Legend: The Arthurian Tarot

Thoughts on the "Legend" Deck

I purchased this deck when I was in college. It was the third deck in my collection, after my Hanson-Roberts (the deck I learned to read with) and The Hallowquest Tarot (another Arthurian Deck). I got it during a rough time when the Arthurian Legends were both an escape and a metaphor for the life journey I was on at the time. I identified with many of the images even if I didn't know the complete story and characters behind them, so reading with the deck was never a problem. The beautiful artwork usually gave me a "doorway" to enter into the cards, and I'd get that deck again for that reason alone.

Like so many of you, I own multiple decks, and while I try to "rotate" them, there are some I just gravitate to naturally each time I throw the cards. So, this deck had fallen by the wayside until recently. Once I cleared the deck, reorganized all of the cards in numerical order and shuffled them, they came back to me like an old friend, though I did have to reference the book on the meanings for some of the cards I'd forgotten.

I think the companion book is a good resource, though for serious study, you'd want to read the Legends yourself. I too had trouble associating Swords with Fire and Spears/Wands with Air, so sometimes I try to look at the cards from both elemental perspectives.

Blue skies and Blessings,
-FireRaven

Hallowquest/Arthurian Tarot

How does this deck compare with Legend? After seeing the Hallowquest images I am now torn--does the Hallowquest measure up?

Moreover, Amazon.com no longer offers Hallowquest--just through other sellers (it's going for like sixty dollars!). But Tarotgarden.com has it for $27.

Thoughts on this deck...?

Arcana said:

Celeste,
It was a surprise to me too, that Ferguson connected swords to fire and wands to air. I had read about this, but never actually encountered it in one of my own decks. To me, this connection doesn't feel right at all. I guess that's also one of the reasons why I've never used the deck...

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Arcana, in the beginning when i bought the deck i did not realise that the wands were air and the swords fire.. I just loved the images and the arthurian theme, as i read the book and saw the elemental associations were not what i was used to, i was unsure whether i would be able to adjust to them and be able to read with the deck, but as Faeriestorm as mentioned, the basic meanings are traditional and this helped when i begun studying the deck and to be honest i found, for me anyway, that the elemental switch to this deck did not affect my ability to read with it.

Hallowquest vs. Legend

FaerieStorm said:

How does this deck compare with Legend? After seeing the Hallowquest images I am now torn--does the Hallowquest measure up?

Moreover, Amazon.com no longer offers Hallowquest--just through other sellers (it's going for like sixty dollars!). But Tarotgarden.com has it for $27.

Thoughts on this deck...?

Click to expand...

FaerieStorm...

Holy $##@@! $60.00 for the Hallowquest deck at Amazon!??! If I wasn't sitting to type this reply on my laptop you would have knocked me on my butt! I've often thought of trading my Hallowquest cards for something else, not because I donn't like them, but because I hardly use them anymore, and feel the need to pass them on to someone else who would want them.

OK...now that I'm back to reality, here are my thoughts on the two decks. To me, the Hallowquest deck has a "lighter" quality to it. I don't mean that the card meanings or the book (which I can't seem to find in the aftermath of my move from the Tucson deserts to the Show Low mountains) are lightweight, but the artwork in general has a softer feel to me. The Legend cards feel a little "darker" -- somber sometimes -- but also more dramatic.

I like the Hallowquest deck because it was created by Caitlin and John Matthews...two artists and scholars I totally respect, as they've really dedicated themselves to the study of Pre-Christian Celtic practices and the later "Christianization" of the Arthurian Legends themselves. I think their writing is top notch, and so wish I could find that book! Grrr! Guess I'll have to look at Powell's in their "new/used" section to see if they have a copy on it's own....

-Fireraven

I just ordered My Legend Set!

Only two minutes ago I ordered this set from half.com (it was the best price I could find for a NEW set)! Any suggestions on how to approach the deck and book when I get it?

Of the reviews I have read of this deck, they all suggested that a basic knowledge of the legend would make it easier to interpret the meanings of the cards.

I actually can't wait to own this deck...it's on my wish list. =)

Celeste 1 said:

Arcana, in the beginning when i bought the deck i did not realise that the wands were air and the swords fire.. I just loved the images and the arthurian theme, as i read the book and saw the elemental associations were not what i was used to, i was unsure whether i would be able to adjust to them and be able to read with the deck, but as Faeriestorm as mentioned, the basic meanings are traditional and this helped when i begun studying the deck and to be honest i found, for me anyway, that the elemental switch to this deck did not affect my ability to read with it.

Click to expand...

I usually go with the actual image on the card also. For example, decks that switch Justice with Strength. The Justice card is still that card whether it is numbered 8 or 11. Same goes for Strength.

.::Cerridwen::. said:

Of the reviews I have read of this deck, they all suggested that a basic knowledge of the legend would make it easier to interpret the meanings of the cards.

I actually can't wait to own this deck...it's on my wish list. =)

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You may be interested in looking at the threads about this deck in the Study Groups forum http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?t=35511
It's an almost complete study group (almost every card has been covered) and it's very comprehensive. If you want to know more about the legends behind this deck - go there.

Love

Sulis xx

Thanks Sulis! I actually ordered the deck and expecting it any day! That link will be useful!

I just received my deck a couple of days ago--I'm very pleased with it! The images are lovely (and very detailed), and the companion book is great. Though I'm not an Arthurian adept, it seems very insightful--and I love the illumnation effects the artist incorporates into the book (sketches, etc.). However, I wish the cards were larger because the images are so detailed; I also think--purely my opinion--that the images would be more beautiful had the artist used oils rather than watercolor.

Thoughts?