Cards with no people?

poivre

Why were certain cards picked
to have no people on them?
There are so few.
(Not counting the Aces)

3 Swords
8 Wands
Wheel of Fortune
The Moon
 

ArcanoMáximo

may be cause they relate to so big situations that don't depend of our own will? I think they all are connected with different aspects of the Wheel of Fortune...
 

Emeraldgirl

maybe for some people would just confuse the matter as with the Wheel of Furtune it would be hard to better the current image.

Also with the 3 Swords in one of my other decks the Mythic which is based on the RWS the 3 swords shows a man getting stabbed in the bath by his wife and her lover. It doesn't really show the heartache of the card.

8 wands i am not sure of I think there could have been better illustration for it but I can't think of anything at the moment.

The moon I love the way it is and I think as a sort of dreamscape it really gets the point across
 

Vadella

3 swords... I feel indicates a major pain in ones feelings... instead of their whole being. So it's mostly pictured as such. Other decks may place people in the 3 swords... possibly to help give a better interpretation of it's meaning in another light.

8 wands... probably because it's consists of a major "movement". Not always necessarily dealing with people but more so about issues.

Wheel... It's the fate that surrounds us all. Something we cannot change.

Moon... In dreams and illusions we may place people but are they really there or just in our minds?


This is just what I came up with reading your thread. This isn't set in stone. :)

Vad
 

light2000

Maybe this cards dont have people because talks about situations that people cant control.
All of them have a litle bit of suprises and maybe is more hight than peolpe can achive. What you think?
 

Little Baron

light2000 said:
Maybe this cards dont have people because talks about situations that people cant control.
All of them have a litle bit of suprises and maybe is more hight than peolpe can achive. What you think?

I think that that is a really perceptive point Light2000 and makes a lot of sense to me. It can be hard to control the ups and downs of the wheel. It is also hard to help someone who is feeling deep pain, as in the 'Three of Swords'. For me, in the latter, the space is important because it shows the emptyness. I see the wands in the 'eight' as being very focused, without anybody there or in their way.

LB
 

ArcanoMáximo

LittleBuddha said:
It can be hard to control the ups and downs of the wheel.
LB
I agree, that's why i said every one of these cards are connected with the Wheel of Fortune different aspects! Thanks to clarify my point!:)
AM*
 

Flavio

ros said:
Why were certain cards picked
to have no people on them?
There are so few.
(Not counting the Aces)

3 Swords
8 Wands
Wheel of Fortune
The Moon
I think those people-less images work for the concept of the card, and if a concept is better portrait even without people, I see no harm on having cards that are a little bit different than others. As for the Aces, there is only a hand, and that hand alone is enough to show the Ace is a divine gift.

I've seen cards from another decks trying to find a new way to express the concept and not always work for me, for example in the World Spirit the 3 of Swords portraits a character lamenting about the contents of a note, this note is on the wall hanging from 3 knifes, by the image itself we can't understand if that is a ransom note, a death sentence or something else, I love this deck but whoever said people must be included on every card in the first place?

light2000 said:
Maybe this cards dont have people because talks about situations that people cant control.
All of them have a litle bit of suprises and maybe is more hight than peolpe can achive. What you think?
Major arcana are situations that we humans aren't supposed be able to control, then what about minor arcana like 3 of swords or 8 of wands? there must be another explanation.

EDITED: Added link to 3 of Swords card and edited card description.
 

greycats

Historical considerations?

There's a deck called Sola Busca which is a tarot variation in that the majors are all famous warriors. The deck dates from the 15th century and has the distinction of being one of the first (if not THE first) to have pictured minors. The three of swords in that deck has a wreath (or swag) below the pierced heart, but is otherwise nearly identical to RWS which it predates. Sooo--another reason that the 3s has no people is that the card from which it is copied has no people.
 

RChMI

The concept of the cards 3 Swords and 8 Wands were intended to stand on the own using the card numbers as the basic keys.

3 Swords, Saturn in Libra, Sephra 3 is Saturn, the swords are of the element of Air with Libra being the cardinal sign of Air. The card is titled Lord of Sorrow, the image of the pierced heart harkens to that of the heart of the Madonna, with the three swords as the three nails of the crucifixion.

.3 Wands, Mercury in Sagittarius, Sephra 8 is Mercury. The card is titled Lord of Swiftness, the image harkens to the swiftness of arrows in flight, of which Sagittarius is seen as an archer.