le pendu
So I was looking at images of Emperors and Empresses, trying to see if there was some historical connection between the tarot and the Holy Roman Emperor... and then it occured to me that I might be looking in the wrong place entirely.
For some reason, I've had it in my mind that the Emperor in the tarot had the typical double-headed Eagle.
A quick check on Wikipedia (the standard for accurate research!) says this:
Holy Roman Empire
The first mention of a double-headed eagle in the West dates from 1250, in a roll of arms of Matthew of Paris for Emperor Frederick II of the Holy Roman Empire. Usually depicted black on a gold background, it replaced the earlier single-headed eagle, and was subsequently adopted in the coats of arms of many German cities and aristocratic families. After the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806, the double-headed eagle was retained by the Austrian Empire, and served also as the coat of arms of the German Confederation.
Fine. Then I noticed that I had been seeing things.. the Emperor does not have the double-headed Eagle at all, he has the single headed eagle.
Cary Yale Visconti
Sforza Visconti
Jean Noblet
Jean Dodal
Does this mean anything at all?
See, I personally doubt that the earliest tarot decks had names or numbers on them. Perhaps this was never meant to be an Emperor at all? If not, who else could it be?
Or even more interesting, if it is supposed to be the Emperor, is there a different Emperor than the Holy Roman Emperor as I've always just assumed this card referred to?
Or one step further... What if it IS the Holy Roman Emperor.. why choose symbolism in the 1400s that dates to before 1250? Maybe there is a historical reference here. Or maybe we should be looking pre-1250 for the iconography?
Why does the Emperor in the Tarot only have a single eagle. Thanks!
For some reason, I've had it in my mind that the Emperor in the tarot had the typical double-headed Eagle.
A quick check on Wikipedia (the standard for accurate research!) says this:
Holy Roman Empire
The first mention of a double-headed eagle in the West dates from 1250, in a roll of arms of Matthew of Paris for Emperor Frederick II of the Holy Roman Empire. Usually depicted black on a gold background, it replaced the earlier single-headed eagle, and was subsequently adopted in the coats of arms of many German cities and aristocratic families. After the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806, the double-headed eagle was retained by the Austrian Empire, and served also as the coat of arms of the German Confederation.
Fine. Then I noticed that I had been seeing things.. the Emperor does not have the double-headed Eagle at all, he has the single headed eagle.
Cary Yale Visconti
Sforza Visconti
Jean Noblet
Jean Dodal
Does this mean anything at all?
See, I personally doubt that the earliest tarot decks had names or numbers on them. Perhaps this was never meant to be an Emperor at all? If not, who else could it be?
Or even more interesting, if it is supposed to be the Emperor, is there a different Emperor than the Holy Roman Emperor as I've always just assumed this card referred to?
Or one step further... What if it IS the Holy Roman Emperor.. why choose symbolism in the 1400s that dates to before 1250? Maybe there is a historical reference here. Or maybe we should be looking pre-1250 for the iconography?
Why does the Emperor in the Tarot only have a single eagle. Thanks!