Tarot is, according to one legend, after the death of a great civilization and contains the experience gathered in the Holy Book of Thoth of the ancient Egyptians.
Legend of the origin of tarot cards
There is the following legend about the origin of tarot. In the past, there were once nomads who were constantly terrorized by Egypt, enslaved and troubled. As a result, the nomads were tired. They united at a moment when Egypt weakened and set off on a campaign against their tyrants.
It was clear to the Egyptian priests that the hordes that attacked them could not be contained. At that moment, it became important for them to retain a system of knowledge for managing the power of nature. They needed to do something quickly. Therefore, a council of priests was gathered to discuss how to impart the knowledge they possessed in their afterlife. They were to be stored in such a way that once they were reborn, only the priests could understand what it was about. At the same time, since they did not know where or at what time they would be reborn, the information had to be accessible everywhere.
Priests' suggestions according to legend
There were various suggestions. One of them was a priest who said: “I do not believe in the virtue of humanity. It may disappear. Only vice is eternal. " He then suggested that all knowledge be hidden in the form of a picture gambling game. People perceive it as just that and the knowledge to survive, because vice is eternal.
It is not known what other proposals were made that day. It is said that they did three things. The priests created gold tables with cast secret knowledge in them and hid them in the Pyramid of Cheops. These tables have not been found so far. They also created inscriptions in Mount Sinai, but the nomads destroyed them. To be sure, the priests also created a gamble of picture cards. It is she who survived to this day. It still has it and the tarot besides the fortune teller also has playing cards.
Thus the knowledge of the priests of the Holy Book of Thoth survived and is preserved. For the book itself, there is a legend that it is located at the bottom of the Nile River in a special underground temple.
The Real History of Tarot Cards
There are really many versions of what the origin of tarot cards is. Some of these versions provide tarot in too early periods, but there is no evidence to support their claims. Even the dating of 1392, based on the Charles VI Tarot, is actually the wrong one - the tarot is from the end of the 15th century, stored in the Italian National Library and is handmade from the North Italian type.
According to the preserved historical evidence, tarot cards first appeared in Italy around 1450, more precisely in Milan, when the Visconti-Sforza tarot appeared, of which only fragments stored in museums have reached the present day. This tarot is due to a mass of 78 cards known to us today. The Visconti-Sforza tarot was quickly gaining popularity, mainly because it was also done with large paintings hung on the walls of noble dwellings, so varieties were soon born. The varieties were made by artists because they were favored by aristocrats who paid well for handmade and beautifully painted tarot.
In 1465. the first variety appears - the tarot of Andrea Mantenia, who is an Italian artist. The Mantenia Tarot is also known as the 50 Doors of Bina (the third Sephiroth in Kabbalah - translated from Hebrew reason, intellect), based on Kabbalah and the Kabbalistic division of the Universe. This Tarot consists of 50 cards, divided into 5 spheres - Heavenly Vault, Fundamentals and Virtues, Science, Muses, Public Status. Each series consists of 10 cards. Some of the images of modern tarot decks are borrowed from the Mantenia tarot.
And the division of tarot, which is widely known to us in modern times (glasses, swords, wands, pentacles), was borrowed from the Muslims - there was a card game where these are the main 4 series, but for the purposes of tarot they are little changed, for example Muslim cards have coins and European pentacles.
From there, besides divination, the tarot was also used as a game. In this connection, the game is preserved to this day - by the French however- jeu de tarot- is played by four players and with all 78 cards.
The earliest information about the use of tarot as divination cards is from 1527 - in some verses «tarocchi appropriati». Later, in 1540. Francesco Marcolino da Forli publishes the first book describing how to use the tarot for divination. The book is called "Divination" and is the earliest known tarot divination book.
Subsequently, all varieties of tarot appear, so far so many that the blog will not be able to describe them, so that only some of the more well-known types will be considered.
Author: The Shadow
