Victorian Romantic - Queen of Swords

Now I'm being really bold, starting my own study thread! Somehow, that seems fitting for this card, and she intrigues me so, I couldn't resist.
Right off the bat, she's something different. When I compare her to the other queens, she's a shock--they're all lovely, and feminine, and soft, even the Queen of Wands, though prim and proper, a smart-looking lady, has a delicate feel. Not so the Queen of Swords--she is forbidding, almost menacing, gripping her sword firmly on the edge of a cliff, looking as if she's ready to go into battle. I've resisted reading the book's description of her yet, I want to find what she's about on my own, and she reminds me of several historical figures--her head covering makes me think of a nun's habit, which reminds me of Joan of Arc. She appears to be wearing a breastplate over her dress--is she a warrior queen, is she Boudicca? Now, I know very little about Boudicca, but this is how I imagine her, ready to defend against the Romans. And funny thing, the wikipedia entry for her mentions that in the Victorian era there was a revival of interest in her story, Queen Victoria herself was seen to be Boudicca's namesake! So there's a connection there.
Anyway, I'd love to hear some thoughts on this queen. To me she is a sterling example of feminine power--she's been through and seen a lot, she won't be trifled with, she's clearly wise and quick-witted, maybe accustomed to going without comforts or luxuries; demanding me to meet her gaze, and not back down.

When I look at the queen of swords in the VR, I see a woman who has been there and done that. Almost as if she has gone through much adversity and had to learn to be strong despite that. She is not one to touch base with her emotions easily and any decisions made comes from an intellectual standpoint. Some people might even say she is 'cold', but due to her experiences in life she will not come off as being warm and fuzzy. She learned how to cut through and get to the core of a situation quickly and decisively. She is a leader to be reckoned with and does not have time for frivolous thoughts or worries. She looks at a situation as what needs to be done and figures out a way to do it.
So as a leader I see her as someone who gets things done quickly, doesnt deal with idle chit chat and has not time for emotional drama. Her main priority is task completion in the most organized and functional way possible. She pulls on her logical, intellectual strengths to make any decisions made.
In relationships, I see her as a woman who has a hard time showing emotions and has a very protective statue. She is not concerned with romance much. She wouldnt easily give her love to someone, it would have to be hard-earned. Respect is very important to her.
Those are some of my thoughts on the Queen of Swords. I don't have the book yet that goes with this deck, so I am working on getting my own sense of the cards first myself as well. I love discussing and trying to get a handle on the court cards so thanks for starting the thread!
Lysh

I see her as not to be triffled with, but at the same time someone very objective and fair. She has strong leadership qualities, and is someone that is decisive and has innordinate amounts of inner strength (which is a good thing because the King of Swords in this deck looks very pathetic and weak that is a topic for another thread). She will make the hard decisions and take responsibility for them, she will lead her people, and defend them to the end. This lady does not mince words, direct communication is her style. In public she is stoic - a pillar of strength. Her eyes make her look much older thank I believe she is. If you cover her eyes, you can see that she is actually younger than she looks when you see the maturity in her eyes. I attribute that maturity in her eyes as the weight of her responsibilities as queen.

Queen of Swords - Victorian Romantic Tarot

This is my second-favourite card in this deck. She is so much like me that it's not funny. She's not old, but she's old before her time, you know? She's wise, and somehow you know that her wisdom was gained through painful experiences, ones that brought out her steely strength. I get the feeling that she rarely needs to actually swing that sword, as no one would DARE get her that worked up.

When she comes up in a reading for me, (and this is very personal, as I identify so strongly with this lady), I feel she's challenging me to look honestly - almost cruelly - at my own honour and reactions/motivations. I pride myself on being straight with people, not two-faced, and she raises that cool eyebrow every now and then as if to say, "Really? Well what about when you did this . . .?" She's a demanding monarch, an absolute ruler. But her standards are set so high for a reason, and she would never ask anything of someone else she's not prepared to give herself.

The one thing that I find a little sad about this lady, and again, reminds me of my own situation, is the decided sexlessness of the image. It's as if she has had to lay aside her sensuality because of the adversity in her life, and now has no time or place for softness and beauty. In this context, the card could also serve to urge the querent to re-examine their own experience of the world, and maybe work harder at incorporating beauty and indulgence.

\m/ Kat