Sinduction
The Druidcraft! I also prefer the Robin Wood.
I do not care for the Old Path or the Llewelyn.
I do not care for the Old Path or the Llewelyn.
old path or duidcraft
WolfSpirit
Another vote for the Druidcraft from me !
Although I use other decks as well, this has to be my one most favourite deck.
I used to have the Old Path but I traded it away. I liked the majors but I did not care for the minors much, all the faces are weird - they are so cartoony and look like narrow minded tight lipped people to me. Although I liked the 8 of broomsticks
The Old Path has its fans too, so it is just what works best for you really
Although I use other decks as well, this has to be my one most favourite deck.
I used to have the Old Path but I traded it away. I liked the majors but I did not care for the minors much, all the faces are weird - they are so cartoony and look like narrow minded tight lipped people to me. Although I liked the 8 of broomsticks
The Old Path has its fans too, so it is just what works best for you really
BrightEye
I have both. I think the Old Path is airy, the Druidcraft a bit 'heavy' in terms of the art work. If I had to part with one, I think it would be the Druidcraft, but partly because I got the Old Path as a present from my mother. I like them both is the long and short answer. Btw, I like the new version of the Druidcraft, which comes in a neat box!
Ambrosia
Hi Brighteye.BrightEye said:
Is there a difference between the versions apart from the box? And what is this box like?
wytchwood
the Old Path is a bit cheesy in my opinion, it was my first deck but I lost it on my many travels. When I came to buy another deck I got a different deck and only got the Old Path again recently as I saw it for the right price and nostalgia got the better of me, but I am shocked at how awful it is! No offence to the lovers of this deck, but there is loads of white space where it seems that they couldn't be bothered to finish the cards off, especially the minors and courts which have no background at all. The images themselves are really tacky and it has that teen-wicca new agey vibe and a lot of feeble, insipid females and men that look very un-manly, not what I would equate with Paganism- Give me a big hairy guy who looks like a blacksmith and a curvy, vibrant woman any day!
The Druidcraft I ended up trading as it wasn't for me, but I do think that it is a much better deck. The artwork is deep and detailed and it has a much more Earthy feel which is well suited to a Pagan deck. There are lots of lush green backgrounds which I really feel is lacking on the Old Path- surely the land is a big part of the Pagan thing.... There are a few cards which some find weird- myself included- I won't say what they are in case it spoils it for you- but they annoyed me enough to trade the deck in the end. Unfortunately the book was disappointing for me as it leans far more towards the 'Wicca' side of things, but the deck itself could easily be taken for a more broad-spectrum Pagan deck. The men and women have substance at least and it reads very well indeed.
The Druidcraft I ended up trading as it wasn't for me, but I do think that it is a much better deck. The artwork is deep and detailed and it has a much more Earthy feel which is well suited to a Pagan deck. There are lots of lush green backgrounds which I really feel is lacking on the Old Path- surely the land is a big part of the Pagan thing.... There are a few cards which some find weird- myself included- I won't say what they are in case it spoils it for you- but they annoyed me enough to trade the deck in the end. Unfortunately the book was disappointing for me as it leans far more towards the 'Wicca' side of things, but the deck itself could easily be taken for a more broad-spectrum Pagan deck. The men and women have substance at least and it reads very well indeed.
BrightEye
The box is a sturdy cardboard box the same size as the cards. It shows the Empress. I don't own this new version, so don't know whether the cards are different or not. I shouldn't think so. The only difference seems to be that there's no companion book with this one.Ambrosia said:
Ambrosia
Ok, thanks BrightEye.
northsea
They're probably two of the best pagan decks with regards to adherence to tarot symbolism, a good selection for comparison. However, one drawback for some pagans that they both have is a focus on wicca. If I wasn't particular about tarot decks having tarot symbolism, I'd prefer Gainsford's Northern Shadows to either of them. But I favor the Old Path as a tarot deck, followed by the Druidcraft, mainly since I prefer the Old Path Majors (though my favorite pagan deck is the World Spirit).
The OP High Priestess, Empress and Emperor are excellent as well as the Lovers and Chariot. The Wheel of Fortune is another great OP card with the depiction of seasonal change. I like how the OP Hanged Man retains the sense of playfulness, and costume, of the Fool, recalling the dance of the Marseille Hanged Man. Though my favorite overtly pagan tarot devil is the Wheel of Change tanist (from a conceptual, not artistic, viewpoint), the serpent in the OP is a good interpretation. The OP astrology cards, star/moon/sun, are fairly weak. Also, I don't like the tower-as-literally-somebody's-head Tower interpretation, at all. I like the renaissance minors and even a few of the court cards though there are a few that bother me, especially the cheap-bowl-cut Knight of Pentacles. He was probably based on someone she knows since she likes using people as models for her tarot drawings.
The Druidcraft has some really nice cards like the Fool, the Empress, the Hermit and the Moon, but it also has several not-so-nice-for-my-purposes cards such as the etching-a-magic-circle Wheel of Fortune, , the disco-chicken Magician, the Texas-Longhorns/Beavis&Butthead-hand-sign Hierophant, and the sleepy-time Lovers and Devil. The minors are sufficient and the court cards are probably the best of any pagan deck. If you like the Druidcraft, I'd probably just stick with using it since it is a really nice pagan deck.
The OP High Priestess, Empress and Emperor are excellent as well as the Lovers and Chariot. The Wheel of Fortune is another great OP card with the depiction of seasonal change. I like how the OP Hanged Man retains the sense of playfulness, and costume, of the Fool, recalling the dance of the Marseille Hanged Man. Though my favorite overtly pagan tarot devil is the Wheel of Change tanist (from a conceptual, not artistic, viewpoint), the serpent in the OP is a good interpretation. The OP astrology cards, star/moon/sun, are fairly weak. Also, I don't like the tower-as-literally-somebody's-head Tower interpretation, at all. I like the renaissance minors and even a few of the court cards though there are a few that bother me, especially the cheap-bowl-cut Knight of Pentacles. He was probably based on someone she knows since she likes using people as models for her tarot drawings.
The Druidcraft has some really nice cards like the Fool, the Empress, the Hermit and the Moon, but it also has several not-so-nice-for-my-purposes cards such as the etching-a-magic-circle Wheel of Fortune, , the disco-chicken Magician, the Texas-Longhorns/Beavis&Butthead-hand-sign Hierophant, and the sleepy-time Lovers and Devil. The minors are sufficient and the court cards are probably the best of any pagan deck. If you like the Druidcraft, I'd probably just stick with using it since it is a really nice pagan deck.
