Druidcraft Study Group: Prince of Wands

TygrEyes

PRINCE OF WANDS

In this card we see the young Prince charging full speed ahead w/ his red cloak flying behind him. To me he looks to be on a mission - but it could be one of blind faith seeing that his eyes are closed. His trusty steed has cleared a grassy green mound with ease putting he & his rider hovering between the earth & sky.
The Prince’s clothes are earthy green & browns except for this red cloak and his horse’s “saddle” blanket is red as well. I take this to mean that although he’s coming into his fiery nature he still needs a strong earthy influence to ground him to keep the fire from raging out of control. I think he needs that because he seems so gun-ho he could get himself into a lot of trouble without some grounding.
He could have his eyes closed just because he’s reveling in the experience of being young & free & on his own adventure.
His cloak has golden clasps 2/ what looks like Celtic knot work. I can’t really make out the designs. On his brown overshirt there’s a zoomorph which I think is a serpent indicative of this Prince’s element.
 

Moonbow

Prince of Wands:
 

WolfSpirit

The card to me shows enthusiasm in whatever he is undertaking. There is so much pleasure in this card, whether he gets the result he is after or not, right now he has so much fun in going after what he wants. Also the horse shows that: it looks as if the horse is jumping with pleasure.

The prince and horse fill the whole picture, there is not much space for anything else (also the princess of wands had little nature details or other background). But I find the lump of grass also worth noting, it reminds me so much of a wave in the sea, it has exactly the same shape.
 

Sulis

WolfSpirit said:
But I find the lump of grass also worth noting, it reminds me so much of a wave in the sea, it has exactly the same shape.

I was just thinking of this - he's carried along on the crest of a wave, enthusiastic at first but no real staying power. Waves don't last long and neither does the Prince of Wands; he's easily bored.

Haven't really studied this card - will write more tomorrow.

Love

Sulis xx
 

Keslynn

He looks like the kind of guy who always said "Look at me!" when he was a child. He's growing out of saying it, but he does bold things to capture other's attention. He wants them to look without having to say it. Brash, courageous and probably pompous too. He looks like a lot of fun. Probably the life of the party.

Does it look to anyone else like he's riding a pony instead of a full-grown horse? I think this speaks of his tendency to inflate things. He has wonderful dreams, which can either become delusions of grandeur or the foundation for a wonderful project. It's his choice based on how long and hard he decides to pursue something. For now, though, it's all about the fun.

:) Kes
 

Rhiannon

Keslynn said:
Does it look to anyone else like he's riding a pony instead of a full-grown horse? :) Kes
You know, Kes, I've noticed that almost all of the horses in this deck remind me more of ponies. The exceptions are the darker horse (on the left) in the Chariot and the horse in the Knight of Swords. Do you think there's a reason for that? Or is it just an artistic quirk?
 

WolfSpirit

I don't know enough about horses to know when you call them a horse and when a pony. But I think the "old" horse races were smaller and more robust than most of our modern horses, so I think he drew them correctly.
They also fit nicely with the people in the deck who also look strong and not too delicate :)
 

Majecot

Finally a moment for study ;)

This prince is a is charging forward on his sturdy steed... neverminding that the terrain is a bit bumpy, he just leaps over it. He seems quite bold and foward to me.
He has a little, almost smirk on his face that speaks of fun-loving and something of a rebel. Not as serious as his counterparts. He gives the impression of charging in and shaking things up, then moving on. It looks like his eyes may even be closed as he jumps over the mound.
I notice, comparitivley speaking, that his wardrobe is not quite as flashy or bold as the other Princes. As though he were more concerned with the action being the impression rather than a visual.

His horse does seem like it is smaller than the other horses are. But I think your correct in that the horse would have been smaller and stockier in olden days. I believe modern man has breed horses to be much larger.
 

Emily

I love the way the horse looks just as eager as the Prince. He's flying over the grass, ears forward, eyes bright and mane and tail flying in the wind. This is probably a young horse that has took part in many a daring adventure. :)
 

CreativeFire

I really liked your thoughts on the shape of the grassy mound in the card, WolfSpirit and Sulis - it does look like a wave! :)

The first thing that struck me with this card was that neither he or nor his horse are actually touching the ground in the image and seem to be in full flight charging ahead - perhaps not grounded in or overly concerned about reality or responsibility.

Also like the Princess of Wands card, you can't see the top of his wand / staff.

Looking at the other Prince cards I noticed that the Prince of Wands is the only one with his eyes shut - not looking where he is going and just enjoying the fast ride.

I also noticed the size of his horse / pony and did think that probably the steeds were of a stockier and hardier breed for endurance and riding over uneven or hilly terrain.

CreativeFire