Legend: The Arthurian Tarot

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 16 Aug 2001, and now archived in the Forum Library.

neo48	16 Aug 2001
Does any one use this deck I feel drawn to it can any one tell me about it a little more?

Elphaba	17 Aug 2001
Hi there! I use this deck for most of my readings. I bought it after a friend did this amazing reading for me with it. The artwork is gorgeous and I love just going through the deck looking at all the cards. You can buy this deck in a package with a large book or you can buy the deck by itself. I only have the deck and the LWB that came with it doesn't go into much detail about the Arthurian stories depicted on the cards. I'm hoping to buy the book that goes with it someday. The paper it's printed on is pretty flimsy so you have to be careful shuffling. Also the cards are long and kind of thin. I love doing readings with these cards. It's my favorite deck at the moment! Suits: Spears, Swords, Cups, Shields. Fave cards: The Moon, Cernunnos, 7 Spears :)

nexyjo	17 Aug 2001
up until i got the tarot of the cloisters, this deck was my second favorite after the robin wood. i got it in the set with the book, which i think is key in understanding the deck fully. the book goes into great detail describing the story behind each scene in the cards, and how it relates to the meaning of the card. for arthurian legend fans especially, it's a wonderful resource. and i agree with elphaba - the artwork is simply breath-taking. the moon card from this deck is among my all time favorite cards. luv and light, nexy

truthsayer	17 Aug 2001
i think the legend deck is my favorite deck. the high priestess is my all time fav depiction of the HP. the deck feels so personally suited for me that i will only read for myself w/ the deck. i love the gentle pastel watercolors of the cards. the book is great and has taught me things about the A legends that i hadn't known before. but if you are all ready familiar w/ the authurian legends it won't take long to get going w/ this deck. i never noticed that the card stock was thin. i was only happy that the cards aren't hard to shuffle! :D if i wear them out, i'd buy another deck for sure.

Kiama	17 Aug 2001
I recently recieved this deck from my boyfriend for my birthday, after wanting it for a long, long time... When he bought it for me I had just finished reading the Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley, and I was considering using the Arturian Legends in my English coursework, so I was really interested in the legends. The book that came with the deck gave simple accounts of the legends (Not the rubbish Disney-like ones though: The 'true' ones, from the Mabinogion, Geoffrey of Monmouth, Le Morte D'Arthur, by Sir Thomas Malory, and Sir Gawain and The Green Knight) The artwork in the deck was very nice too, but I much prefer the Robin Wood style artwork, cuz it's easier to see detail, and often more colourful and vibrant... The only thing I wasn't too keen on with this deck though was the Hanged Man card... Although the stpry behind it (Castle Perillous) goes very well with the menaing of the card, to look at with an unexperienced querent it would be difficult... I would also debate the Ace of Swords, I mean, you'd expect it to be Excalibur, wouldn't you? Butit isn't: It's the Sword Of Strange Hangings. And the Empress should've been better chosen (Guinevere) as in nearly all accounts, Guinevere was infertile, both in mind and body... And some even say in spirit too.... Overall, I'd say that this is more of a collector's deck than one to read with, mainly cuz if the querent knows hardly anything about the Arthurian Tales, it's gonna get confusing for them. However, for personal readings it's okay, but I still see it more as a collector's deck... Kiama

LadyLake	19 Aug 2001
Neo... Perhaps your case is like mine. I was totally drawn to the Legend deck. I had looked at samples of various decks on-line..and I do recall reading somewhere that the deck for you will be the one that you are drawn to...and when I came across this one--it was perfect polarization. It became my first--of many. It is still my most favorite deck...and is the only one that "feels" like my best friend...we are apples on the same branch. My best readings come when I use that one. Someone had made a comment about the paper being flimsy-or to that effect. You know, I never really noticed that-- as odd as that sounds. (I do note the quality of the paper when examining a deck). I have had my deck for three years--and I recently did a reading for my mother-in-law who was able to view my cards--when I told her how long I've had them, she commented how they show so little wear. Goes to show you that things are not always as they seem! If the deck had an odometer,it would show quite a few miles...It's probably just that I don't shuffle -any- deck like a pack of playing cards. But, bottom line--what I really want to say to you...if your attraction is that strong to Legend-perhaps it's because you've met your match! Go with your flow! :)

luna	08 Sep 2001
I had posted -house of Pendragon- before I knew this was here. Quite a few fans. My deck came to me just days after I retired my first deck.

Mia	03 Jul 2003
Hi Guys, I just wanted to say, that this is one of the decks i use, and i love it! I was drawn to it really by the fact that it is arthurian and i love all things to do with that legend! As i live in England, i have visited Tintagel, Arthurs legendary home in cornwall a few times and it is so beautiful! The book " Keeper of Words" by Anna-marie Ferguson is so well written and is just wonderful by itself! I connect very deeply to this deck and love the amount of info in the book. I would recommend it to anyone even a beginner, i think it`s an excellent deck!

Aerin	04 Jul 2003
I'm one of those that strongly prefer the Hallowquest Arthurian (Matthews/ Gray). For me, it is better researched and hangs together better than the Legend. I find the Legend is more romanticised Hollywood Arthur than is to my taste. As for the MZB book, again the Hallowquest deck goes beautifully with her Arthurian vision. The Hallowquest Arthurian has recently been re-released. I do have both decks. Aerin

Storm	04 Jul 2003
Hi everyone, My first post!! Just though I'd mention, I have this deck on order...unfortunately, it appears to be missing in the post!!!!. Coincidence or what!!, I have just e-mailed the supplier to tell them it hasn't turned up yet. Came over to Aeclectic and this is the first post I read. I am so looking forward to getting this deck, it looks lovely. Great to read everyones views. I ordered the book separately, bit of a mix up by me..didn't see the set until it was too late..stupid me!!! Love and Light Storm

LadyMedusa	04 Jul 2003
Storm, Sometimes ordering decks and books seperately is actually worth the trouble. I have several that the solo book had either more info or extra bits like some poetry or an extra story or two. In fact I learned that with my Legend. Originally several years ago I had purchased a box set. Back in March of this year it had an accident of sorts. Bassett Hound customization you might say. I purchased another copy of the deck shortly afterwards. One day when I happened to be looking around half.com I came upon a copy of just the book very inexpensive I went ahead and ordered it. To my utter amazement when it arrived I found it was a first edition and contained some 20 or so pages of extras. The box sets are nice, just keep in mind sometimes whats not in the box is nicer. I hope your copy finds you soon it really is a beautiful deck especially if you like things Arthurian or watercolors. LadyMedusa

Scorpion	04 Jul 2003
Quote: Originally posted by Aerin I'm one of those that strongly prefer the Hallowquest Arthurian (Matthews/ Gray). For me, it is better researched and hangs together better than the Legend. I find the Legend is more romanticised Hollywood Arthur than is to my taste. As for the MZB book, again the Hallowquest deck goes beautifully with her Arthurian vision. The Hallowquest Arthurian has recently been re-released. I do have both decks. Aerin I have to agree with you Aerin - I've had the Legend for a while and have just bought the Hallowquest today and have to say I think I already prefer the latter, simply because I like the artwork better and the use of stronger colours. I found the Legend very attractive at first but now I feel it's rather washed out - but that's probably just me: I adore deep and vivid colours.

Martin	04 Jul 2003
Hello! I bought the Arthurian Tarot deck in 1991, and it is still one of my favourite working decks. I personally dislike the Legend tarot greatly. I too find the illustrations a bit Hollywood, compared to the more rough and ready imagery of the Caitlins deck. I also feel that the Caitlin deck is based on a greater understanding of the Arthurian mythology, and the cards have a greater range of applications. I'm still not too sure about the amount of space that is lost through the arched borders, and I don't really find it makes travelling into the cards any easier, but that's a small complaint in the grand scheme of things! Martin

waterdreamer	14 Jul 2003
i personal love ths deck, it was my first deck, and i actually found it by accident, at the book store i went to only had to deck, and i bought it. to this day its still on of my favorite decks. as for the paper being flimsy, i can;t say i have noticed. i've had the deck for well over 3 years and it shows no age. as for the art work i think it is amazing, the watercolors are so well done. monique

truthsayer	14 Jul 2003
i have both the arthurian and the legend. i prefer the legend for readings. the arthurian seems more of a meditation and self-exploration deck than a divination to me. unless i meditate on them and work the hallowquest, they feel empty to me. i have the hallowquest book so i can see what caitlin matthews is doing with the deck. i agree the deck is better researched and put together. i just love anne ferguson's romantic watercolors and words come forth to do readings. i think it's all that watery painting. what can i say? i am a pisces afterall!

Aerin	15 Jul 2003
The people in my Legend keep bursting into songs from 'Camelot'. I can't stop them, it's no good, I've tried talking to them nicely about it but they won't shut up. Aerin ;)

angelwhispers	15 Jul 2003
Quote: Originally posted by Kiama Overall, I'd say that this is more of a collector's deck than one to read with, mainly cuz if the querent knows hardly anything about the Arthurian Tales, it's gonna get confusing for them. However, for personal readings it's okay, but I still see it more as a collector's deck... I was another that was drawn to this deck, it was the second deck I ever purchased and once I got it home and started looking through the cards and reading the lwb that came with it I couldn't relate to one card.....and I think my problem is that I know really nothing of Arthurian Legends which makes it confusing for me. So I agree with Kiama on that point

Bings	16 Jul 2003
I love this deck. It has been my favorite sense the moment I started working with it. I know some people like bolder colors and artwork, but I love the softer tones of this deck. The quality of the cards does not seem thin to me and my cards are holding up very well. I use this deck in most of the readings I do for other people. Dianne

rexenne2003	17 Dec 2003
Quote: Originally posted by nexyjo up until i got the tarot of the cloisters, this deck was my second favorite after the robin wood. i got it in the set with the book, which i think is key in understanding the deck fully. the book goes into great detail describing the story behind each scene in the cards, and how it relates to the meaning of the card. for arthurian legend fans especially, it's a wonderful resource. and i agree with elphaba - the artwork is simply breath-taking. the moon card from this deck is among my all time favorite cards. luv and light, nexy WHAT IS the Arthurian Legend??

lunalafey	17 Dec 2003
Quote: Originally posted by rexenne2003 WHAT IS the Arthurian Legend?? are your refering to the deck? or the story? not sure I understand the question. It all starts with Uther and his love for Igraine, from that, we get Arthur, the King of Camelot. Now Merlin, he was around through all this and feels a bit responsible {he dabbled where he should not have}....as Karma would have it, everything falls apart... knights of the round table.....sword in the stone......

HudsonGray	17 Dec 2003
If you're referring to the deck itself, the Legends Arthurian deck by Ferguson is here: http://www.aeclectic.net/legendarthurian/index.html There's another deck called the Arthurian Hallowquest done by ?Caitlin and Matthews, which has a different artistic look to it. You can see it here: http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/arthurian/index.html

daneo52	18 Dec 2003
interesting thread!! i just started reading mists of avalon this week, cannot put it down, and feel like i am walking in another world. i do not normally read fanstasy novels, but this is great. it is reminding me of all the studies i did of king arthur in high school and college. mists of avalon is wonderful because i am seeing the story through the women. fascinating. now i must have the tarot cards when i am done. i looked at the links, and prefer the bold colors of the arthurian. sorry to go off, was just so excited to read this here at such an appropriate time. for those who have not read about these legends, i highly recommend it. there is a tintagel, are these reality based?

rexenne2003	18 Dec 2003
The story is what I am curious about. I love the midevil times, with Merlin. I have the Merlin movie and absolutly love it! I get so absorbed when I am watching it that I have learned to not be cooking anything, for it gets over cooked usually. D'oh!

lunalafey	18 Dec 2003
The story is what I am curious about. suggested reading Le Morte d' Arthur Mists of Avalon the Once and Future King {I laughed my way through this one, Pellinor is quite amusing} and I found this- http://www.legendofkingarthur.com/sitemap.htm

Thea Lynx	23 Dec 2003
I just go this deck yesterday and have only looked through it, shuffled and pulled three cards (which is my habit with all my new decks, just to get an initial feel) Have to say this one lives up to all the great stuff everyone else has already said about it. Can't wait to work with it. One of the great things about this group is being able to check out opinions and "reviews" of decks from so many different perspectives! Thea Lynx

BlueLotus	23 Dec 2003
I have had this deck and the accompanying book for ages now. I guess I need to re-aquaint myself with it, particularly the cards . I like the history, or rather the myths associated with King Arthur and that era, and thus I was immersed in reading the book more than the cards and cards vs/meanings per ce. Guess it is time to go back and try to make this relation with these cards now. As for the Artwork I think it is very beautiful although the 'shades' of colors at time are a bit too 'shy' as opposed to 'bold' , making it more of a 'feminine' artwork with mostly mascular themes. Just my personal opinion

rexenne2003	23 Dec 2003
It is not bad to own more than one deck! No shame invovled! I have five, but I use my Witches Tarot the most often because I love the pictures of the cards. I am hinting to the family that I would like this deck though. Hope it works! LMAO!

Alissa	23 Dec 2003
I keep this deck for personal use only, and it's one of my favorites. I wrote my honors thesis in college on Arthurian legend, and still love the subject. And, incidentally, my love of all things Arthurian came from the experience of reading Mists of Avalon for the first time when I was still a teenager. Since then, I've read it about 5 more times ... year to year I reread it and discover something new each time. It is a magickal book. The Legend deck takes it's imagery from the Mallory version of the tales, Le Morte D'Arthur. The tales it uses are Mallory's, the correlations to others' works (Gawain and the Green Knight jumps to mind) are due to the fact that Mallory borrowed from the existing English tradition (Geoffrey of Monmoth, as was mentioned by Kiama earlier, but also the French tradition of Chretien de Troyes's works). Come to think of it, I'm not sure if Spenser's epic work "The Faerie Queen," would have also been written about the time Mallory wrote his version of Arthur's tales ... could be. This deck is pastel, and very grey in tone. It's images, however, are not "sweetness and light," despite the color pallate used. I find it reads extremely honestly for myself, but as I said, I treat this deck as a special one, due to my love of the Arthurian tales. Quote: by daneo52 there is a tintagel, are these reality based? There is a link to a historical figure that was thought to be the King whom Arthur was based upon. However, it is interesting that when Arthur makes his earliest appearances in any written record (about 1000 AD, but I'd have to check my notes to be sure), it is already set "in a time long ago," hundreds of years prior to the author's own words. It's already "assumed" by Arthur's first author that we have lost much of the tales of his court ... but spent the next 1000 years reinventing them, over several countires and largely by oral tradition. Tintagel, also, is more likely connected to the Irish tradition of "Tristan and Isuelt" in it's origins, but several hundred years later in literature came to be the place associated with Arthur's dubious conception by a disguised Uther, posing as Lot of Orkney. This is still how it is best remembered today - and as the place where Merlin arrived to claim the boy to be reared from then on by foster parents.

lunalafey	23 Dec 2003
Quote: Originally posted by Alissa There is a link to a historical figure that was thought to be the King whom Arthur was based upon. http://www.legendofkingarthur.com/sitemap.htm this guy??

Alissa	23 Dec 2003
Hmmm, I don't rightly know if they are one and the same. I actually dug out my thesis to find what I had written on the subject. I quote myself :D : "The legend of Arthur began around the fireside. The roots of all Arthurian legends are found in the Welsh tales and poems that pre-date formal literary documentation. The earliest surviving reference to Arthur occurs around 600 AD within the Welsh oral poem "The Gododdin," where reference to a young warrior names "Gwawrddur" are scattered within the poem, and this character is praised for his heroism on the battlefield (Wilhelm and Gross, p.14)." The research reference is to "The Romance of Arthur", by James Wilhelm and Laila Gross, 1984.

rexenne2003	23 Dec 2003
So are there any physical books on the subject that would be in a library that I could start out with?

Alissa	23 Dec 2003
The early literature is difficult reading ... the best place to start for a historical Arthurian work would be Sir Thomas Malory's "Le Morte De Arthur." This is not an easy two volumes, I admit, when starting out. For modern books on the historical personage of Arthur, see *anything* by Geoffrey Ashe. He is the leading Arthurian expert of our time, hands down, and has plenty of work for you to look into. For modern fiction, I recommend "Mists of Avalon" by Marion Zimmer Bradley.

Majecot	23 Dec 2003
I love this deck, I have had it for several years.. Never cracked open the book tho untill a couple of weeks ago.. I wonder what I was waiting for :)

Aerin	24 Dec 2003
See here for a description of a new edition, illustrated by the Legend deck creator and edited by the Hallowquest's John Matthews. http://www.sfsite.com/10b/ma114.htm Aerin

truthsayer	24 Dec 2003
i've looked unsuccessfully for that book illustrated by anna marie ferguson for a while. check out the web site of ferguson to see if it's become available again if you seriously want a copy like me. :)

rexenne2003	14 Jan 2004
Any idea what the face card with the dragon and sword are for? Or is it just a fun looking extra that is not used?? I have skimmed through the book that came with the deck (finally received it!!) and I am not coming across anything about it.

Alissa	14 Jan 2004
Just guessing, not checking the book to see if they mention the illustration, but the dragon may refer to Arthur Pendragon, son of Uther Pendragon. The sword could refer to the sword in the stone, or Exclaibur, or any of the other enchanted swords that appear in Malory's version.

rexenne2003	14 Jan 2004
But what is it for? There is only one, and there is no writing on the card...

Alissa	15 Jan 2004
Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh I just erased the whole post I wrote you rexenne, because I finally realized your question isn't regarding the card backs, but the extra card, the Gate Card, that came with the deck. I don't use that card. Some folks use these extra plate cards in their deck, and call them the "Gate Card". I think of it as the Tarot equivalent to the addition of the blank rune, in rune reading - and don't use them. For more general info on Gate cards

The Legend: The Arthurian Tarot thread was originally posted on 16 Aug 2001 in the Tarot Decks board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Tarot Decks, or read more archived threads.