Bit of a history lecture folks.. Sorry!
LOL - To be different from WalesWoman and David, I love this card!
Well, I love it because of its strange complexity and even the silliest of Old Percy's dreams and things. Its just one of those cards that makes me chuckle (crazy wack eyed druid-ness and alcohol is to blame me thinks!).
St George, to my knowledge, isn't well thought of as a druid hunter, but St Patrick of Ireland is! Legend says that he drove all the snakes from Ireland, snakes being another term used for Druids during the medieval period. Snakes and serpents and dragons all being of the devil I guess.
Also, another thought that has often chuckled me is that if a lion saw the lion in this card, he would think he's rather camp. He just lacks that something that even the 'mastered' lions of other decks has.
The two women, the crone of Paganism and the maiden of Christianity hold hand and in hand, which brings to my mind how early Christianity took more than a helping hand from Paganism during the time of conversion in the UK. Churches on pagan sites, with pagan iconography hidden within the walls of the church (by the pagan craftsman its believed), how people saw the relation of the dying god of the harvest and the dying jesus of Christianity - Christianity by its self couldn't have converted the pagans, so it used little and sometimes devious tricks, but very clever all the same.
The Strength though I think of this time (thinking with the 9 of Spears also) is the Strength of the time to have this strange period were there wasn't an 'offical' religion and that many of the peasents were still pagan and had their customs, customs and traditions that even the aristocracy kept to even though they were ranted on about how chivalric and honourable they were.
The two women also highlights how in this period of time you had two views of women - women were the bane of men for Eve ate the fruit from Eden and drove them from paradise, or (and a more minority view) is the cult of the virgin mary (David, perhaps a spark of balance even in this heavily masculine world?) where women were seen as figures of Mary if they kept themselves pure and chaste and spent all day darning men's socks
With these thoughts at the time, its a wonder that women didn't revolt, but women had strength during this time as well. As men went off to crusade and defend against the invading scots, irish, vikings (take your pick!) women very much ruled the estates. Also women had the upper hand if she was a widow, and young men would fall all over eachother to win the heart of a rich and highly respectable widow.
Just with all that background history alone I think that makes the Strength card so great. I love how the tail of the serpent curves out of the picture and then appears again at the bottom. The legend of the card I really don't like, it doesnt gel with me, but I dont like Percy and I'm glad he doesn't appear in the Court cards.
Well, sorry for a history post folks, but I think the history is more important than the silly story lol.
Sezo
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