The Fool

ravenest

thinbuddha said:
The Soprafino tarot fool is pictured on the aeclectic site.

He's a bit rough and ready looking, a bit like a professional wrestler. I have to admit I have had a sheltered upbringing with Tarot- 93% Thoth. So when I think Fool I think of the Thoth Fool and he seems 'natural' to me. The above posts are interesting and I am wondering if the different versions of decks and the portrayal of the Fool (and other icons and archetypes) and their refined devlopment (from a madman chained in the village square* to AC's version) represents an evolution in our understanding of key concepts.

*I read somewhere that Tycho Braye used to keep a dwarf in his dungeon for the occasional 'mistreatment' (shall we say). After severel hours of gruelling astronomical observation its time for a bit of a break; think I'll go down and whip the dwarf for 10 mins. Geeze! Who knows what people were thinking back then?!
 

le pendu

The Fool is one of my favorite cards in the Thoth, and the Thoth Fool is one my absolute favorite Fools from any deck.

This card speaks to me about a very ancient archtype, there is danger when the fool is near, he can be fun and entertaining, but you'd better hope his attentions don't turn to you!

The Pied-Piper, The Jack o' the Green, Robin Goodfellow, Bel, Dionysus, Shiva.. these all come to mind. Nature can be beautiful, and unpredictable, and deadly, and the Fool is in touch with this energy.

I love this card. I have little interest in a fool representing innocence or starting off on a lovely spiritual journey, give me a fool that has crossed over or come from the other side. I can laugh at him, and I can tease him, but I would be horribly mistaken to underestimate him, and would surely regret falling for the trick of thinking that he was not entirely in control of the game the whole time.

well.. that's how I see it.
 

Kimber

Piggy Snout

Sulis said: I know what you mean Thinbuddha, I really don't like the Thoth Fool either... I think it's that piggy snout he's got - not nice.
***

I've been poring over this card, and had made a note of his "pig snout", so it was serendipitous to see that someone else made note of it too. :c) I think there's a deliberate piggishness to his nose, because it isn't repeated in any other card. Along with his creeepy eyes, it lends the card an aura of hysteria or madness, which is appropriate for some interpretations. The piggy nose also amuses me, because it takes the edge off of the card and makes it less maniacial and more Fool-ish. What are the qualities of a pig? Fertility, abundance, luck, innocence. On the flip side, the pig's less stellar qualities include stubbornness ("pig-headed") and destructive tendencies....also approporiate to the Fool in some instances. In the Medicine Cards by Jamie Sams, she ties the keyword "confrontation" to the wild boar (a pig is a pig), and talks about how the boar's task is to confront without fear, to tear apart the lies and get at the truth....also part of the Fool's journey.

I used to really dislike this rendition of the Fool, but his ugly piggy little snout has somehow made him more attractive to my new eyes. :c)