Le Fanu
This passage from Kaplan Vol I (p272) has long fascinated me:
Did he get this from Waite? I don't remember it. And why does nobody else ever talk of the RWS Minors as a continual narrative, with each suit telling a story? Surely if this theory were true, it should influence all those RWS clones out there which don't feature characters from the same family in their Minors...
Does anyone else find this as intriguing as I? Or maybe you're all too busy interpreting the Minors as a continual family saga and I'm the odd one out.
Interestingly both the The Rider-Waite tarot pack and the Royal Fez tarot pack designed by Michael Hobdell, that closely follows the Smith-Waite designs, present a continuous story through the sequence of the cards in each suit. The three highest court cards in the suit of swords comprise a family of father, mother and eldest son. The King of Swords is the father, the Queen is the mother and the son is the Knight. A young lad in servitude to the knight appears as the page. In the Ten of Swords the son is killed and the Nine of Swords shows a grieving sister sitting up in bed after a dream has revealed to her the terrible fate of her brother. The sister seeks to revenge, her brother's death, and in the Eight of Swords she is shown bound and blinfolded. In the Seven of Swords, the page appears with swords symbolizing that help is on its way, and in the Six of Swords the sister and her young son are rescued by the page, who is also her lover. The page is now a warrior and in the Five of Swords he is shown with the swords of his craft. In time, the page is also stricken by the sword and killed, (Four of Swords), which causes much sadness as evidenced by the broken heart pierced by three swords in the Three of Swords. The Two of Swords shows the widow in mourning with swords of defiance and her eyes blindfolded to the way of peace, for she seeks revenge. The Ace of Swords emerges from a cloud, claiming that those who live by the sword are apt to die by it.
The suit of staves or clubs depicts the story of a family divided between the traditional ways and modern methods. Its moral is that harmony and progress are best attained when the old and the new work together. The suit of cups reveals the path to happiness and the search of two brothers for companionship. The suit of coins relates the story of a wealthy family and the temptations and alternatives afforded them by the luxuries of wealth.
Did he get this from Waite? I don't remember it. And why does nobody else ever talk of the RWS Minors as a continual narrative, with each suit telling a story? Surely if this theory were true, it should influence all those RWS clones out there which don't feature characters from the same family in their Minors...
Does anyone else find this as intriguing as I? Or maybe you're all too busy interpreting the Minors as a continual family saga and I'm the odd one out.