Yoav Ben-Dov
perhaps i am tarotically (see below) repeating known things, but i have not seen it anywhere, so:
it is an often-repeated statement that the name "tarot" is of unknown origin and etymology. there are some suggestions, all looking for something related to the cards. but..
in Kaplan's (1978) tarot encyclopedia (vol. 1, p. 28), the first use of the term tarocchi in print is cited from Francesco Berni (1526). berni refers to the tarochi as a "wonderful game", but also warns that "the only signification of the word tarocco is stupid, foolish, simple". from this citation it is not clear whether the use of tarocco for "stupid" comes before or after the use for designating the card game.
however, the recently published booklet "explaining the tarot" (maproom publications, oxford 2010) presents two 16th century essays on the meaning of the tarot cards, translated and commented by R.S Caldwell, T. Depaulis and M. Ponzi. in the first essay, a discorso by francesco piscina (1565), the author expresses his concern about the shortcomings of his essay, and uses a pun to say he is afraid some will say that:
un Taroccho ha favelatto e trattato de Tarocchi, e se si puo dire Tarocchamente ["a taroccho has tarotly (if i may say so) discussed and spoken of tarot"]. (pp. 28,29)
from here it may appear that in 16th century popular italian, the term tarccho could generally be used for "stupid, fool", not only in direct relation to the cards.
so here is my suggestion: perhaps this term existed independently of the cards, and then it was borrowed to designate the tarot cards as "the fool's cards? we could interpret this in berni's sense, "foolish are those who use the tarot". but it can also mean "the deck of cards with the fool in it", referring to the fool card. or perhaps we can see here some deeper hint about the special status of the fool (like in the new age concept of "the fool's journey" through the other cards). it is as if, so to speak, the fool would carry all the other cards in the sac on his shoulder..
does this make any sense? or nonsense? "the tarot cards" = "the fool's cards"?
it is an often-repeated statement that the name "tarot" is of unknown origin and etymology. there are some suggestions, all looking for something related to the cards. but..
in Kaplan's (1978) tarot encyclopedia (vol. 1, p. 28), the first use of the term tarocchi in print is cited from Francesco Berni (1526). berni refers to the tarochi as a "wonderful game", but also warns that "the only signification of the word tarocco is stupid, foolish, simple". from this citation it is not clear whether the use of tarocco for "stupid" comes before or after the use for designating the card game.
however, the recently published booklet "explaining the tarot" (maproom publications, oxford 2010) presents two 16th century essays on the meaning of the tarot cards, translated and commented by R.S Caldwell, T. Depaulis and M. Ponzi. in the first essay, a discorso by francesco piscina (1565), the author expresses his concern about the shortcomings of his essay, and uses a pun to say he is afraid some will say that:
un Taroccho ha favelatto e trattato de Tarocchi, e se si puo dire Tarocchamente ["a taroccho has tarotly (if i may say so) discussed and spoken of tarot"]. (pp. 28,29)
from here it may appear that in 16th century popular italian, the term tarccho could generally be used for "stupid, fool", not only in direct relation to the cards.
so here is my suggestion: perhaps this term existed independently of the cards, and then it was borrowed to designate the tarot cards as "the fool's cards? we could interpret this in berni's sense, "foolish are those who use the tarot". but it can also mean "the deck of cards with the fool in it", referring to the fool card. or perhaps we can see here some deeper hint about the special status of the fool (like in the new age concept of "the fool's journey" through the other cards). it is as if, so to speak, the fool would carry all the other cards in the sac on his shoulder..
does this make any sense? or nonsense? "the tarot cards" = "the fool's cards"?