Antiquaries Journal

A Brief History of Tarot

No one knows the history of Tarot with certainty.  Facts and fiction have been oft-repeated until the two have co-mingled creating a “history” that is neither fact nor fiction.

Even the word tarot is given a multi-cultural origin.  Egyptian, Hebrew, Latin, or an anagram, the origin of this word is lost.  It may be a derivative of the Italian phrase carte da trijonfi (Cards of the Trumps), the word tarocchi or tarocco, or the German tarock, or the lasting French form tarot.  However, these names came into vogue at least 100 years after the oldest cards were created.The best historians can do, is draw conclusions.

Among the many speculations is that The Tarot had its origins in Egypt, India, China, the Cathars, Kabbalah, or even secret societies.  What we do know is that the oldest Tarot Cards seem to have originated in Northern Italy about 1420.  No cards have been discovered older, or from another place of origin. Whether this is due to climate factors is uncertain.

Previous to this time, about 1375, playing cards began circulating from Muslim areas of Europe.  An adaptation of the Islamic Mamluk cards, these cards had suits consisting of cups, swords, coins and polo sticks.  They also contained court cards consisting of a king and two lower level males. About 50 years later, the Trump Decks (Tarot) added The Fool, The Trumps and a set of Queens.  Terms such as Major Arcana and Minor Arcana are modern inventions as are the terms Pentacles and Wands.

About 1390, Jacquemin Gringonneur was commissioned to paint three decks of cards for Charles VI, King of France 1380-1422.  Other than payments records for “decks of cards” nothing is recorded to show if the cards were adapted Mamuk Cards, early versions of Tarot Cards or even French Playing Cards that featured the familiar Hearts, Spades, Clubs and Diamonds. Although not contributed to this transaction, there is a deck of cards in the Bibliotheque Nationale de France, hand-painted and in the style of Northern Italian City States.

Tarot lore includes traveling into Europe on Gypsy wagons.  Popularized by 19th Century novelists Villant and Papus, there is no historical evidence that Gypsies used Tarot until sometime in the 20th century.  Their work historically was palmistry, fire divination and later playing cards.

The first known cards are hand-painted decks commissioned by noble families. That isn’t to say that printed cards may not have appeared after the invention of the Gutenberg Press, but these are the cards still in existence.

Containing rich symbolism, the cards often featured religious illustrations similar to European art of the period. This may be due to two factors.  The monasteries were still producing illustrated works for nobility and rich merchants and “fad”  Medieval and Renaissance Art was primarily filled with religious themes that carried over into the artwork of the cards.

History records the use of these decks of cards for a game similar Bridge. French titles (and their English translations) different somewhat from Italian titles. Many of the French titles have become familiar to us through the Tarot de Marseille. Ordering of the trumps varied considerably in Italy, perhaps depending on the whim of the creator. Even the number of cards in the deck seems to have varied.  However, complete sets of cards are extremely rare, so firm statements to the fact are difficult.

 Early bards and poets used the cards as a basis for verses known as tarocchi appropriate.  These recitations were performed to flatter Ladies of the Court, Nobility and exalted Religious Leaders. As early as the 16th Century, bards were creating composition that described and ascribed certain personality characteristics.  In one case a verse related to a person’s fate.

Although there is no proof of “illicit” use of decks of cards for activities such as witchcraft, Inquisition Records show that in a 1589 Venetian trial, the cards were vilified and citizens accused of using them for witchcraft.  However, during this time, accusations and trials were easy to produce.  Factual evidence was missing more often than not.  There is no historical documentation, even from the Inquisition, that shows The Catholic Church regarded Tarot or Playing Card Decks as heresy.  They were occasionally banned because of their use in gambling, but were often found exempt from bans perhaps because they were used to amuse the upper class.

There is no conclusive evidence that Trump Decks were designed for divination usage.  However, there are records of divinatory meanings assigned to the card in early 16th Century Bologna.  Playing cards were connected to divination as early as 1487, so conjecture would include the Trump Decks.  In the latter 16th Century, and as evidenced by Ettella’s deck, tarot decks began to be modified and created with divinatory and esoteric meanings.

It is likely that divinatory and esoteric meanings existed before the creation of this deck.  The early Renaissance was a time of intellectual activity.  Strong roots for Hermeticism, Astrology, Neo-Platonism, and Pythagorean Philosophy still existed.  Many of these intellectual activities the descendants of the Cultural Slaves captured and imported into the Roman Empire from Greece and Egypt.  These may have led to esoteric meanings for the cards, but the first known symbolism was deeply based in the emerging Christian culture of the time.

The first occult discussions of Tarot were by the writer Court de Gebelin and the Comte de Mellet about 1781.  Previously, the card decks were not included in books on occult or magical philosophies.  In the late 16th Century to early 17th Century, growing interest in occult subject integrated the Tarot into Occult Philosophy. While the original intention of the deck designers is unknown, their use of the Trumps was also molded into the Occult Philosophy.

The most well-known creation, The Waite-Smith deck was created in 1909.  Although many people believe this to be the original deck, it arrived 600 years later to known Tarot history.  A prominent member of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, A. E. Waite commissioned artist, Pamela Coleman Smith to assist him in creating his own deck.  She contributed her visionary skills for the creations of the Minor Arcana Cards. The Celtic Cross Spread is also attributed to A. E. Waite. 

While the true origins of Tarot remain obscured in history, its popularity grows.  Over 1000 decks are printed around the world and off-shoots of the industry have led to the creation of Oracle Decks, used in a similar manner.  We no longer have to rely on the laborious task of hand painting each card.  However, standardization decreases as card meanings are created to fit the various themes of the new decks. From gaming to the mystical, the history of Tarot is as colorful as its cards.

 

 

 

 

 

About the Author

A 5th generation Psychic/Medium LILLIE RUBY has been a professional clairvoyant for over 30 years.  LILLIE provides Intuitive and Spiritual Consultations to people and corporations around the globe.  To find out more go to: http://www.lillieruby.org

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