The Fairytale Tarot-The Magician

Genna

Fairytale Tarot; The Magician

The faery Magician of The Fairytale Tarot is disguised as a lank,grey beggarman who wins the own self of the storyteller of the King of Leinster in a game of dice. He then brings the storyteller to invisible witness the tricks; funny,exciting, and cruel, that he plays on Red Hugh O´Donnell and his sons. At last he makes all well again, and brings the storyteller to the King of Leinster, where he manages to get two men hanged instead of himself. He then brings the men back to life.

He then restores everything he won from the storyteller, and reveals that he is the storyteller´s old friend, and did it all to get the storyteller a story fit to tell the King of Leinster; the storyteller being unable to think of a story that day.The King is delighted with the story, and never wants to hear another one but that of the Lank, Grey Beggarman.

On the picture is the lank,grey beggarman, about to play his most amazing trick. He tosses a ball of silk up into the air. A dog and the storyteller transformed into a hare watches. The beggarman has his sword unsheated,shoes full of water,his ears stuck through his old hat, and he carries a wand of holly. The scene is set outside of the castle of Red Hugh O´Donnell.

This Magician is very faery. He likes the upsetting, surprising and fantastic. What are your thoughts on him?
 

Nimbus

Hi Genna,

I read your commments on the FairyTale Tarot-Fool posted about a week ago. Now there are comments about the Magician in this seperate thread. My question is this (I have never joined a study group but bought this deck for this purpose): Will each card be posted individually like they currently are, or is there another study group thread that will collect all of this? Will we be able to add to the other thread about the Fool? Maybe I missed the start and the instructions, but I really want to join.

Please forgive the questions... I read the tale of the Miller's Boy and would like to post a bit later today. I will try to read the Magician to catch up!

Thanks,
~Nimbus
 

inanna_tarot

Nimbus, if you have a look at the other study groups they work with a specific structure in mind.
Theres a new thread for each card (the deck and card mentioned in the thread title), and all the threads are linked to a deck study group index.
Feel free to add to any of the previous threads at any time! The threads will remain here.

For ease of reference for you, heres the thread index for the Fairytale tarot!
http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?p=859302#post859302

Oh and I hope to take part in the group when my deck comes!

Sezo
x
 

Genna

It will be interesting to read your opinions of the cards, Nimbus and inanna_ tarot. inanna_tarot, thank you for answering Nimbus´ question.
 

Owl Song

I thought that this was a marvellous story to explain the symbolism of the Magician. After the king hangs the beggarman the first time and the beggarman returns to life, the king doesn't bother to try again. He lets him go. The Magician can be thrilling and compelling to watch and observe. But he can also exhaust you! Even at his worst, it's difficult not to like this charming persona. He can drive you near madness, as he probably did to our storyteller, and then turn around, chuckle, and tell you that it's all just a joke. Despite everything, as soon as he flashes that winning smile, you cannot help but laugh along with him. He has a great way of making us laugh at ourselves and take ourselves less seriously. He's the class clown that utterly exasperates his teacher but when no one else is looking she has to bite her lip to stifle a giggle at his antics.

Another aspect of this archetype shown in the card is the Magician's strength and force of will. He is very much in control when performing his tricks and feats and is, in many ways, a force to be reckoned with.
 

Nimbus

This fairy tale somehow did not resonate with me, or maybe it did and I just don't recognize it. The tale was bawdy and unpredictable which I found to be disturbing. It made no sense and there was a wanton randomness about the actions of the 'trickster' that seemed to me to be just plain mean spirited.

For me the magician has held a certain sense of structured energy that is used in a productive, positive way rather than a sort of energy that is going off in all directions, not contained, and therefore wasted. The magician, or the trickster, in this tale seemed to have an immature sort of approach, so perhaps the class clown is a good description. It has certainy helped me put it into perspective. The magician I prefer is wise, can be a mentor, and can teach, but will do so with a sort of Socratic method. He can be a tough character, and has wisdom, but can also make one stretch the mind and consider other things, especially with his bag of tricks!

However, I can't seem to get the tale out of my mind, so will likely read it again and perhaps come to a different conclusion once it is more familiar.

~Nimbus
 

berrieh

What a very interesting way to view The Magician!

This is a card that varies from deck to deck, for me, as The Magician can be helpful, but also harmful, and I find different decks highlight different 'sides' of this slippery figure. In this tale, he is both, in a very fitting combination, I think.

I find it notable that, at the end of the story, he informs the storyteller that "as the storyteller had in the past done him many good turns, he decided to help the storyteller out of his problems that morning." So, The Magician is trying to be helpful here. His intentions, all throughout, are nice. His methods are less nice, and they lead the storyteller into some confusion and misery, taking much from him and showing him quite a strangeness. Yet, in the end, his problem is forever solved, and he never needs to come up with another story again; so, his life is much easier for the temporary hardship.

This card brings up many recurring themes of the Magician: Trickery, storytelling, getting what you need, and plain old magic. But I think, most of all, it is a Manifestation card. The storyteller has a need, the trickster fills it. The process is unsettling and troubling, but the result is fantastic and nothing is really lost. So, it may be a turbulent road, but the destination will be exactly what you asked for and nothing will be lost. Very "Magician" like, in my opinion.

I've often seen the dark side of The Magician as more "uncomfortable" than truly bad, and I've never seen him as someone who intentionally causes others pain for pleasure---just unintentionally makes mischief while trying to be helpful or achieve a goal. So, I think this illustrates that darker side in a very interesting way.

Now, as for the card itself, I'm a little disappointed in it, art-wise. The spinning of the yarn makes a good allusion to 'storytelling' but there's nothing very magical about the goings-on in this picture. I think showing his magic tricks would have been more effective. I also miss the elements. This is one of the few cards where I'm old-fashioned, and I do like to see the elements all represented on the card in some form or fashion. I see the sword, but I can't really find good depictions of anything else. So, that lets me down. It helps me more, in this case, to think of the story than to look at the card. So, perhaps it makes my reading of The Magician a bit too logic-based, as I haven't really connected with the picture.
 

moderndayruth

I was drown to the animals pictured – the rabbit and the dog.
The “bunny” is also the proverbial follower of Hekata, the Greek goddess of crossroads, “making important choices” comes to my mind.
I remembered a quote from my book on Chinese astrology, where for the dog it says
“I am a keen dog
I am a lean dog
And I am alone”
Those two together reminded of “multifacetedness “ of all things… and of our own beings.
 

moderndayruth

Thanks for posting the link, Sar! :heart: