The Gothic Tarot by Vargo - XIII Death

WolfyJames

The card Death is always my favorite in tarot. And this one is quite pretty, in a dark way.

Death is standing in a field with a tall scythe in his hand, hand that looks more like a branch. His other harm is a branch as well, and a raven is standing on it. His head is a skull, hidding between his shoulders. His eyes are red. His body is brown and red. There's a grave at his feet and we can see a cross made with wood at his left. While on the ground it is misty grey, the sky is red with the crescent of the moon (or an eclipse?) at the top.

Death looks a lot like a scarecrow, piece of wood in the field to scare the ravens. Looks scary but it's powerless. Usually, the sun rises on the Death card, and in this one I'm not sure because of the colors: in this gothic realm, is there even a day? I thought about an eclipse, and now the sun is coming back, and that could explain the red in the sky. Red, as I mentionned earlier, means death.
 

Umbrae

A wonderful card.

It’s a sunset in autumn. A sliver of a waxing moon will soon be our only light. A peasant’s grave stands in the background.

A figure with a humanoid skull, right arm outstretched and in his left he holds a scythe. A corbae sits on his arm.

Is he alive? Or his he dead? Decay…

I get a vegetable feel from this card – decay, turns to soil that nourishes the new vegetation.

Folks hate the death card, because it seems so animal. But this card treats death as vegetable – and that’s okay – that’s’ about change…

And when things change in our lives, when that which we risked was left behind, we have trouble letting go…so that the old does not appear to get washed away.

This reminds us that even animals are vegetable at heart, and that some change is inevitable.
 

Rhiannon

Umbrae said:
I get a vegetable feel from this card – decay, turns to soil that nourishes the new vegetation.
I really like the idea you've presented here. I don't think I've ever thought about it quite that way before. Instead of "it's all relative" I think I'll say "It's all vegetable" from now on! :) I've missed you my friend.

R :)
 

silk_selen

There's definately a gleam in there eyes here, I will have to ponder further if this scarecrow is alive or not.

Other than that, nothing more that I can say!
 

mercenary30

Death

A wicked and scraggly scarecrow looking incarnation of death is wandering an open prairie. A raven alights on his stick like arm. In his left hand is the scythe, historical implement of choice. With the eyes glowing red, his skull seems to be sticking out of a thin body that very much looks like it was structured from wood. Tatters of clothing hang from this fame, blown by the wind. Above him is a sliver of the moon. The sky is tinted orange, so this could very well be dawn, or possibly dusk. A rugged wooden cross is stuck in the ground a ways behind the scarecrow. A wall of fog is rolling across the field, about to engulf the scene.

Yet again on the move, death takes many forms and tonight he is a wicked scarecrow. Disconnecting from the wooden cross that held up the wicker and cloth mannequin was easy. And when he is finished with this form, he will return it back here. The raven knows what is about, and he has come to cackle his glee for the evenings entertainment. Tonight’s missions will be talked about for years to come. It will be the stuff of legends, stories of straw golems, and deadly scarecrows will be whispered across the land. Some will blame a mad man in disguise, others will blame black magic; they will all be wrong. They have all gotten too soft, too callous in their life. No longer a community of man but a land of greedy wretches, lost in their petty squabbles and devious manipulations. After tonight they will again remember how frail they all are, how easy it is to unbalance their whole life. They will again remember to worry for their neighbor and to mind their children. They will again band together for strength and comfort. Then death incarnate can go away, at least until the next time………
 

annik

I like this card very much. I almost looked to see if there was any pumpkin in the grass. But it seems to be more after harvest time. The scarecrow-death seems to have finished with his scarecrow job and is going to his shift as death.
 

Emeraldgirl

I think he is cold. It looks like a very cold and windy environment. A feeling I don't get from the other cards. Also I think the grave could be his own or some one who is special to him and he is guarding it.
 

seneris

This card is based on the work ‘Scarecrow’.
The red colour has been added to the card, 'Scarecrow' is all blue and gloomy. I think that adding colour was a very good choice.