Discovering Gébelin!!

firemaiden

Okay here all at once are the sun, the moon, and the star:

No. XIX. The Sun

We have united on this sheet all the images relating to light: thus after the soundless [sourd] lantern of the Hermit, we will take in reverse order the Sun, the Moon and the Brilliant Sirius or the sparkling Canicula - all figuring into this deck with diverse emblems.

The Sun is represented here as the physical father of Humans and of all of nature: it gives light to men in Society, and presides over their towns: tears of gold and pearls are distilled from its rays: thus we designate the happy influences of this heavenly body.

This game of tarot conforms perfectly to the doctrine of the Egyptians, as we will see in more detail in the next article.​

No. XVIII. The Moon.


Thus, the Moon, which follows in the wake of the sun, is also accompanied by tears of gold and pearls, to show that it contributes as well to the advantages of the earth.

Pausanias teaches us in the Description of the Phocide, that according to the Egyptians, it was Isis' tears which caused the Nile to overflow its banks each year, thereby making the land of Egypt fertile. The narratives [relations] of this country also speak about a drop, or a teardrop, which falls from the Moon when the waters of the Nile need to swell.

At the bottom of this image, one sees a Lobster or Cancer, either to denote the retrograde motion of the moon, or to indicate that it is when the sun and the moon leave the sign of Cancer, then the floods happen, caused by the tears in the rising of the Canicula, which one sees in the following image.

One might even put these two motives together: isn't it rather ordinary to make determinations based on a crowd of consequences which form a mass, and which one would have great difficulty to untangle?

The middle of the image is occupied by two towers, one at each extremity, to designate the famous columns of Hercules, above and beyond which only great luminaries shall pass.

Between the two columns are two dogs, who seem to bark at the moon, and to guard it: perfectly Egyptian ideas. This people, unique for their allegories, compared the tropics to two palaces each guarded by a dog, which like faithful gate-keepers, kept the stars in the middle of the sky, without allowing them to slide towards one pole or the other.

These are not the visions of commentators from our time [“en us” ???]. Clement, himself Egyptian since he came from Alexandria, and who consequently ought to know something about it, assures us in his Tapestries [or Stromates, Book V] that the Egyptians represented the Tropics with the image of two dogs, which similar to gate keepers, or faithful guardians prevented the sun and the moon from penetrating further, and from going all the way to the poles.​

No. XVII. Sirius [La Canicule]

Here we have before our eyes an image no less allegorical, and absolutely Egyptian. It is titled “The Star”. In fact, we see here a brilliant star, surrounded by seven smaller stars. The bottom of the image is taken up by a woman bending on one knee, holding two vases upside down, from which flow two rivers. Next to this woman is a butterfly on a flower.

It is pure Egyptianism.

This star is the perfect example of Canicula, or Sirius: a star which rises while the sun is moving out of the sign of Cancer, by which the preceding image finishes, and which this Star immediately follows.

The seven stars which surround it, and which seem to form its court, are the planets. The star is, in a way, their queen, because it remains fixed in this time of the beginning of the year; the planets seem to receive their orders on how to rule their courts from her.

The Lady who is below, and is very attentive in this moment to pouring the water from her two vases, is the Sovereign of the skies, Isis, whose beneficence is responsible for the flooding of the Nile, which begins at the rise of Sirius: thus, this rise was the announcement of the flood. It is for this reason the Canicula was dedicated to Isis, who was its symbol, par excellence.

And since the year opened equally with the rising of this heavenly body, it was named “Soth-Is” – opening of the year, and it is under this name, that it was dedicated to Isis.

Finally, the flower and the butterfly which supports it, were the emblem of regeneration and resurrection: they indicated at the same time as the favor of the kindness of Isis, at the rising of the Canicula, the fields of Egypt, which were absolutely naked, would be covered with new crops [moissons=harvests].​
 

Teheuti

firemaiden said:
the Brilliant Sirius or the sparkling Canicula
Firemaiden - thank you so much for doing this. Your English translation is so graceful. I've got a few suggestions but they do not take away from the wonderful job you've done and the great gift in presenting it to us. I've done my own rough translation of the whole text but it's not nearly as good as yours.

Canicula, I believe, refers to the Dog Star (from Canus/canine).

At the bottom of this image, one sees a Lobster or Cancer, either to denote the retrograde motion of the moon
I think he meant "lobster or crab." And, rather than "retrograde" wouldn't the sense of it be something like "inconstant"?

Mary
 

firemaiden

Thanks Mary. Yes, Canicula is the Latin name for the dog star (Canicula means little dog) - the word is actually in the Wikipedia in English so I thought it was an English word too (it's not?) and also thought since Gébelin himself explained it (by saying it meant Sirius) I would leave his term in. There is actually lot more to be said about Canicula (La Canicule) which in French also means the terrible hot days of summer (dog days)- we all remember the terrible summer when so many french people died of heat stroke in Paris...

As for Cancer - actually, I think he specifically meant the sign Cancer - he talks about the "Tropics" - meaning the tropics of Cancer and ______, and the two towers being the gates of the various Tropics (there must be another word in English for that) or "poles" .

As for the lobster and retrograde motion -- here is the French
"Au bas de ce tableau, on voit une Ecrevisse ou Cancer, soit pour marquer la marche rétrograde de la Lune, soit pour indiquer que c'est au moment où le Soleil & la Lune sortent du signe de Cancer qu'arrive l'inondation causée par leurs larmes au lever de la Canicule qu'on voit dans le tableau suivant."

"Écrevisse" means lobster [edited to say whoops, langouste is lobster...ecrivisse is crayfish], but I think "Cancer" can only be the sign... because the French for crab is "crabe" at least it is now, LOL, and of course Gébelin thinks that this is a symbol of the Sun and Moon moving out of the sign of Cancer.

"Marche rétrograde" means retrograde (reverse) motion, as in the supposed reverse motion of the stars -- perhaps he wasn't much of an astronomer? Or perhaps he thought the Egyptians somehow saw the moon as having a "rétrograde" phase.

P.S. To my ears, rétrograde is not a common french word, you would normally say "marche arrière" for something going backwards, I think it is basically Latin and used only in the astrological context.
 

firemaiden

La Mort

No. XIII - Death

The No. XIII represents death, he reaps humans, kings and queens, the great and the small, nothing resists his murderous scythe.

It is not astonishing that Death is placed under this number; the number thirteen was always regarded as unfortunate. Some terrible disaster must have happened on such a day in ancient times, and the memory must have influenced all the nations of antiquity. Would it be a consequence of this bad memory that the thirteen Hebrew tribes have never been counted as more than twelve?

Let us add, that it is not astonishing either that the Egyptians would have inserted Death into a game which ought only to inspire happy thoughts [idées agréables]: this game was a game of war, Death therefore had to enter into it: similarly the game of chess finishes by checkmate, or better said, by "Sha mat" - the death of the King. Furthermore, we are reminded that in the Calendar, in the festivals, this wise and thoughtful people brought forth a skeleton under the name of Maneros, undoubtedly in order to prevent the celebrants from killing themselves through overindulgence [gourmandise]. Each has his own way of seeing, and there is no arguing with taste.​


No. XV. Typhon.

The Number XV represents a famous Egyptian character, Typon, brother of Osiris and Isis, the principle of evil, the great demon of Hell: he has wings of a bat, feet and hands of a harpie; on his head, the ugly horns of a deer: he was made as ugly and devil-like as possible. At his feet are two little demons [diablotins] with long ears, long tails, hands tied behind their backs: they are themselves tied by a rope around the neck, which stops at the pedestal of Typhon: it shows he won't release those who belong to him: he likes those who are his.​


No. XVI. House of God, or Castle of Plutus [note: not the same as Pluto - see Plutus]

To top it all off, we have here a lesson against avarice. This image shows a Tower called "Maison-Dieu", that is to say the house par excellence; it is a tower filled with gold, it is the Castle of Plutus: it is falling into ruin, and his admirers are falling crushed inder the debris.

Seeing this ensemble, who could fail to recognise the story of the Egyptian Prince mentioned by Herodotus, named Rhampsinit, who having had a great stone tower built to store his treasures, and to which he alone had the key, noticed nevertheless that they were diminishing in plain site, without anyone passing in any way through the only door which existed to this edifice.

In order to discover such adroit thieves, the Prince decided to set out traps around the vases which contained his riches. The thieves were the two sons of Rhampsinit's architect: he had erected a stone in such a way that it could be removed and replaced at will without anyone noticing. He taught his secret to his children who used it marvelously as we know. They stole from the Prince, and then they threw themselves from the tower to the bottom: it is this way that they are shown here.

It is in truth the most beautiful moment in the story. One will find in Herodotus the rest of this ingenious tale, how one of the brothers was caught in a net, how he engaged his brother to cut off his head, how their mother wanted absolutely that her son bring back his brother's body, how he went with others [outres=autres??] loaded on a donkey to get the guardiens of the body and of the castle all drunk, how after they had [vuldé???] despite his artificial tears, when they were asleep, he cut off all their beards on the right side, and stole his brother's body, how the king, very astonished, got his daughter to have each one of her lovers tell her about the most beautiful tower thay had ever made, how the clever boy went to the beautiful daugther, and told her everything he had done, how the beauty, wanting to arrest him, found she had only seized a false arm, how in order to finish this great adventure, and bring it to a happy end, the king promised the same daughter to the ingenious young man who had tricked her so well as being the most worthy of her; and this promise was carried out to the great satisfaction of everyone.

I don't know if Herodotus took this tale for a true story, but a people capable of inventing such romances or Milesian Fables, could very well invent such a game.

This writer relates another fact which proves what we have said in the Story of the Calendar, that the statues of Giants which were paraded in the diverse Festivals, designated almost every season. He says that Rhampsinit, the same Prince we were just talking about, erected at the north and south of the Temple of Vulcan, two statues twenty-five (cubits?) ["coudées" ] high, named Summer and Winter. Summer was adored, he adds, but the people sacrificed on the contrary to Winter, it's like the savages who recognise the principle of Good, and love it, but only sacrifice to the evil one.​

No. X. The Wheel of Fortune

The last number on this sheet, is the Wheel of Fortune. Here, human characters in the shape of monkeys, dogs, rabbits, etc, rise one after the other on this wheel to which they are attached. On might say that it is a satyr against fortune, and aginst those who rise rapidly, and who fall back again with the same rapidity.​


No. XX. Tableau badly named the Last Judgement

This image shows an angel sounding a trumpet sounding a trumpet: we also see an old man, a woman, and a child, nude.

The cardmakers who lost the value of these images, and even more their ensemble, saw here the last judgement; and to make sense of this, put in some kind of of tombs. Take out these tombs, and the image can equally designate Creation, happening over time ["arrivée dans le Temps"], at the beginning of Time, which is indicated in No. XXI.​


No. XXI. Time, badly named The World

This image which the cardmakers called the world, because they considered it to be the origin of everything, represents Time. It cannot be mistaken from the ensemble.

In the center is the Goddess of Time, with her veil which blows in the wind, and which serves her as a belt, or a peplum, as it was called in Antiquity. She is in the pose of running, like time, and in in a circle which represents the revolutions of time; just like the egg that everthing came out of in time.

AT the four corners of the image, are the emblems of the four sesons, which form the revolutions of the year, the same which compose the four heads of the Cherubim. These emblems are: the eagle, the lion, the bull, and the young man.

The eagle represents spring, when the birds return.
The Lion, Summer, or the warmth [ardeurs] of the Sun.
The Bull, Autumn, where one labours and sews (the fields).
The Young Man, Winter - when people come together.​
 

firemaiden

Translating these last few cards I was struck by how nimble Gébelin's imagination is - okay, it is truly absurd to say, the Last Judgement Card is really the card of the Creation of theWorld in disguise, all you have to do is take away the tombs which don't belong there, ROFL ... I mean, he's really forcing the Egyptian issue here, since the Last Judgment is so unequivocally depicted! Yet it is fascinating to see how his mind works -- no boxing him in!

I loved his view of the Star as Isis and the dog star, and found it rather convincing.

The Tower as Castle of Plutus is a fascinating take, I think.The story he relates from Herodotus about Prince Rhampsinit is like a fairy tale. He would see the Tower as depictingthe moment where the prince's thieves throw themselves out of the tower, to avoid detection... (do they survive??) -- Not sure why he includes Plutus in the mix, but Plutus is the god of wealth.
 

kwaw

firemaiden said:
Re: Justice, Strength, the Hanged Man and Temperance (numbered XIII and the number corrected by him later)

I translate:

I have to admit I find his idea about the Hanged Man as "Pede suspenso" - the suspended foot - meaning being careful - prudent - about where to step next - instead of "suspended by the feet" - almost convincing.

Firemaiden
I have quoted your material on Pede suspenso in relation to the Boirda poem here:

http://www.tarotpedia.com/wiki/inde..._Del_Vano_Mondo#Trump_4_-_Ragion_.28Reason.29

Can you please check it to see if it is ok with you, I have probably put it where it is out of context. If you feel this is irrelevent to that section and prefer it not be there please edit it out or let me know and i'll do so.

Kwaw
 

firemaiden

Thanks Kwaw, I am flattered to be quoted, it all made sense to me, only thing missing is the url's to the website's I linked.
 

Ross G Caldwell

"Then one wondered, why a hanged man in this game? and the opportunity was not missed to say, it is the just punishment for the Inventor of the Game, for having represented a Popess."

Interesting statement. De Gébelin reports it as if someone had told him this bit of "tarot lore" when he asked for an explanation of the Pendu.

I think this anecdote may reflect a historical incident, which happened in 1725 (within de Gébelin's lifetime), in Bologna. This is when the four "Papi", the four cards known in France as Papesse, Emperatrice, Empereur and Pape, were changed to "Mori" - Moors, moorish satraps.

"The replacement of the 'Papi' by 'Mori' came about in 1725 by the intervention of the Papal Legate, Cardinal Ruffo. At that time, Bologna, although very proud of its ancient liberties, fell within the Papal States, but, by an agreement of 1447, enjoyed considerable autonomy. In 1725 Canon Luigi Montieri of Bologna produced a geographical Tarocchino pack: the body of each trump card gave geographical information ... What annoyed the Legate, Cardinal Ruffo, was that on the Matto Bologna was described as having a "mixed government" (governo misto). Ruffo ordered Montieri's pack publicly burned; Montieri and everyone concerned with its production were arrested. However the Legate quickly came to realise that to proceed against them on this ground would arous deep resentment in the city. He therefore had the prisoners rapidly released, and, to save face, demanded instead that the four 'Papi' be replaced by four Moorish satraps, and the Angel by a Lady (Dama). The first change was accepted, though the second was ignored, and Montieri's pack was reissued with the Moors instead of 'Papi'; moreover, Moors were henceforth used in all Bolognese Tarot packs."

(Dummett and McLeod, "History of Games Played with the Tarot Pack" (Mellen Press, 2004) pp. 263-264)

The Papi, including the Papesse, could be construed to have offended the Legate, and the offenders were imprisoned over the issue - so de Gébelin's account could represent somebody else's version of the same story. It could have been "big news" among tarocchi players, and the story got around that the Popess had offended the Pope, and the maker was punished.
 

kwaw

kwaw said:
The hanged man is shown the other way round on several decks prior to de Gebelin. And, I don't know whether its an error or not, but on p.146 of Vol. I of Kaplan there is an image from a French tarot with trump XII showing a man standing on one foot and titled 'prudence', one would expect this to be post de Gebelin, but Kaplan dates it c.1720!?

firemaiden said:
Very odd - I remember seeing a Pendu right side up, (Viéville?) except that there was still the bar thing from which to hang and to which his feet were attached, so it just seemed like someone had added a lable as an after thought and done so the wrong end round.

From another thread:

http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?p=773814#post773814

we have link to example of this 1770 example:

http://www.tarotpassages.com/vandenot.jpg

Kwaw