Who's Who in Tarot History: Lo Down with a Twist

Kiama

*Kiama shuffles into the Historical Forum*

I have a confession to make... *Ahem* I am rubbish at History. Always have been. I think it stems from the History teacher I had at school, who thought that a good history lesson involved sticking the class in front of the TV and putting the same episode of Blackadder Goes Forth on for the whole time. (And if the Headteacher came in, we were looking for 'historical anomolies' in the program ;))

I have been trying for a few years now to get into Tarot History, but am finding it exceedingly difficult. And I know there are others out there like me, so I thought I'd start a thread giving a quick lo-down on who' who in Tarot History... Anybody is free to write a few lines about any person from any time who had an influence on the evolution/creation of the Tarot. It would be helpful if you could write about who they were, when they lived, what they did for Tarot, and possibly try to do it in an accessible and slightly humourous way for us non-Historians! :D I'll start.

Good Ole Beastie Boy Crowley (1875-1947)

This charming man, hailing from merry England, has become one of the best known Tarot deck creators in the world. His deck, the Thoth deck, painted my Lady Freida Harris (NOT his wife!) has become a 'standard text' amongst Tarot students and deck collectors, and is still seen as the deepest deck around by some. Of course, being a Hermetic magician, he had some rather wild ideas about the Tarot, and insisted it had Egyptian origin, linking it to the 'Book of Thoth' which was supposedly an ancient Egyptian text. Crowley also linked the Court Cards with the Arthurian legends, this being the reason he changed the Court Card titles around slightly. (King -> Knight, Page -> Princess, Knight -> Prince.)

Now, the vote is still out on Crowley for many people, simply because of his reputation. But one thing's for sure: He knew his Tarot (except maybe for his history... possibly })) and God did he create a cool deck! :D

Surprise Influence: Wagner! (1813-1883)

I'm sure many of you know who Wagner was. Cool composer (opera), composed the infamous Ride of the Valkyries and the Ring Cycle. If it's got a woman in armour clutching spear singing in it, it's probably something Wagner did.

Now, it's not widely known that Crowley was heavily influenced by Wagner's work, since Wagner himself was very 'mystical' and heavily into mythologies and comparing them, alot of which came out in his compositions. Wagner's piece about Parsifal became part of the basis for Crowley's ideas, and certainly formed the reason behind Crowley's shifting and renaming of the Courts.

Who would've guessed...?

Kiama
 

Diana

Ah, if only we knew more about the Master Card-Makers of the Tarot of Marseille. But as far as I know, little, or even nothing is known.

Jean Noblet, Jean Dodal, Jean Payen.
Jacques Viéville.
Nicolas Conver.

We do not even know their real names! It is possible that some of the surnames are their real ones, but even that is pretty doubtful.

It is supposed that they were all very involved in the budding Free-Masonry movement (suprise! surprise!).

Apart from that, I have found nothing to give me any more indications as to who they were. If anyone knows anything I don't, I am eager to hear it.
 

jmd

Kiama, I'm not sure what 'Lo Down with a Twist' means - it may be a colloquial expression which my generation or location hasn't connected and resonated to (to use yet other colloquialisms I find somewhat consfucating :))

I do not have my books at hand, but recall that Dummett, Decker and DePaulis mention a number of people and their association with card-maker lists kept by various towns. As such, card-making must have been recognised - even if only because someone called themself such.

With regards to Crowley's and Harris's deck, another influence is the projective geometrical work of Olive Whicher and George Adams, both highly influential in the slow development of the application of this branch of mathematics to the living world of, especially, the plant world.

It may also be worth being in contact with Camoin, who seems to not only be a descendent of Conver (which in itself may not mean much, for I know more about some of my anscestors from independent researchers than from any family records), but he has also given some early Tarot woodcuts to a museum in Marseille - if I recall correctly.

With regards to the Hadar deck, again here we see that not only past decks, but a deep reflection on possible influences on the development of the deck have been incorporated (hence his 1181 imprint on the two of Coins). I would suspect that numerous early decks have equivalent reflections playing upon the cardmakers.
 

Mimers

jmd said:
Kiama, I'm not sure what 'Lo Down with a Twist' means - it may be a colloquial expression which my generation or location hasn't connected and resonated to (to use yet other colloquialisms I find somewhat consfucating :))
Click to expand...

I was a little surprised to see this terminology from a Brit (That is no way meant as an insult) I truely thought it was an American figure of speach!

Just for you jmd ;)

"Lo Down" - the bottom line. The heart of the matter. The truth. What's important of the situation at hand.
other similar phrases - "the scoop", "the nitty gritty", "jump to the chase"

"with a twist" - with a little surprise added. Something you would least expect.
 

Diana

Oswald Wirth

One of the most remarkable people in Tarot History is not talked about much. But he was a discreet and humble man, so perhaps that is why.

Oswald Wirth. Who gave us an incredibly beautiful and inspired Tarot deck (majors only). And also his book called "Le Tarot, Imagiers du Moyen Age". I know it has been translated into English, but I can't recall the title right now.

You can see all of his Majors here:

http://www.geocities.com/mirkwood222/ow0.html

Oswald Wirth was born in Switzerland in 1860 and died in 1943 (in France, I think). In 1887, Oswald Wirth met Stanislas de Guaita (who would merit a separate post) and he became de Guaita's secretary and friend, and helper. De Guaita taught him all about the Kabbal, metaphysics, and also taught him French (although de Guaita was from the Italian nobility).

De Guaita commissioned him to study the 22 Major Arcana, and to re-design them. So Wirth studied symbolism, Kabbalah, the Hebrew alphabet, astrology, alchemy, divination, colours, numerology, sacred geometry..... you name it, he studied it.

Obviously, need it be said, he was a FreeMason, and a remarkable one, from what I have read about him. He wrote a book on hermetic symbolism and their relationship to alchemy and FreeMasonry (a very interesting book), Astrological symbolism, and of course a whole lot of other books.

I am amazed at how little his Tarot deck is studied... for it is one of the richest and deepest Tarot decks that I know. I would say it is the bridge between the older traditional Tarot of Marseille, and the modern Rider Waite deck. In fact, the images in the Colman-Smith deck (the majors) are often inspired from the Wirth deck, something people are not always aware of.

The minors that one can find in the Wirth deck that one buys today, were not designed by him. And are quite unnecessary, in my opinion. It's a bit of a cheek to call something an "Oswald Wirth" deck if he didn't design 56 of the cards. I mean, if he had wanted to re-design them, he would have. Some people can't respect dead people's wishes. Anything for a buck....

Wirth was also a healer (healed with his hands) and he wrote also a book called "L'imposition des mains ou la médecine philosophale".

One day, I hope, he will be better known......
 

Diana

Forgot to add a picture of Oswald Wirth:
 

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Ross G Caldwell

Diana said:
Forgot to add a picture of Oswald Wirth:
Click to expand...

Great picture, thanks Diana.

What a difference to put a face to a name! When I thought "Oswald Wirth" before I always saw the Magicien in his Tarot pack.

Now I see he really looked like Gurdjieff!

Ross
 

firemaiden

It seems Wagner influenced just about everybody, one way or the other, not just with his music, but also with his writings. He was a colossal force vector in literature, music, art, theatre... so I am not surprised.
 

Diana

Hermes Trismegistus

An important figure in Tarot history, although he is probably not aware of it, is Hermes Trismegistus. (Kiama, I am not trying to be funny! This is as serious as hell. :) ).

The Emerald Tablet of Hermes:

"True, without falsehood, certain and most true, that which is above is as that which is below, and that which is below is as that which is above, for the performance of the miracles of the One Thing. And as all things are from One, by the mediation of One, so all things have their birth from this One Thing by adaptation. The Sun is its father, the Moon its mother, and the Wind carries it in its belly, its nurse is the Earth. This is the father of all perfection, or consummation of the whole world. Its power is integrating, if it be turned into earth.

Thou shalt separate the earth from the fire, the subtle from the gross, suavely, and with great ingenuity. It ascends from earth to heaven and descends again to earth, and receives the power of the superiors and of the inferiors. So thou hast the glory of the whole world; therefore let all obscurity flee before thee. This is the strong force of all forces, overcoming every subtle and penetrating every solid thing. So the world was created. Hence were all wonderful adaptations, of which this is the manner. Therefore am I called Hermes Trismegistus, having the three parts of the philosophy of the whole world.

What I have to tell is completed, concerning the Operation of the Sun."
 
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