View Full Version : Lost in the Mythic Tarot...
I bought the Mythic tarot today with my hard-earned wages, but I only got the deck, not the book aswell, cuz I had already bought two other decks and only had enough money for just the deck... But now I'm lost as to which myths go with which cards! Me and Cleddau Brenin managed to work out most of them, being myth enthusiasts anyway, but we are totallt stuck on the suit of Pentacles!
Does anyone have this deck, and are you willing to tell me which myths go where?
Thankyou so much...
Kiama
sorry, i don't have that deck, or the book, so i can't really help. but you do raise a good point. i virtually never buy a deck without the book. in fact, i've just bought the book, without the deck, to determine if i really want the deck. the goddess tarot is one example - i never got the deck.
hmmm, this sounds like a new post...
luv and light,
nexy
Kiama: I have the deck & book set. If you are interested in the Greek mythological aspects of the deck, I recommend getting the book because it will help with associating the stories & inter-relationships behind the various cards, from the obscure to the familiar.
Basically, the Pentacles tell the story of Daedalus, the gifted craftsman of Athens. He is the designer & builder of the Labyrinth of King Minos of Crete.
Ace: The sea-god Poseidon rises from the sea bearing a pentacle. Poseidon is also the fertility god; lord of the physical world & husband of Demeter, Mother Earth.
2-Pentacles: Daedalus in his workshop. He holds an ax in his left hand & a saw in his right, both of which he has invented.
3-Pentacles: Daedalus is rewarded for his work.
4-Pentacles: Daedalus is with his nephew, Talos. (Although Talos is just a boy he has shown more talent than Daedalus & Daedalus is jealous.)
5-Pentacles: Daedalus flees Athens in disguise, leaving behind his workshop & his success. (He has killed Talos because he felt threatened by Talos' talent.)
6-Pentacles: Daedalus finds his way to Crete & King Minos who offers his patronage.
7-Pentacles: Daedalus in King Minos' palace. Minos' wife, Queen Pasiphae, is asking Daedalus for a favor which would put him at odds with Minos.
8-Pentacle: After falling out of favor with King Minos, Daedalus finds a position with King Cocalus in Sicily.
9-Pentacles: Daedalus has achieved the material success that has driven him & is enjoying it.
10-Pentacles: Daedalus is an old man surrounded by the fruits of his labors: the security & comfort as well as his family.
Page-Pentacles: Triptolemus, young son of King Celeus of Eleusis. (Triptolemus & his brothers witness Hades, god of the underworld escape into the ground with the kidnapped Persephone, daughter of Demeter.)
Knight-Pentacles: Aristaeus, son of the sun-god Apollo & Kyrene, a mortal. (He grew up under the guidance & tutelage of Demeter, dryads & the Muses.)
Queen-Pentacles: Queen Omphale of Lydia. She is a widow who assumes rulership of her husband's kingdom & rules it well. (She plays a part in the story of Heracles.)
King-Pentacles: King Midas of Macedonia, a wise, kind & ambitious man. (His kindness to the god Dionysus grants him a wish that nearly proves to be his undoing: he wishes for the power to turn everything he touches into gold. It is the origin of the expression "the golden touch".)
The foregoing is an abbreviated version. The other suits & the Majors also have their stories behind them.
I know this might be asking a bit muhc, Meewah, but what th ehell are the Cups then.? At first we thought it might be Eros and Psyche, but it sin't we don't think now...
We're a bit confused....
Kiama
Kiama: Y'all are correct: the Cups suit tells the story of Eros & Psyche.
Ace: Aphrodite, goddess of love rises from sea-foam. She presides over love "in its most noble and...most degraded..." forms.
(She is known for both her benevolence & malevolence--sort of representational of human nature; also for the ability to foster or manipulate either influence in the lives of men & women.)
2-Cups: Eros is the son of Aphrodite & Apollo. Here, he & Psyche meet for the first time. (Out of jealousy, Aphrodite has had Psyche bound to a rock & orders Eros to kill Psyche. He accidentally sticks himself with one of his arrows & falls in love with her.)
3-Cups: The wedding of Eros & Psyche. (Psyche has not yet seen Eros, who only meets her in the darkness of night.)
4-Cups: Psyche in Eros' palace. Her sisters are telling her to beware of Eros, that he must be a monster since Eros hides himself from her.
5-Cups: Eros is leaving Psyche for breaking her promise to him. (Psyche's sisters have successfully persuaded Psyche to sneak a peak at her sleeping husband.)
6-Cups: Psyche is alone. She holds a golden cup in her left hand; her bridal bouquet of lillies in her right.
7-Cups: Aphrodite confronts Psyche. She charges Psyche with the tasks she must complete in order to get Eros back. (This occurs after Psyche has prayed to Aphrodite for help.)
8-Cups: Psyche with the last task--descending into the underworld to bring Aphrodite some of Persephone's beauty cream. Psyche does not expect to survive the journey.
9-Cups: Psyche & Eros are reunited. Aphrodite is looking on, apparently benevolently.
10-Cups: Eros & Psyche are in Eros' palace. Psyche is elevated to a divine status so that she may join her husband in his world of gods.
Page-Cups: Narcissus, son of river-god Cephisus & a nymph, gazes at his own reflection. (He is so beautiful his mother was warned to not let him see his own reflection; however, on this occasion he does & falls in love with his reflection.)
Knight-Cups: Perseus, son of Zeus & Danae, a mortal. He is on a quest to obtain the head of Medusa. (The quest is at the instigation of King Polydectus, who is in love with Danae & pursues her. Perseus opposes the king's attentions to his mother, so Polydectus uses the quest as a means to send Perseus to his death.)Queen-Cups: Helen of Troy, daughter of Zeus & Leda, whose beauty was such that it caused the Trojan War.
King-Cups: Orpheus, son of King Oeagrus & the Muse Calliope. He is a poet & musician; a priest & healer. (Apollo gave him the lyre & the Muses taught him how to use it. He is one of Jason's Argonauts.)
WOW! We were right! Thankyou so much, Meewah for helping us out there... I cannot thank you enough!!
The reason I thought that it wasn't the story of Eros and Psyche was that I thought (Obviously mistakenly) that in the end, Psyche died...
Oh well.
Thankyou once again!
Kiama
Kiama: Glad to be of help.
Are y'all familiar with "Cliff Notes"?
In the States, they are condensed versions of certain pieces of literature (I think those considered to be classical literature) designed to save one from having to plow through the book itself. Whoever thought up that idea has probably made a fortune, but it's unfortunate that it encourages "abridged" reading!
No offense since I can relate to the attempt to avoid buying yet another book, but the attempt to avoid an epic post reminded me of Cliff Notes :D
I've not paid much attention to the stories behind the cards of this deck; have barely read the book; however, thank you for prompting me to refresh my memory of Greek mythology--it was fun!
Am waiting for the other shoe to drop...or is it shoes :D
goddessof1967
25-02-2006, 02:46
Well I have just taken the plunge and bought this deck sans book, 'cos the last one had just been bought.
After going into many many shops over the last couple of years and coming out thinking 'all they have is the Mythic Tarot', I finally realised that I was getting a message to own it for myself.
MeeWah - I have just read your Greek mythology ramblings of the Pentacles and Cups and I'm hooked. Thankyou for doing this, its great. I'll go and look for a book of my own now.
MaryElTarotFan
25-02-2006, 05:55
Hey Hey, I bought this deck with book a LOOONG time ago when I was into Greek Mythology. I love following the paths the Greek tales take through the minor suits. I hardly ever looked at the book for this deck. The cards were such an easy read to me. The wisdom I received from this deck, for me, tended to be short, succinct and to the point(no long ramblings for me). It wasn't a deck I fell into(like say the Thoth Deck) but it did the job well. It is now a retired deck for me though I have fond memories when I worked with it
Fudugazi
25-02-2006, 06:18
Wands are the story of Jason & the Argonauts and the Golden Fleece (obvious from the Fleece, I think!), and Swords is the Oresteia - the murder of Agammemnon by Clytemnestra and her lover (3 of Swords), followed by the injuction to Orestes to avenge his father - which is also a great taboo (killing his mother) - so he's in the most terrifying bind. But he's protected (by Athena).
The Majors are a series of Gods and Myths. The courts are more heroes and historical or quasi-historical figures (e.g. Theseus as the King of Wands, or Helen as the Queen of Cups).
I love that deck. It was my constant companion for 5 years.
goddessof1967
25-02-2006, 07:03
I love that deck. It was my constant companion for 5 years.Thats how I feel already - like its a good friend. I just found myself watching TV, shuffling away and just holding the deck. I've never done that with a deck to date.
I love the Mythic Tarot too. It's the one I'm always drawn to no matter which deck I choose in the first place. I always end up switching to it. lol