Ludy Lescot - The Four Aces

Aerin

So, here they are: four enigmatic beauties in masks (well, Cups has a headress instead, interesting), and yes I still think they are the same as the lusty women in the Magician.

In every case, the masks and clothing/ accessories are related to the element and the suit symbol can be seen to the left. Even the backdrop seems suit related.

Wands: Staff held by a gloved hand; mask made of wood with twigs; salamander necklace (fire); she's inside a rich-looking house; colours are orangey/red.

Swords: Sword in a Stone; mask is butterflies and feathers (air); she's outside in the woods; purpley colours.

Pents/ coins: Coin being tossed by a ?man's hand; mask made of gold and emeralds; pearl necklace and rose; there's a pillar and a drape as a backdrop; yellow/ gold colours.

Cups: Cup gathering some of the rain and held in an elegant hand; not a mask but an elegant dolphin headdress; shell straps on the dress; you can't see more of the background than the rain and maybe? a grey sky; bluey/ green colours.

Anyway, those are the main features that jumped out.

Their hair and eyes are also different colours.

Do comment away!!
 

Hemera

I´m not a fan of these aces but maybe there is a reason behind it and a story that will unfold as we go along?
These women all look like they are trying to be Femme Fatales but not quite succeeding. They look almost a bit comical to me. I´m wondering about the men´s hands. They seem to be giving orders to the women or keeping the women under a spell or something. The hand in the Cups looks like it´s floating in the air and doesn´t seem to be attached to a body at all.
 

Elendil

I´m not a fan of these aces...

Me neither. I also think that they have an artistic 'dis-similarity' with the rest of the deck and the fact that they are effectively the same woman with different hair and eye colour and clothes makes me suspect a certain artistic laziness...

The MOST interesting thing about them is Aerin's discovery that they are likely the same women who feature on The Magician card. Would that be his hand which features on their cards do you think?

ETA: I wonder why is there no hand on the Ace of Swords? If each of the suit markers is a 'gift' it seems odd that a swordis offered only as a rather 'trite' sword-in-a-stone and 'bucks the trend'.
 

Aerin

I think they look very different women, especially the Cups lady.

I too wondered about the Swords.
 

Styx

I find the idea of the four aces being the four women behind the Magician interesting - but who would the fifth woman be ? You can make out a fifth one right behind the Magician. Would that be Ludy, at least in a metaphorical way ?
 

RunningWild

We discussed that in the Magician thread. :)
 

Hemera

You can make out a fifth one right behind the Magician. Would that be Ludy, at least in a metaphorical way ?
Yes, I think it could be Ludy. Or it could be "me".
I think it could also be seen as the Fifth Element (Spirit) which has been added to some tarot decks (like the Fifth Tarot).
 

MaineGirl117

Ace of Swords

I actually like the Aces!! Especially the Ace of Swords.

I see this card as saying that the Truth to present circumstances is buried in the past. If you're not willing to even attempt to pull the sword from the stone then you're going to go through life (or 'the dream/the myth') completely stumbling in the dark and never understand how to transform yourself into a better Self. The solution to our present problems can only be found by analyzing our thoughts (thought patterns, dreams, intuitions) in the past. We can therefore move confidently into the future - not living in the nightmare that we fear to face, but instead facing the reality of our situation and realizing that it is only a present 'nightmare' that will 'disappear upon awakening'. These last quotes are coming from the LWB toward the end of the suit. I see this as becoming conscious of our decisions, actions, words etc. I actually feel like the swords in this deck call us to correct our actions or reflect on how we've come to a particular situation. They are thoughtful 'pauses' which enable us to look backwards to the past and forwards into the future. When the Ace of this suit comes up for me, it says "What are you not seeing? What are you not willing to look at? What is hidden from view? What idea are you not fully actualizing or supressing?"