Fairytale Tarot (MRP) The Sun

Master_Margarita

The tale used to illustrate the Sun--that of the Sunchild--is one of the very few in this deck that is neither European (as the vast majority of tales are) nor "Arabian" (1001 Nights). A full version of this tale can be found here. Africa is a big continent, so I was curious to find out from where in Africa this story came. Unfortunately, nothing has turned up in the brief research I have done.

The card itself shows a desert scene, perhaps depicting sub-Saharan Africa, and its overall tone is red and yellow, quite in keeping with the notion of the Sun.

The story is a little quirky (imagine that in a fairy tale). The would-be mom longs for a child and makes a bargain with the Sun to get a child (who is named Letiko) that she promises to give back when she turns twelve. The next stage in the story is pretty predictable. Mom wants to keep Letiko, but the Sun takes her back anyway. A deal's a deal, right? Here's where the story gets less predictable. Letiko, whose wishes in all this were never previously consulted, pines for her mother. The Sun decides insisting on his rights might not be such a good thing in this circumstance and returns Letiko to her mother with only minor misadventure (pursuit by one wild animal--hardly up to Grimm Brothers snuff) along the way.

The Sun is partly about clear seeing, and the Sun's behavior is a clear example, both in recognizing Letiko's sorrow and in discerning the failings of the foxes as her potential escorts. :D

:heart: M_M~