Gilded- The Emperor

bluefairy

The Emperor there stands a confidante man wearing a red wrap around his body.unlike his empress he holds the planets in the palm of his hand (so to speak).he is wearing a blue under cloak, and has a crown on his head this shows me he knows what he wants and knows how to get it.he is more of this world.not like the empress who deals more with the creation and passion, he is more of the provider he shows power and stability. i get a man who will do anything to guide and to provide for his family, work and love.
 

DeaconBlues

It's interesting how the zodiac symbols in the circle behind the Emperor are more literal than those of the Empress, and that they're positioned almost opposite hers. Also, he appears to be standing on a solid bit of ground. No planets behind him, either, just a sky in the last stages of sunset.
 

veniteangeli

Compare and contrast the Emperor with the Empress - her zodiac signs are in symbol form only, whereas his are fully formed pictures - in the book it says they're a progression, to their more earthly form. That would make sense, since the Emperor is more concerned with masculine, concrete thought than his female counterpart.

She's standing on calm, cool blue air, where he seems to be standing on hot red tempestuous fiery air.

He's wearing that laurel wreath, and that makes me think of Julius Caesar, and the Roman empire, and I can't think of any more fitting image. What better way to symbolize the rules and authority the Emperor stands for, than to call to mind Julius Caesar!

Missing from this card are the mountains in the background as depicted in the RWS image - I'm not sure if the card doesn't suffer from this lack, because I thought they represented the Emperor's down to earth nature quite well.
 

FireHermit

When I first got this card out the deck my first impressions were that he bears a striking resemblance to Renly Baratheon in The Game of Thrones series :D

All the sun symbols emblazoned on his robes lead me to believe he is highly motivated towards success/achievement.

His suspension in midair would lean me towards thinking that as a person he can seem very 'aloof' from others - and would form a clear boundary that he is undoubtedly the ruler of all.

However, with that comes responsibility. I note the golden cuff on his visible wrist, which I associate with being bound to others - he is in control, but must also provide care for those under him.

Just some thoughts..