Justice is always a woman?

I've been researching this card, trying to get a better handle on it. As I researched different decks, I noticed that if there is a person on the card, it is always a woman.

Is there some history that goes with this observation? A significance to it being a woman?

Perhaps a woman includes a little more heart into her decisions. Hh

that's really odd, obviously show how much attention i really pay because i assumed that justice always shows a male *blushes* embarrasing

Justice is one of the four "Cardinal Virtues", the other three being Strength/Fortitude, Temperance, and Prudence.

They can be traced to at least Plato, and show up in Christianity and Judaism.

They are all traditionally shown as feminine, with occasional exceptions.

In Tarot, 3 of the 4 Cardinal virtues are shown. There is some discussion whether or not Prudence is "hidden" in the tarot, for instance as the Chariot or the World card.

There is discussion about this in the History section, a search might bring up some topics if you are interested.

Here's the wikipedia article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cardinal_virtues

I have a bronze statue - Themis Goddess of Justice.

I don`t know if that is connected or not. Themis was from Greek Mythology I believe. Someone correct me if I`m wrong.
I bought the statue after I was a case that that took me ten years to get Justice.

Oh, and sometimes you see statues of a woman outside courtrooms holding the scales of justice in the United States.

I think 300 years BC women were looked at like Bishops are today.

Ok, I`m off topic I think. But it might be somewhere to start.

I personally also consider the iconography of St. Michael to sometimes be related to Justice, as he is often shown with the scales of justice.

For example:
http://cistercian-way.newport.ac.uk/image.asp?imageName=derwen_judgement_L
http://www.culture.gouv.fr/culture/medieval/en/e004.htm
http://www.culture.gouv.fr/culture/medieval/en/c421.htm

wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_(archangel)

It is often claime that these are the scales of Justice in the hand of Michael, but personally question this.

I suspect it is a mnemonic to assist in his feast day, occuring during the first octave of Libra.

That's interesting.

I know that many of the important saints have their feast days on days corresponding to the solstices and equinoxs. It would be intersting to check each month and see if there is a pattern of saints matching astrological symbols.

In neo-Platonic literature and medieval art, the soul is represented as female. This is probably why the cardinal virtues are women - virtue being an aspect of the soul.

le pendu said:

J
They are all traditionally shown as feminine, with occasional exceptions.

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I think you mean female, not feminine. A man can also be feminine

I have no time at the moment but I think it stems from early creation myths and the idea of Justice for without Ma'at the world would be chaos.

caridwen said:

I think you mean female, not feminine. A man can also be feminine

I have no time at the moment but I think it stems from early creation myths and the idea of Justice for without Ma'at the world would be chaos.

Click to expand...

Right you are, I meant female!

Thanks caridwen!