The Queen of Cups' Cup

[Teheuti]

A most interesting feature of that Sola Busca card is the snake coming out of the cup (see this image of the original in color). I think this detail has been discussed years ago in some other thread.

Marco

PS: here you can find some information on the Homeric character of Polyxena.

I have a feeling that the card refers not to the Trojan Polyxena but to a later Christian Polyxena (see her story at bottom).

First, the Trojan Polisena:
"Polyxena was the youngest daughter of Hecuba and King Priam of Troy. Homer never mentions Polyxena. Achilles fell in love with Polyxena whom he may have met when Polyxena and her brother Troilus went out to the fountatin where Achilles slew Troilus. One story has Polyxena pretending to fall in love with Achilles, learning about his heel, and betraying him to her brother Paris, who then shot and killed Achilles. Before he died, Achilles asked his followers to sacrifice Polyxena to him. Neoptolemus stabbed Polyxena to death.

There were Medieval and Renaissance versions of the story that may have contained a snake. Plus there's a snake in a version of the story that is on a vase from ca. 500 B.C. - 490 B.C.:
"Achilles and Polyxena at the fountain: Polyxena is walking right to a lion's-head spout above a rock that contains the fountain. A hydria is set under the spout to catch the water gushing out. It splashes onto Polyxena's hand before entering the container. On top of the fountain a crow is sitting, while a snake is lying alongside it. Behind the fountain rises a tree with leaves spreading left above the lion's head spout, and right above the head of crouching Achilles. Ready to ambush, he is largely hidden by his shield, with his right leg extended beyond it."

Jane Ellen Harrison claimed that the snake in this story represented the Erinys.

However, this could be another Polyxena - one who figures in a story of Paul and the early Christian converts:
"And as Polyxena lay upon the couch she saw this dream, that a dragon, hideous in appearance, came and signified to her to come to him, and when she did not obey him to go to him, he came running and swallowed her. From fear of this the girl leapt up trembling, and Xanthippe running to her said, What has happened to you, dearest, that you have leapt up thus suddenly? She for a long time was unable to speak; then coming to herself she said, Alas, my sister Xanthippe, what danger or tribulation awaits me, I know not; for I saw in my dream that a hideous dragon came and signed to me to go to him, and, when I would not go, he came running and swallowed me, beginning at my feet. While I was terrified at this, there suddenly spoke out of the air, in the light of the sun, a beautiful youth, whom I thought to be the brother of Paul, saying, Verily, you have no power. Who also took me by the hand and straightway drew me out of him, and straightway the dragon disappeared. And behold his hand was full of sweet odour as of balsam or anything else for fragrance. Xanthippe said to her, Truly you must be greatly troubled, my sister Polyxena, but God has you dear, seeing that he has shown you strange and marvellous things. Therefore arise quickly in the morning and receive the holy baptism, and ask in the baptism to be delivered from the snares of the dragon."
http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/1008.htm

Ultimately Polyxena becomes Christian and protects her virginity from the evil idolaters who try to despoil her. She goes through many such tribulations including being thrown to wild beasts and into the sea but is always saved by God. The story ends with her returning repentant to Paul, and "From that time forward she left not at all the blessed Paul in her fear of temptations."

The serpent could, of course, signify those temptations and tribulations from which God has saved her - including idolatry.

 

[Bernice]

Or..... is that a lotus wrapped around the stem of the stand that the Cup surmounts? If so, maybe the card is hinting at Wisdom. (snake/lotus)

Bee

 

[DoctorArcanus]

I have a feeling that the card refers not to the Trojan Polyxena but to a later Christian Polyxena (see her story at bottom).

First, the Trojan Polisena:
"Polyxena was the youngest daughter of Hecuba and King Priam of Troy. Homer never mentions Polyxena. Achilles fell in love with Polyxena whom he may have met when Polyxena and her brother Troilus went out to the fountatin where Achilles slew Troilus. One story has Polyxena pretending to fall in love with Achilles, learning about his heel, and betraying him to her brother Paris, who then shot and killed Achilles. Before he died, Achilles asked his followers to sacrifice Polyxena to him. Neoptolemus stabbed Polyxena to death.

Thank you for the new information, Mary. I was not aware that Polyxena is not mentioned by Homer!
I also did not know that there was a Christian Polyxena, but I am quite convinced the Sola Busca card refers to the Trojan.
First, the Trojan Polyxena is the daughter of a King: this makes her a Princess, if not a Queen
Second, most of the Court Cards in the deck refer to ancient Greece.
Third: all the four queens in the deck (Helen of Troy, Pallas Athena, Olympias mother of Alexander, the Trojan Polyxena) appear in Boccacio's "De Claris Mulieribus" (Of Illustrious Women).
Fourth: no Christian character appears in the Sola Busca deck.

Of course, I could be wrong about the identification of Polyxena, since that deck is still a mystery. And for sure I don't know what the snake represents. But if we take it to mean "tribulations", I think it could well apply to the Trojan Polyxena as well

Marco

 

[Teheuti]

I am quite convinced the Sola Busca card refers to the Trojan.

Your points are quite convincing. I really haven't done a study of all the characters in the deck - I just found the symbolism in the Christian story very interesting. It also reminds me of the RWS 7 of Cups where there literally is a dragon.

 

[helyxa]

Cup of Cups as Holy Grail

I think the idea of the Ace of Cups as the Holy Grail has been discussed elsewhere; however, I think conversely, a case can be made for the Holy Grail being represented by the Cup of the Queen of Cups.

Here is a representation of a painting of the Holy Grail done in the fifteenth century. Notice the pointed lid, the resemblance to the cimbalom, and the two angels flanking the Grail. And what is the Grail if not the quintessential prototype of the cimbalom?

http://images.google.com/imgres?img...+Victorian&start=126&gbv=2&ndsp=21&hl=en&sa=N

Click on the image that says "King Arthur and the Grail" for a better view.

I'm not a great expert on the Golden Dawn, but I imagine they were comfortable both hiding and revealing their interest in Christianized (actually ancient Celtic) legends such as the Grail using symbolism. Some have made a case that veneration of the Grail was a thinly veiled reference to worship of the cup, a symbolic expression of the feminine state. The spear (or sword, in tarot) of the Grail legend would represent the converse masculine state of being.

Just another two cents!

In my readings, the Queen of Cups often comes up in readings which bear on idealized, unconsummated, unrequited, or "courtly" love relationships. Chaste love, love from afar, spiritual "soulmate" love, or the longing for it, seems strongly associated with this card.

Has anyone else found this to be the case?

Pam

 

[Teheuti]

I wrote an article that appeared in one of the Llewellyn Tarot Readers (2006?) on the specific Grail and Masonic stories that form the basis of the Minor Arcana. Waite, himself, tells us that the Ace of Cups is “an intimation of that which may lie behind the Lesser Arcana.” The King of Cups has a fish around his neck - the Fisher King. The suit of Cups is based on Waite's retelling of Robert De Borron’s Metrical Romance of Joseph of Arimathea which appears in his book on the Grail that came out the same year as the Tarot deck. Could it be any more obvious than that?

 

[northsea]

People who link astrology to tarot court cards may view the Queen of Cups' two cup angels as pincers, linking to Scorpio.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1UokLAyw8g

 

[helyxa]

Tarot and Astrology

Hi, Northsea!

Thanks for the link to the youtube on Zodiac correspondences to Tarot.

The months of the astrological year do not align with the numbers shown on the cards, however. The astrological year begins in Aries, which is the first month astrologically speaking. The calendar year, which begins on Jan 1, has nothing to do with astrology. The vernal equinox (usually considered the beginning of the astrologial year) falls after mid-March, the third month of the calendar year.

late mid-March = 1st astrological month = third calendar month
late mid-April = 2nd astrological month = fourth calendar month
late mid-May = 3rd astrological month = fifth calendar month, etc.

So I'm not so sure exactly what the numerical correspondences named on the youtube clip actually mean, as a student of ancient astrology.

The Tarot is, however, very clear in showing the elements of earth, air, fire, and water, which are likewise an important part of astrology. And astrology itself is a study which ultimately relies upon numbers, although I admit I have not come across a satisfactory way of aligning the numerical system of astrology with the numbers of the Tarot deck.

Well wishes,
Pam

 

[Summersnowflake]

To me, the cup has always looked like a little robot. ("Danger, Danger, Will Robinson!") The two angels remind me of the descriptions and popular ideas of the Ark of the Covenant (I'm assuming we have all seen Raiders of the Lost Ark.) I don't see any jewels on the Original RWS or the Albano-Waite.

On the subject of popular culture, the black angels always looked kind of Addams Family to me, a stumbling point for me to connect with this card. But the cup does look like a robot now that you mention it, and I happen to be a big robot fan ... what a breakthrough!