Yygdrasilian
Herakles strikes a similar pose ‘over’ the constellation DRACO – an asterism seen to coil around Earth’s north celestial pole, yet bearing striking similarity to the astrological glyph for LEO, the lion. If you connect the ‘dots’, that is. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Draco_(constellation)Ross Caldwell said:On the face of it, the identification of the figure in the card seems certain - Hercules is a proverbial symbol of strength; this would be an appropriate figure for a Sforza, whose name means “force” or “strength”, or as an allegory of the name of the Duke of Ferrara. Moreover, Hercules is frequently depicted carrying his weapon of choice, a club. And indeed, a club figures in the first Labour, which depending on the version has Hercules vainly trying to kill the Lion with it (its skin proving impervious to arrows and blows) or chasing the Lion into a cave with it.
But while doubtlessly reasonable, there are some difficulties with this hypothesis. There are incongruities between the traditional depictions of the Labour, and the iconography of the card, as well as in the story itself. For instance, in the story Hercules, after vainly trying to kill the lion with arrows and then beating it with a club, succeeds finally only by using his superhuman physical strength to strangle it. The imagery of the Labour usually shows this victory, depicted as either grappling head-to-head with the lion, or wrestling with it, Hercules having a stranglehold around the lion's neck. Finally, after choking the Nemean Lion, Hercules henceforth wore its invulnerable skin, as depicted in the 1475 portrayal of Hercules’ second Labour, the Killing of the Lernean Hydra, by the artist Antonio Pollaiolo. Certainly Pollaiolo's dyanmic figure, with the lion's tail snapping out behind, is reminiscent of Hercules' billowing sash that lends movement to the Visconti-Sforza card. But if the intention of the card-painter were to show this particular triumph of Hercules, it would be odd to show him using one of the unsuccessful methods. Rather it may be that the image is a visual synecdoche, a representation of all that Hercules means in general.
http://www.trionfi.com/0/i/r/11.html
Perhaps, then, this clothed Force is more of an allusion to Herakles 11th Labor than his first.
The affiliation carries a particular poignancy if The Emperor's identity was indeed that of Sigismund I of Hungary, whose blessing Francesco Sforza may have needed to ascend from being strongest of the condottiero unto the ranks of nobility through his betrothal to the Duke of Milan's sole heir. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fd/Visconti-sforza-04-emperor.jpg
While there is presumably no evidence for Tarot’s origins in the occult, it is interesting to note how the 3-ring emblem on Sigismund’s chest, a symbol inexorably linked to Bianca Visconti’s wedding dowry, does share a notable feature with the qabalah in locating Draco at “11” –though, to be fair, that ‘point’ ought really belong to the letter shaped more like Herakles’ billowing cape. http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-REdC2F2JEIQ/U8CuZUQLwoI/AAAAAAAAAPY/p9dl97tojrA/s1600/7-11.jpg
Were Tarot’s 0-21 arcana meant to be used with Hebrew’s 22 letters, The Emperor would correlate to the Sepher Yetzirah’s simple letter, HEH, and thus ARES – a constellation depicting the golden-fleeced ram, Crios Chrysomallos. Despite the fact that this Milan pattern deck had no written names or numbers, the allusion would hold were the Greek word for “sheep” (melon) known to be the same as that for “apple”, as in the globus cruciger held within the Emperor's left hand - a 'golden apple' akin to the fabled fruit of Greek mythology that once grew from Hera’s orchard in the Garden of the Hesperides and was watched over by Ladon (Strong Flow), a sleepless mythological dragon which likewise kept guard of the golden fleece. After being slain by Herakles during his 11th labor it was immortalized by the goddess Hera (Air) among the stars as DRACO.
Posed as a “Regulus”, the Latin diminutive of rex meaning ‘little king’ (at least as compared to "Christ, the King"), the icon of The Emperor may also pun for a certain species of dragon mentioned in the ‘Psalm of Protection’ and known in Greek as a basilisk: "You will tread on the lion and the dragon, the asp and the basilisk you will trample under foot" [Psalms 91:13]. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilisk
As ‘King of the Serpents’, the Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund had a natural affiliation with dragons by virtue of his ancestral lineage to Sigurd, a hero of the Norse Volsunga Saga who’d obtained a great treasure of gold by slaying a dragon and eating its heart. http://www.tarotforum.net/showpost.php?p=2498412&postcount=2
Notably, Regulus was also the name of the brightest star in Leo: the 'cor de leon' common to certain alchemical allegories of metallurgy in connection with a specific method for purifying the King of Metals, Gold, with Antimony – a fact not lost on most kings, no matter how small, upon minting the coins of their realm.
Although likely dead some years before they were painted, Sigismund’s appearance among these proto-Tarot cards may have heralded Francesco Sforza's allegiance to the Emperor’s Societas Draconostrum - possibly elaborated upon further with the Codex de Sphaera (1469). http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6a/De_Sphaera_-_Allegory_Sforza.JPG
As regards astrological lore, ARES and LEO share an affinity with Gold inasmuch as the Sun ‘rules’ LEO and is ‘exalted’ in ARES – attributions noted by Ptolemy in his Tetrabiblos. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Essent...of_the_traditional_essential_dignities.5B2.5D
Yet, by the time Tarot begins to acquire a ‘standard’ form, LEO tends to take the place of LIBRA – an incongruity oft held as evidence against any said correlation to qabalah. However, insofar as the philosopher’s riddle of transmuting lead into gold was concerned with more than just metallurgy, there may be an edifying purpose served in transposing the Domicile of Gold (LEO) with Lead’s Exaltation (LIBRA). One perhaps furthered by adjusting the scales of Balance through the spell-ing of “God” (aleph-lamed). http://www.ancient-hebrew.org/3_al.html
Is it not feasible that the Milan-pattern influenced decks of Tarot drew from some older tradition familiar to certain members of the Dragon Order concerning the use of alphabets in signifying an ancient formula of ‘immortality’? Though one imagines that must have required some Promethean act of Forethought, it may simply have been a matter of knowing Saturn’s proper place upon the Tree. So, if you’ve a penchant for prospecting through geometric means, you might just find a “Golden” Apple growing there. But I suspect “Hera’s Glory” will need follow through with his swing on that Lion first.
11 2³