LOTR in the Mayor Arcana

Hi LOTR people. I would like everyone to join this, because it helps a lot with the study and the understanding of the mayor arcana (and also the minor) with the universal archetipes they have. I know there is already a deck based on the LOTR, but the idea is to forget about it and find the mayor arcana in the world of Tolkien by ourselves, our opinions, and also our draws in our minds. I started in one of my insomnia nights, when I was thinking how to get more knowdelegde and get more familiar with the mayor arcana with the tools I already had. And I was also reading -again- the 2 towers, so I started to make relations with the characters, facts, situations, and the trump. I hope you join me in this adventure.

The begining: the fool

The Fool: for me, he is Frodo. I image him as in the movie, more than in the way that tolkien described him in the book. All that fresh start, all that hope, new horizons, starting an adventure "not being beware of pitfalls", he was acting just like the fool. Maybe Frodo travels through all the trump cards anyways...

other cards i have "see" are this:
-magician: gandalf (thats quite obvius)
-empress: galadriel
-emperor: Aragorn
-hierofant: Fangorn (i like this one more than putting fangorn as the hermit)
-tower: isengard fall maybe?
-the lovers: arwen and aragorn. This one made me think a lot. Because they have to make a decision. The 6 is not only about the love-relationships, it is also about choosing...

ok. Hope next time I get internet I find some sound here.

It is interesting that you put Galadriel as the Empress. I see her quite clearly as the High Priestess, wise, aloof, powerful, associated with the moon's crescent. I see many High Priestess qualities associated with her, though Diana might disagree, as she sees the High Priestess and Empress opposite to how I understand them. I see the Empress as associated with fertility, motherliness, warmth and caring, etc. I am trying to think of a character who might represent that in the books. I reread Two Towers and Return of the King last year, but did not reread Fellowship... hmmm, I will have to think on this now.

Is see Galadriel as the highpriestes too
I think three beard would mike a nice hermit and maybe legolas as the chariot? At the moment he is shooting an arrow. he is an elf and they can control there emotions and focus on one thing...just like the chariot.

Is see Frodo as the fool like Eowyn and i totally agree with Aragorn and Eowyn as the lovers card....

I really like this..i give it some more thought today!

I reread the trilogy last year, but I've already forgotton some character names, so please bear with me! I like most of the choices so far, but I agree with Maan and Khatruman about Galadriel being the High Priestess.

What about the woman who was with Tom Bombadil in The Fellowship of the Ring as the Empress? Wasn't she tied in with the woods in some way...some mysterious link between them? That link to nature might be rather 'Empress-like'. Or maybe she would be better suited as the Star.

And what about Tom Bombadil? He would probably end up among the Court Cards, I would guess. But we're not doing those, are we? LOL! Moving on...

The similarity of Saruman and Sauron and their respective Towers makes it difficult for me to place each one in the Majors. Maybe Saruman as the Devil and Sauron's Tower as the Tower card? I think Saruman was more of a tempter, and Sauron was bent on destruction, which fits him with the Tower card more, IMHO.

Could the Ring be the Wheel of Fortune? Or would you have Galadriel's pool, maybe? The Ring 'wants' to be found, so I don't know if it could convey the nature of the Wheel as well. Tough one!

Theodyn (sp?) the King as the Hanged Man?

Eowyn: Was Fangorn a character that I am probably forgetting, or were you referring to Fangorn Forest as the Hermit? As I said, I can't remember some characters (or places) too well...sorry!

This is fun! Although you might have started something dangerous, Eowyn, since I am now starting to obsess, and have to go make a list of cards and characters of my own!

Peace,

Melvis

Yeah... I agree with you about Galadriel. Now, I was thinking her WITH the pool, which in spannish was a water mirror (are we talking about the same?) as the High P. I mean she IS the HP. You are right on this.

Dont know who else could be a good empress, cos I dont think Tom's wife cos they are all alone, and for me the empress is someone to be seen as a role model. Like more public, maybe. And all that caracteristics the empress has about social skills?

Melvis:Fangorn as the Hierofant... I mean tree beard, not the whole forest.

But Im happy you liked this one, so I suggest lets put some order here, so we dont get dizzy. So many things, many cards. Maybe we should start with the trump cards, then the court cards, and finnally the rest. What you think?

About the empress again... I think Ill check the Silmarilion looking for her. Im sure I remember a character, but dont remember her name. One of the gods that sang for Iluvatar.

Do we agree about the magician?

The tower and the evil are difficult.
Sarumans desire is to put and end to the world of middle earth and start a new era, an era ruled by him of course, but in the reality he was only a tool of Saurons will. The fall of both towers are the end of their own era, their plans, unespected falls. But is to be analized, because there are other minor arc. cards that recall this too.

Tom Bombadil's Wife...

is Goldberry.

Keep her in mind for the Empress because there are very few female characters in LotR!

The Entwives nourished plants, but they disappeared and their gardens died. That won't do.

The character of Eowyn doesn't really strike me as an Empress, either.

So if not Goldberry, it will have to be something in nature to represent the Empress. Or an event? Nope, not an event.

Jimilyn

empress

may be a Valar?? She could be one of the feminin Valars?

interesting thread

so in my opinion Saruman would be the Tower, Sauron or Melkor the Devil. In case we include the Silmarillion then the Lovers would be rather Beren and Luthien, maybe Melian the Empress and what do you think of Feanor as the King of Wands ?