New cards for an old ceremony

The History of Tarot

A number of myths, legends, and theories surround the birth and development of Tarot cards, but their precise origin remains unknown to the day. According to some theories the cards were invented in India, China or ancient Egypt. What is known for a fact, however, is that Tarot cards originated in northern Italy early in the 15th century (1420-1440). Also the earliest names for Tarot are Italian. Originally the cards were called carte da trionfi (cards of the triumphs), around 1530 the word tarocchi began to be used.

The first known deck that still exists was painted by the Italian Bonifacio Bembo for the Visconti-Sforza family of Milan in the 15th century. The Sforza deck is painted on heavy cardboard and corresponds almost card for card to the modern Tarot pack. The Tarot was originally used to play a card game resembling Bridge. The titles of the cards were also used to create poems for famous personages. According to some theorists the cards were not intenteded for card play at all, but were visual representations of events and people of the times.

By the end of the 15th century the Italian Tarot deck had undergone some changes, when the cardmakers in Marseilles, France, had began to standardize the cards. Thus the Marseilles deck became a popular deck. This deck contains the same subjects but is different in design.

Tarot has often been associated with occultism, black magic or similar. This view has been promoted by the Christian church in the times when it monopolised spirituality. Early Tarot had more to do with playing than fortune-telling. The divination factor was introduced to Tarot in the 18th century by Antoine Court de Gébelin. Due to these influences the Tarot deck is often seen as a tool for divination, and the richness of its cultural and artistic heritage is ignored.

Arthur Edward Waite contributed to the renaissance of the Tarot in the 20th century. Waite designed a Tarot deck together with the artist Pamela Coleman Smith. The Rider-Waite deck is one of the most famous decks today and is widely regarded as the standard of Tarot. A major change to earlier decks was that all 78 cards were illustrated. The deck expresses the artist's sense of ritual, mysticism, fantasy and imagination, combined to Waite's astrological and alchemical symbolism.

Also a known deck today is the Swiss 1JJ deck. This deck follows closely the original packs. The two J’s in the title refer to Jupiter and Junon, the Roman equivalents for the Greek Zeus and Hera.

The universalism of the symbols depicted in Tarot cards is part of a tradition of archetypes, created by C.G. Jung. Philosophical systems aim to create symbolic and logical order to the chaos of our subconscious. Archetypes are collective mental structures of humankind and can be said to be represented in Tarot images.

Nowadays, most modern Tarot cards are used as a symbol system for personal growth and development or thinking tool for problem-solving. Tarot cards have inspired numerous visual artists, writers, film-makers etc. in their creative work. Tarot has greatly influenced the development of e.g. abstract art.

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