The meaning of the dog upon the Fool

TenOfSwords said:

I've always had the notion that the animal, pulling down his pants, is exposing him to the world... his more creative side that is.

Click to expand...

Yes...I like this idea! The Fool, no matter what role we assign to the figure, is definitely one who is prepared to or who, by virtue of what life places in front of him/her, becomes "exposed" and, thus, open, rather than closed to life.

Also, some Fool cards have no animal.....including the animal could have the intent of bringing out the playful, but could also be intended to suggest that
those who are "poor" or living on the fringe of society, travel with wild things...Did I read somewhere that the cards from Northern Italy originally had the dog, while those from the south, had no animal?

Interesting that the saying from my family is an old Italian one from Northern Sicily...Palermo area...Bolognetta, specifically.

terri

Hi all,
To me the animal on the Fool card is there to remind us that we are not that different from the animal kingdom. The Fool is only a half a step ahead of the dog. Our animal instincts are always there ready to take over if we aren't careful. Look what has happened in war. How can seemingly civilized human beings resort to such animalistic behavior? Our animal self is with us always. Do we try to stay one step ahead of our animalistic instinct or do we try to understand and incorporate this side of ourself? The Fool doesn't know at this point what to do with these animalistic feelings so they just follow along, always ready to bite us in the butt. The Fool will get bit several times before he realizes that he has to deal with his animal self.

Fulgour said:

Perhaps the real Fool is the dog,
trying to help the human beings.

Click to expand...

ROFLMHO....Sometimes it amazes me that dogs are such loyal companions to their owners, despite the often poor treatment they receive...unconditional love to humans from these lovely creatures, right?

In the Waite-Smith, Fulgour, the dog really does appear to be the companion, playful, eager....not touching the Fool, but jumping up like a companion.

In the Cary-Yale, though, as an example of a different version, it appears to be a Greyhound, biting the figure's leg, not just nipping at the pants.

These different images give such a different feel to the card when it comes up in a reading. It's hard for me to see the Pixie's card and see anything but light, love, companionship, playfulness...then the others seem to be almost wilder creatures engaged in an unfriendly act. LOL.

In the Noblet, the animal, lynx? looks as though it is pushing the leg of the figure (this figure has his rear-end and genitals hanging out!) and in the Dodal, we have a similar lynx-like animal which appears even more to me as though it is pushing at the figure (with the genitals now covered by a cloth hanging down.

When I see the Noblet, I have the urge to chuckle, as one would at first when someone's fly is unzipped, or someone takes a bad fall on the ice...people often laugh, yet it is really not funny...the poor target must feel quite "foolish."

At least the Dodal version is more "dignified" ...and, in fact, it appears that the Noblet figure looks more sad or world-weary, while the Dodal seems to be more serene in aspect, perhaps even smiling.

terri

raeanne said:

Hi all,
To me the animal on the Fool card is there to remind us that we are not that different from the animal kingdom. The Fool is only a half a step ahead of the dog. Our animal instincts are always there ready to take over if we aren't careful. Our animal self is with us always. Do we try to stay one step ahead of our animalistic instinct or do we try to understand and incorporate this side of ourself? The Fool doesn't know at this point what to do with these animalistic feelings so they just follow along, always ready to bite us in the butt. The Fool will get bit several times before he realizes that he has to deal with his animal self.

Click to expand...

I like this idea, too, since, it allows for both the idea of playful companion and biting animal....we have these "instincts," as you say within us and do we acknowledge them and then act with love and/or reason?.... or do we act upon them without thought, sometimes wreaking havoc upon others as a result.

Very good.

terri

tmgrl2 said:

There is a very old saying in Sicilian...and it translates into English as:

The dog always bites the man with the torn pants.

Click to expand...

That's VERY interesting. Thanks!

tmgrl2 said:

In the Cary-Yale, though, as an example of a different version, it appears to be a Greyhound, biting the figure's leg, not just nipping at the pants.

Click to expand...

The Cary-Yale Visconti Fool is a modern recreation, the original card is missing (if it was there at all). If it was there, it might have looked like the card from the Sforza Visconti Fool... no dog at all.

Sforza Visconti: http://quatramaran.ens.fr/~madore/visconti-tarots/large/arcanum-fool.jpg

Jean Noblet Fool for those who haven't seen it: http://tarot-history.com/Jean-Noblet/images/Noblet-original/00-le-fou.jpg

I personally consider the "meaning of the dog upon the Fool" as a tormentor and antagonist.

tmgrl2 said-
"In the Waite-Smith, Fulgour, the dog really does appear to be the companion, playful, eager....not touching the Fool, but jumping up like a companion."

terri

I suppose because I love dogs, I go with this explaination.
A few days ago, my BF and I were walking in the park and watching a young dog playing and going mad in the fallen leaves... he said the thing he liked about dogs is that they are so 'in the moment'... (he has studied Buddhism off and on for years) and love being there.

I see the Fool's dog in my Rider Waite as being a bit like that- just happy at being along for the journey, and perhaps a reminder that instead of just focusing on the mud under our feet to sometimes look up and enjoy the view.

Elnor

le pendu said:

That's VERY interesting. Thanks!


The Cary-Yale Visconti Fool is a modern recreation, the original card is missing (if it was there at all). If it was there, it might have looked like the card from the Sforza Visconti Fool... no dog at all.

Sforza Visconti: http://quatramaran.ens.fr/~madore/visconti-tarots/large/arcanum-fool.jpg

Jean Noblet Fool for those who haven't seen it: http://tarot-history.com/Jean-Noblet/images/Noblet-original/00-le-fou.jpg

I personally consider the "meaning of the dog upon the Fool" as a tormentor and antagonist.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the scans!! The Noblet always makes me chuckle....

I think of the dog biting the pants ...tormentor, antagonist, as well...but hard for me to do witht the Waite-Smith doggie....if the Fool is "clueless," the biter or pusher is there to remind him/her that you have to be wary and that you may suffer some pain along the way.

terri

Elnor said:

I see the Fool's dog in my Rider Waite as being a bit like that- just happy at being along for the journey, and perhaps a reminder that instead of just focusing on the mud under our feet to sometimes look up and enjoy the view.

Elnor

Click to expand...

I guess I go with all of the interpretations...The Fool itself has so many...the beauty of reading live and using different decks, is the surprises I get when I read in the moment. I do see the Waite-Smith dog as a companion and along for the journey as you say....and sometimes, yes, we need to look up and enjoy the view along the way, no matter how difficult or uncertain (and I think of The Fool as representing uncertainty as well) the situation.

terri

The Dog is GOD spelled backwards to me and it has come to remind me that at the core of every human is the essensence of God. This essence is about to emabark on a journey that will bring us back to our essence in the end and help us to be more God like, if you believe in God and the purpose of the journey.

mmmm...I've always seen the dog as part antagonist, part companion. One who cojoles and pushes, leads and herds the Fool on his path. Sometimes he even resorts to sticking his cold wet nose on his bum to get the Fool's attention! He represents that primal force within man that is forgotten or repressed within day-to-day living....but oh so necessary to keep a sojourner on this journey's path.