Hanson Roberts - 4 of Swords

Flavio

This card shows a medieval style tomb with the sculpture of the dead person on top of the tomb, the sculpture shows a person in armor, the scene has a lot light, 3 swords are between windows, the fourth one is the side of the tomb.

Noticed the handle of the swords and the crakcs on the marble are green, in both cases I saw this as a symbol of life as moss growing, if more time passes the life will go back to the whole scene, this reinforced the idea of taking a rest or making a break and then go back to everyday activities and not this card as a symbol of death.
 

MoonGal

I've never seen this card as a symbol of death. I often wonder why people see it that way (besides the obvious of it being in a tomb). The colors in this card seem to light and bright to appear very forboding to me. I'm interested in knowing who interprets this card in this deck as meaning death.

On a bit of a tangent, I suppose it could be quite like the death card. Rebirth after a time of rest?

Please keep in mind that I'm new to the deck, so I apologize if that's glaringly obvious.
 

blackadder

I also see this card as one of rest and rejuvenation. The man is just taking a break from all his worries and cares. I can almost imagine this card as a spa type of place. I have to agree that the green on this card, which has very little color, is symbolic of regrowth.
 

Disa

The man on top of the tomb seems almost to be made of stone? Or he has turned to stone? I can't make the association go from that to he is just resting. Although I do see your point about the greenery.

In other decks, the knight doesn't appear to be ashen grey. When I look at this knight, he does appear dead.
 

Sulis

When I look at this card, I see the stone knight as a sarcophagus - a stone coffin bearing a sculpture.

This makes me think of tales I've read (probably Arthurian) of how a soldier about to become a knight would wait, prepare and prey all night before the ceremony in the church with their weapons.
I think they may have done this before battle too but I'm not sure about that.

So for me, this card signifies a time of quiet preparation which comes before something.
 

Disa

Thanks, Sulis. Your explanation makes it much more clear to me :)
 

majah kahlana

Hmmm.. I like the explainations but honestly I never saw the figure on the coffin as a statue. And I always thought it was a church and the knight was laying on the altar. My interpretation was that this card shows a time of rest from everyday battles but that it is also a time of rest from spiritual battles as well. Sometimes we spend so much time working on our spiritual growth that we have to take some time to rest from that as well. I think it just depends on if the querent is asking about a spiritual growth question or and everyday life question which it symbolizes for me.
 

vision777

this card does seem like death it's number is 4 and the death card is number 13 (1+3=4) maybe since this card means to rest(4 of swords) then if you don't take care of your self it might lead to (death 13). i have also notice that when i do readings for people who ask about a love one who is ill, the 4 of swords is always in the reading, and if the person is in the hosiptal they usually die there. not saying this always happens. its just something that i happen to notice. i happen to like the 4 of swords from the morgan greer deck
the drawing reminds me of a person who has the ability to remain calm during an attack.
 

MrTarot

I really don't see death at all when I look at this card. First thing that catches my eye is the white marble tomb/sarcophogus. This place strikes me as a sanctuary where reflection can be had after a tribulation of some sort. It's decorated with a brilliant gold column with a ruby-red inlay of some sort. The swords on the wall may belong to fallen comrades or enemies in the past struggle, while the sword on the tomb itself is probably the very one the knight in the tomb once wielded. It seems to have more of the reflective memorial feel to it.

I've seen this card twice recently and in both situations the querent was either in desperate need of a break in the action, or had recently had a small reprieve of sorts. When I see this card most of the time I'm looking at it's neighbors to see what the cause might be. I guess I see struggles, put behind or finished, for better or for worse and a lull or a calm time to reflect on it and learn from it so as to better avoid it or handle it next time.