My views
The Fey EMPRESS seems to live within an "earthy" or substantive world. She is both surrounded and bounded by her world and holds something that may be part of a past world, an alternate world or a fantasy/magical world. She has something precious to her as well as unique within her world. Perhaps, as a Fey, it is quite fitting that she rule over multiple domains. But, "earth" is what I see as an element in this card.
The Fey HANGED MAN is most obviously engaged within a "water" challenge but I see some air here -- he is holding his breath, he is trying to retrieve something that came from an airy environment before it was sunk in water, and he clearly has to return to the air. There is also a tension between him and the fish in front of him. One belongs, one doesn't. This isn't a water or emotional rejection, it is a logical, mental understanding of being out of place. So, I'm leaning more to an "air" element here inspite of the water image of the card.
The Fey WORLD has a highly visible earth environment , essentially the same as is in the Empress card. Here, there is another fantasy animal, the Dragon, in the scene instead of a Unicorn. The second candidate for a fantasy animal is the giant snail that carries the world through the universe. So, we have an "earth" environment within a space (can we call it air?) or open environment. So, which element?
COMMENTS: We have, using the almost universal Fire-Earth-Air-Water cycle of astrology and other symbolic languages, a card that spans the Earth-Air (World) boundry, the Earth (Empress) and the Water-Air (Hanged Man) boundry. Since these are not in sequence there may not be a connection here using the element connections I've noted. So, I offer the "elements" I've chosen but I can't link a story or meaning between them. Any other thoughts? Dave.
