have been used for divinatory
purposes. Tarot cards, with more intricate designs and an older
pedigree than modern decks, tend to look the part more. And, of
course, tarot decks were not all that well-known in England - the English
having derived their playing card designs from the French - so that
when the Order of the Golden Dawn and other British occultists were
searching around for things that looked mysterious, tarot cards filled the
bill nicely.
Some Common Myths Dispelled
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Tarot cards did not
originate in ancient Egypt. This was an invention by an 18th
century
writer. |
![bullet]() |
Tarot cards did not arrive
in Europe with the Gypsies. This rumor seems to have started
because Gypsies were thought to have come from Egypt - which they
didn't - and because Gypsies are often associated with
fortune-telling. This myth is easily dispelled, however, when
one stops to consider that tarot cards existed in Europe before
the arrival of
Gypsies. |
![bullet]() |
Tarot cards have not
specifically been known as "cards of the devil." That title
was given to all playing cards by early churchmen - and had
nothing to do with fortune-telling. These protectors of the
faith were condemning playing cards because they were used for
gambling. Some sinners went so far as to play cards when
(gasp!) they should have been at church
services. |
Glossary of Terms
![bullet]() |
Atouts - French.
Alternative term for
tarots. |
![bullet]() |
Attuti - Italian,
alternative term for
tarots. |
![bullet]() |
Tarocchi - Italian.
Tarot cards, or a game played with tarot cards. |
![bullet]() |
Tarots - French, tarot
cards. |
![bullet]() |
Trionfi - Italian,
alternative term for
tarots. |
