Queen of Swords ‒ negative reactions

Sentient

I was hoping to get some feedback from those who have a strong negative reaction to WS Queen of Swords.

Is it because you associate the card with a particular person? Is it the art, the meaning... something else?
 

Attachments

  • S13-ws.jpeg
    S13-ws.jpeg
    88.4 KB · Views: 2,409

TK_Finch

For me it was associated with a particularly bad middle-manager I answered to for a couple of years. Not a great association.
 

Nepenthes

QoS

I think the art definitely illustrates what might be viewed as an authority figure with a somewhat air of superiority. It might be rightfully so based on the perspective of any cold justice begin applied. Additionally, the association of swords with the masculine gender may magnify the perspective that the application of authority, especially if martial or criminal, is viewed more harmoniously with the masculine.

However, I am relatively new to tarot though the artwork does enforce in my literature of queens ruling alone.


Alan
 

Cynthia_H

I was hoping to get some feedback from those who have a strong negative reaction to WS Queen of Swords. Is it because you associate the card with a particular person? Is it the art, the meaning... something else?

Hi Sentient

While I do not have a strong negative reaction to the RWS Queen of Swords, I understand this response to this card. It is almost an "archetypical" response in some ways. The other Queens do not evoke this response; the Q Cups is unconditional love, the Q Pentacles is hearth and home, and the Q of Wands could be your dream woman (and in my humble opinion a bit of a tart, but then I have trouble with the Q of Wands). These three Queens have remained within the expected behaviours for a Queen and represent the sister/daughter model of the Empress. But the Queen of Swords has dared to step away from the Empress model and take on an atypical powerful role normally thought of belonging to a King.

The Q of Swords beckons you forward with her left hand at the same time holding her sword upright in her right hand. What is going to happen, will she stab or cut you ? decapitate you ? or hear you out ? This is an intimating image.

Dr. Helen Castor has an interesting series, which for me speaks directly to the Q of Swords, called "She-Wolves - England's Early Queens". The term She-wolf has the negative connotation of a wounded, bitter, angry, predatory woman. This series talks about women who challenged early British male authority and tried to rule in their own right and were denigrated with the term She-Wolves. Her first example was Matilda. Matilda was the blood heir to the throne, designated by her father but still she had to win her crown through battle. After defeating her male cousin, when she tried to rule, the lords revolted, claiming that she was "unnatural" because she did not demonstrate the reticent qualities of a woman of her time but instead demonstrated the qualities of a ruling monarch.

Perhaps the Q of Swords is challenging the K of Swords like another "She-Wolf" in this series, Eleanor of Aquitaine, who did challenge her husband Henry II (son of the above mentioned Matilda). Of note is that Eleanor was richer in her own right than her husband, more politically astute than her husband and therefore, had she not been a woman in her time, would have been considered by all to be more powerful than her husband.

I see the Q of Swords as possibly being more powerful than her husband the King of Swords and as the rouge daughter/sister of the Empress and clearly as an anomaly amongst the Queens. As Dr. Castor said the She-Wolves show us just how far we have come and how little things have changed. I think that we can feel uncomfortable with the Queen archetype stripped of her nurturing behaviours and taking on what are perceived as King behaviours.
 

Laurelle

Hi Sentient

While I do not have a strong negative reaction to the RWS Queen of Swords, I understand this response to this card. It is almost an "archetypical" response in some ways. The other Queens do not evoke this response; the Q Cups is unconditional love, the Q Pentacles is hearth and home, and the Q of Wands could be your dream woman (and in my humble opinion a bit of a tart, but then I have trouble with the Q of Wands). These three Queens have remained within the expected behaviours for a Queen and represent the sister/daughter model of the Empress. But the Queen of Swords has dared to step away from the Empress model and take on an atypical powerful role normally thought of belonging to a King.

Do you see the Queen of Swords related to the High Priestess at all? The HP is feminine opposite of the Empress. Or maybe the woman in Justice?


I see the Q of Swords as possibly being more powerful than her husband the King of Swords and as the rouge daughter/sister of the Empress and clearly as an anomaly amongst the Queens. As Dr. Castor said the She-Wolves show us just how far we have come and how little things have changed. I think that we can feel uncomfortable with the Queen archetype stripped of her nurturing behaviours and taking on what are perceived as King behaviours.

I was taught that the Queen and King of Swords were a brother/sister duo. And it makes sense to me because you've gotta have at least one singular archetype in the bunch. So your point about having the Queen of Swords want to seize all the power would be quite appropriate in that instance, where she may be the regent to a young king (such was Haptshuet in Egypt) only to upsurp him and take control when he became of age.
 

Indygoflame

Hi. After reading your post and the following responses, I thought I'd give it go. I used to feel dread about pulling the queen of swords but I don't feel that way anymore. Queen of wands being a bit witchy and a tart as someone else mentioned. Queen of cups being full of emotion and intuitive and then we arrive at the queen of swords. Q of swords reminds me of how a woman is viewed as a b!@$h because she is driven and knows what she wants. For me she is the woman who is not passive as society would have her. She is smart, clever and in charge. I feel her sword could cut you or knight you. Out of all the queens in the deck I feel she is the only one that would pose a real challenge to her male counterparts.
 

Cynthia_H

Do you see the Queen of Swords related to the High Priestess at all? The HP is feminine opposite of the Empress. Or maybe the woman in Justice?
Hi Laurelle:
Sorry about not responding earlier to your question, I kind of lost tract this thread.

Just me, but I do not see the Q of S directly related to the HP. I see the HP as being the opposite of the Empress; that they are two sides of the coin of feminine attributes and are not in competition with each other. If the Empress and the HP merged, they would essentially form a "superwoman". But I don't feel that either one of them by themselves feel that they are incomplete. However, with the Q of S, I feel she is reaching for something beyond what society deems she can be or have because for her to accept what society says she should be is not enough. She wants more than she is told she can have or is and therein lies her discontent and struggle.

With respect to the woman in Justice I can see some relationship to the Q of S as both are concerned about fairness and justice, perhaps the woman in the Justice card a bit more concerned with the day to day enforcing of justice. Cheers, Cynthia.