Thirteen
I find this a very odd card. It looks to be a page from Beauty and the Beast. Our beast--or werebeast (is he always this creature or only during the full moon?), glares and growls at the maiden. She shies away on the garden bench, hand to her heart, body language indicating startlement and fear. But her expression is very odd. Like she knows she has the upper hand. Like the beast's show of temper thrills/excites her, but doesn't alarm her.
The typical Rider-Waite version of the 5/Swords is a bully who has won swords in duels, and the loser of one such duel walking away dejectedly. The typical meaning is all about failure and defeat, or, on the other side, empty victories. The bully is cruelly humiliating his opponents, but winning nothing of substance. The losers are humiliated, and they realize that it was a losing battle.
When I first saw this 5/Swords, I had trouble connecting it to the usual meaning, or understanding how it fit in with swords and communications. There is no sword evident in the scene. But on closer inspection, there does seem to be an argument going on. As with all these cards, there is a story. And I suspect the story is that the woman on the bench is responsible for our beast--that she's less Beauty, the captive of the beast, and more Circe, creator of him. He comes at her, threatening, showing his teeth. But the terror she shows him is mock terror. He can't win this argument.
That works for understanding the connection between the usual 5/Swords and this one, but I'm still baffled. Why this scenario for 5/Swords? The beast and the beauty? Why that setting? Her on a garden bench? What about the beast's royal purple suit? A lot of the sword cards suggest the Rider Cards--like 6/Swords and it's boat and 2/Swords and it's blindfolded woman. This one doesn't. Why go for this scenario and these characters to get across the meaning of the 5/Swords?
The typical Rider-Waite version of the 5/Swords is a bully who has won swords in duels, and the loser of one such duel walking away dejectedly. The typical meaning is all about failure and defeat, or, on the other side, empty victories. The bully is cruelly humiliating his opponents, but winning nothing of substance. The losers are humiliated, and they realize that it was a losing battle.
When I first saw this 5/Swords, I had trouble connecting it to the usual meaning, or understanding how it fit in with swords and communications. There is no sword evident in the scene. But on closer inspection, there does seem to be an argument going on. As with all these cards, there is a story. And I suspect the story is that the woman on the bench is responsible for our beast--that she's less Beauty, the captive of the beast, and more Circe, creator of him. He comes at her, threatening, showing his teeth. But the terror she shows him is mock terror. He can't win this argument.
That works for understanding the connection between the usual 5/Swords and this one, but I'm still baffled. Why this scenario for 5/Swords? The beast and the beauty? Why that setting? Her on a garden bench? What about the beast's royal purple suit? A lot of the sword cards suggest the Rider Cards--like 6/Swords and it's boat and 2/Swords and it's blindfolded woman. This one doesn't. Why go for this scenario and these characters to get across the meaning of the 5/Swords?