kwaw
According to the rules of the game in:
Vives' Ludus Chartarum, 1545 - In the two red suits, cup and coins, the numeral cards reverse their values and the six captures the seven, the seven captures the eight, etc.(Kaplan Encyclopedia of Tarot Vol. I p.28)
This rule, which appears overly complicated for the purposes of a game, is possibly indicative of a scheme to be used for instructional purposes, or a structure rooted in a model irrelevant to the sole purpose of gaming [and thus, by and large, subsequently ignored and dropped then from the rule books]. What models do you think would explain this rule? For example here are a couple:
The 'Ledger' model:
----00----
01
02
03
04
05
06
07
08
09
10
Debit - Low - In the Red
Geographic / astronomical models:
Diane O'Donovan* c.1990 published on the web several articles from a thesis of hers. In 'The Place of the Fool' she offers the following model:
quote:
The ascending cards are therefore those in the suits for West (cup) and South (gold). The descending cards are those of the North (swords) and East (rods). If one imagines this in terms of a ‘compass’ drawing of the world, it becomes clear that the cards are becoming ‘lighter’ in value as they move towards the line of zero degrees latitude. Readers may like to demonstrate this for themselves.
Imagine that you are looking down at a compass-face, or at the flat earth as late medieval Europe often saw it. To hold the place of the cardinal points, you may, if you wish, lay the ‘Fool’ at the point of due east, and blank markers at theother three cardinal points. (We have not yet published the explanation of the three other relevant Atouts). Then lay out the pack’s forty cards about the circle; we suggest doing this according to the order given by Maur:
That is:
From immediately below the point of Orion (due east), lay the 1 of gold (coins), then follow down the curve in order, so that the 10 gold lies just short of the due South point. The point of South must for our purpose here, be left empty.
Immediately above the point of East, lay the 1 of Rods and run up the sequence to lay the 10 rods just short of due North.
Now, immediately below the point of due West, lay the 1 cups, and then run this sequence down the curve, to set the 10 Cups just short of the due-South point.
Returning to due West, lay above it the 1 of Swords and run the sequence up, laying the 10 just short of the due North point, where the Atout for the North star would be laid.
It will be seen that the cards closest to the horizontal mid-line - 0 degrees latitude - are the ‘lighter’ in value, cards gaining greater ‘weight’ in play as their place is closer to their Pole. It is, in effect, a system analogous to that of our system of latitude or the older, Ptolemaic, system of climatic zones. At the same time, the colour of a card equates with the suit’s being in the northern (black) or southern (red) hemisphere. In geographic works of the kind derived from Ptolemaic geography, and used in Arabic-speaking countries in the medieval era, modification of the Ptolemaic system of ‘climata’ is not uncommon, and in such cases, division into tenths is possible. Division of the world’s circuit into forty parts was also common, in Islam as in Christendom, the number ‘40’ having strong religious connotations in both regions.
end quote
This may also be done along the vertical axis as Diane notes, but which she rejects as the east point - orion - zero degree is then lost.
Astrological Model
We may also take and apply a similar method on an astrological map[remembering an astrological map is drawn as if in the North facing South, thus east is on the left hand side]:
Taking:
Spades = North
Clubs = East
Diamonds = South
Hearts = West
And placing them on astrological wheel divided into 36 sections as so:
Ace of Spades at the North angle, the Inum Coeli, lower midheaven, or lowest point of the circle;
Ace of Clubs at the Easterly angle, the ascendant, at the left hand quarter of the circle;
Ace of Diamonds at the South angle or mid-heaven [MC] at the top of the circle, and;
Ace of Hearts at the Westerly angle, that is the descendant, at the right hand quarter of the circle.
With 0deg Aries at the Ascendant place the numbered pips in clockwise fashion [that is in the apparent diurnal motion of astronomical bodies] starting at the IC in the 36 divisions; so 2 spades goes in the last decan of gemini, 3 in middle decan of Gemini, etc with 10 of spades ending in first decan of Aries; 2 of clubs goes in last decan of pisces upto 10 of clubs in first decan of Capricorn; 2 of Diamonds goes in last decan of Sagittarius to 10 of diamonds in first decan of Libra; and 2 of Hearts goes in last decan of Virgo to 10 of Hearts in first decan of cancer.
The black cards occupy the left hand, rising side of the astrological wheel, and the red cards occupy the right hand, falling side of the wheel. If we then think of the MC, southern angle or cusp of the 10th house as 'high', and the IC as 'low', on the black side the higher numbers are 'higher' than the low, that is for example, the 10 of batons is higher than the 9 of batons; on the red side however, the lower numbers are 'higher' than the high numbers, that is for example, the 2 of denier is 'higher' than the 3 of denier. One could also do the same along the horizontal axis, dividing the circle into upper and lower or day and night halfs, instead of rising and falling halfs.
Kwaw
*A number of Diane's essays, including 'The Place of the Fool' are currently being prepared by Diane to be made available on-line soon.
Vives' Ludus Chartarum, 1545 - In the two red suits, cup and coins, the numeral cards reverse their values and the six captures the seven, the seven captures the eight, etc.(Kaplan Encyclopedia of Tarot Vol. I p.28)
This rule, which appears overly complicated for the purposes of a game, is possibly indicative of a scheme to be used for instructional purposes, or a structure rooted in a model irrelevant to the sole purpose of gaming [and thus, by and large, subsequently ignored and dropped then from the rule books]. What models do you think would explain this rule? For example here are a couple:
The 'Ledger' model:
Credit – High - In the Black
10
09
08
07
06
05
04
03
02
01
10
09
08
07
06
05
04
03
02
01
----00----
01
02
03
04
05
06
07
08
09
10
Debit - Low - In the Red
Geographic / astronomical models:
Diane O'Donovan* c.1990 published on the web several articles from a thesis of hers. In 'The Place of the Fool' she offers the following model:
quote:
The ascending cards are therefore those in the suits for West (cup) and South (gold). The descending cards are those of the North (swords) and East (rods). If one imagines this in terms of a ‘compass’ drawing of the world, it becomes clear that the cards are becoming ‘lighter’ in value as they move towards the line of zero degrees latitude. Readers may like to demonstrate this for themselves.
Imagine that you are looking down at a compass-face, or at the flat earth as late medieval Europe often saw it. To hold the place of the cardinal points, you may, if you wish, lay the ‘Fool’ at the point of due east, and blank markers at theother three cardinal points. (We have not yet published the explanation of the three other relevant Atouts). Then lay out the pack’s forty cards about the circle; we suggest doing this according to the order given by Maur:
That is:
From immediately below the point of Orion (due east), lay the 1 of gold (coins), then follow down the curve in order, so that the 10 gold lies just short of the due South point. The point of South must for our purpose here, be left empty.
Immediately above the point of East, lay the 1 of Rods and run up the sequence to lay the 10 rods just short of due North.
Now, immediately below the point of due West, lay the 1 cups, and then run this sequence down the curve, to set the 10 Cups just short of the due-South point.
Returning to due West, lay above it the 1 of Swords and run the sequence up, laying the 10 just short of the due North point, where the Atout for the North star would be laid.
It will be seen that the cards closest to the horizontal mid-line - 0 degrees latitude - are the ‘lighter’ in value, cards gaining greater ‘weight’ in play as their place is closer to their Pole. It is, in effect, a system analogous to that of our system of latitude or the older, Ptolemaic, system of climatic zones. At the same time, the colour of a card equates with the suit’s being in the northern (black) or southern (red) hemisphere. In geographic works of the kind derived from Ptolemaic geography, and used in Arabic-speaking countries in the medieval era, modification of the Ptolemaic system of ‘climata’ is not uncommon, and in such cases, division into tenths is possible. Division of the world’s circuit into forty parts was also common, in Islam as in Christendom, the number ‘40’ having strong religious connotations in both regions.
end quote
This may also be done along the vertical axis as Diane notes, but which she rejects as the east point - orion - zero degree is then lost.
Astrological Model
We may also take and apply a similar method on an astrological map[remembering an astrological map is drawn as if in the North facing South, thus east is on the left hand side]:
Taking:
Spades = North
Clubs = East
Diamonds = South
Hearts = West
And placing them on astrological wheel divided into 36 sections as so:
Ace of Spades at the North angle, the Inum Coeli, lower midheaven, or lowest point of the circle;
Ace of Clubs at the Easterly angle, the ascendant, at the left hand quarter of the circle;
Ace of Diamonds at the South angle or mid-heaven [MC] at the top of the circle, and;
Ace of Hearts at the Westerly angle, that is the descendant, at the right hand quarter of the circle.
With 0deg Aries at the Ascendant place the numbered pips in clockwise fashion [that is in the apparent diurnal motion of astronomical bodies] starting at the IC in the 36 divisions; so 2 spades goes in the last decan of gemini, 3 in middle decan of Gemini, etc with 10 of spades ending in first decan of Aries; 2 of clubs goes in last decan of pisces upto 10 of clubs in first decan of Capricorn; 2 of Diamonds goes in last decan of Sagittarius to 10 of diamonds in first decan of Libra; and 2 of Hearts goes in last decan of Virgo to 10 of Hearts in first decan of cancer.
The black cards occupy the left hand, rising side of the astrological wheel, and the red cards occupy the right hand, falling side of the wheel. If we then think of the MC, southern angle or cusp of the 10th house as 'high', and the IC as 'low', on the black side the higher numbers are 'higher' than the low, that is for example, the 10 of batons is higher than the 9 of batons; on the red side however, the lower numbers are 'higher' than the high numbers, that is for example, the 2 of denier is 'higher' than the 3 of denier. One could also do the same along the horizontal axis, dividing the circle into upper and lower or day and night halfs, instead of rising and falling halfs.
Kwaw
*A number of Diane's essays, including 'The Place of the Fool' are currently being prepared by Diane to be made available on-line soon.
