Anna K. - King of Swords

The King of Swords

The King is wearing cold colours: black, white, grey, blue and some dark red accents. His crown is made of silver, or steel, like his armour. His beard is not wild but neatly trimmed. His dark and thin hair is surrounding his pale face, he doesn’t see the sun often. A frown characterizes his facial expression, he is often very focused or worried.

Like all the kings, he is standing inside or in a portico. The grey building has a sober, classical architecture. It is cloudy and foggy outside, and very cold I suppose, because of his warm clothes. He is wearing gloves, maybe to protect him from the cold, maybe to create some distance between himself and the actions he takes. He doesn’t want to get emotionally involved.

In his left hand, his receptive hand, he firmly holds his sword. The tip rests lightly on the wooden table. On his right hand, his projective hand, he wears a ring with a red gemstone. With this hand, he moves one of the black pieces on a chess board. To me, it feels like the sword in his left hand represents his clear mind and ratio, and guides the actions he takes with his right hand.

It looks like a circle, he is reflecting his actions continuously: his actions receive guidance from his mind, he makes a move, the tip of the sword on the table detects the vibrations of the movement, the king reflects on it and thinks rationally about his next move. He is playing a tactical game, and he is taking it seriously (look at his serious face and his full armour during the game). Who is his opponent? Where are the pieces that are not visible on the table? There is movement in this card, he is not just staring at the chessboard but is actually making a move, his ideas manifest themselves.

It looks like our king is winning the game of chess. After the move he is making at this moment, the king of the white chessplayer is in great danger. The king of swords is confident, and good at what he is doing. He is also willing to help if someone else stuck in a complicated situation, his cool mind will always know what –logically- should be the next move.

You can read from his face that he is carrying a heavy burden, he is having a hard time to let things go. He probably doesn’t like to ask for help, or for emotional support, but he has te be careful to not fall into a depression. Sometimes, he should open up a bit more and share his feelings with someone, and feel a bit less responsible.


Please share your thoughts about this card

(index)

I think you've covered everything in the card really well - i'm not sure that I can add much. I suppose I wouldn't call the sleeves of his tunic cold colours but that really is nit picking and not specially relevant The rows of white dots/pearls? on his tunic are very obvious - any meaning to those?

We can see that he's a tactician, will work out his moves ahead of time, will cover his back, unlikely to leave something unguarded unless it's a deliberate tactic.

I don't find this card particularly appealing but I suppose like many others in this deck it is very easy to interpret

edit: I've just had a peep in the book to see Anna's description of this King and one of the things she says is that he is witty and adroit which makes him a great entertainer. I don't think you can detect this in the card can you?

This depiction of the King hits the mark for me. Since Swords are all about thought and intellectual things, this King is playing one of the best games for mental prowess, strategy and cunning....and it's fun too! Altho it is just a game he is obviously taking it quite seriously. His calculated moves reflect his own life. His sword is planted in the floor (or looks that way) to show how grounded he is.

flipperjane said:

The rows of white dots/pearls? on his tunic are very obvious - any meaning to those?

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I noticed them, but I didn't take a closer look at them at first. I assume they are pearls. I didn't know much about pearls, so I did some searching on the internet, this is what I can come up with:

The pearl is the oldest known gem, and for many centuries it was considered the most valuable. Unlike all gems, the pearl is organic matter derived from a living creature - oysters. Pearls have been harvested and cultivated primarily for use in jewelry, but in the past they were also stitched onto lavish clothing.

Pearl enhances personal integrity and helps provide focus and deep meaning to the object of your attention, bringing you wisdom and spiritual guidance. Pearl signifies sincerity, faith and loyalty to your cause. Keywords: purity, truth, simplicity, cleanliness, faith, honesty, protection, sincerity, peace. It shows that the Kings' actions are pure and sincere.

Pearls are made by the shells by accident. When a creature intrudes the shell, as a parasite, the oyster protects himself and tries to encapsulate the intruder with the calcium carbonate. So pearls are actually the shell's immune system This happens one layer at the time, and if the intruder is still there, the shell will make another layer - he doesn't want to spill energy on this, so he is thinking every step through and is reflecting on how necessary this new layer will be.

(ok this might be too much info on the pearls, but after you mentioned it all I could see were those pearls I had an interesting read about the oysters haha)

flipperjane said:

We can see that he's a tactician, will work out his moves ahead of time, will cover his back, unlikely to leave something unguarded unless it's a deliberate tactic.

I don't find this card particularly appealing but I suppose like many others in this deck it is very easy to interpret

edit: I've just had a peep in the book to see Anna's description of this King and one of the things she says is that he is witty and adroit which makes him a great entertainer. I don't think you can detect this in the card can you?

Click to expand...

I like how you state out that he will work out his moves ahead of time. I think it is easy to interpret as well, and that makes the card appealing to me! The entertainer part... hard to see, but chess is a game after all He's the one who gets your annoying nephew quiet by entertaining him with a fun game of chess (while some other king would maybe play a game of soccer).

Harperhaven said:

This depiction of the King hits the mark for me. Since Swords are all about thought and intellectual things, this King is playing one of the best games for mental prowess, strategy and cunning....and it's fun too! Altho it is just a game he is obviously taking it quite seriously. His calculated moves reflect his own life. His sword is planted in the floor (or looks that way) to show how grounded he is.

Click to expand...

Thanks Harperhaven, I think the chess game is perfect for this card as well I can see the groundedness in the sword now you mentioned it. Grounded and balanced, on the tip.

Great research Marirowana - I love Pearls
It also makes me think of all the old portraits of Kings and Queens - like Elizabeth 1 and Henry V111 - always decked in long ropes of pearls. Perhaps then they also slightly symbolize that removed air - a little untouchable? I always think of the King of Swords as being a bit remote.