Steampunk tarot (Moore) VII - The Chariot

shadowdancer

Here we have something very 'steampunky' :)

The chariot is being drawn by engineered and cast beasts. I cannot describe them as they are certainly not horses, and if you think Dr Who, and maybe the cybermen, you will get an idea of how they appear. They have huge eyes/ears (one big hole either side of the head) and steam coming out of the nostrils, so are they steam powered?

The charioteer is a female dressed in flight clothing ofjacket, goggles, biggles type helmet etc. (I cannot help but think a lot of characters are dressed this way in this particular deck - maybe too many??)
The female is standing sideways on, with only one hand holding the reins quite losely. The other hand is holding an unfurled parasol.

So, we can see a couple of things of interest. First her stance. Sideways on. Heck she is confident she has control for sure. Why is she not facing forwards? Why to the side? It sort of reminds me of how women years ago used to ride horses side saddle due to the volumous dresses they wore. Now that would take skill and balance.

Also, the fact she has a lose hold on the reins. Makes me think who is in control here? And if it is the woman, it may indicate she knows she doesn't have to hold a tight grip on the reins - they know she is the one in charge.

I like the parasol. Barbara does explain it in the book, but I saw this as being a possible airbrake should she need it. A bit like how drag cars deploy a parachute when they need to slow down. If the pullers of the chariot (I really cannot come up with a name for them....lol) decide to take off, she may use the parasol as a brake rather than pulling on the reins. I sense they would not really feel any pressure on the reins de to the fact they are metal.

Interesting card, with a couple of wee twists we could incorporate over and above traditional depictions. For some reason though, I can't get out of my head she is being a little too cocky and blase.