The Fairy Tale Tarot (Hunt); 5 of Wands

[Genna]

H. C. Anderson´s beloved "The Snow Queen". In the picture is Kay; a healthy looking boy in a warm brown coat, his warm pinkish skin contrasting with the Queens blue-gray-whitish skin. They are holding hands and looking mesmerized into eachother´s eyes. The Queen is dressed in a white coat lined with white fur and decorated with snowflakes. She wears a crown of ice, her white hair blowing in the cold wind.She has a tasteful tattoo on the temple and cheek on the left side of her face. She is beautiful, with very light blue eyes, staring wide-eyed into the boy´s inquisitive eyes. She is spelling him, binding him to her with that look and that touch. Around them is the white of the snow-storm, with some lilac veins in it.

 

[Genna]

I feel the card speaks about being lured into something fascinating, but dangerous. The Snow Queen´s more subtle than a scary looking Devil. She is ice cold, but very beautiful and appealing in her own way.
The snow-storm is clearly a deadly threat to the boy though. He is distracted by the Queen, when sense says he should be seeking warmth, to save himself.

 

[Amary]

Reading the story, I think it's about being distracted from your true path, losing your way, or being trapped in a situation that you have no way out of- possibly simply because you cannot see things for what they truly are.

Looking at the card, I think it's interesting that she's not looking at him. She's looking beyond him- her interest is not in him at all. He was a possession, something to be obtained, something to own simply for the sake of owning it. I think it could warn against being taken in by something that looks very appealing but is really too good to be true.

 

[Genna]

You are absolutely right. I love that story, I really love H.C. Andersen.
It was very interesting you noted she doesn´t look at him. I didn´t see that before you observed it. It´s a chilling picture alright!

 

[Surja76]

this is the card of physical contact between people (we see they joined hands) with different temper and different point of view to things and life.
You need to "melt ice" in relationships and overcome barriers between people. We can see three bottoms on the boy's coat and 3 star bottoms on the Queen's coat (3 of coins). It means that there is some progress in understanding between people, it is new stage of relationships after the struggle.

Also it is the card of inner conflict between mind and hot heart. Gold white Queen (cold mind), and brown suit boy (hot heart) and ability to agree them.
We can see 5 cold wands joined in the earring of this Queen. Earring looks like the Half Moon. It means that this inner struggle is foolish. This is the card of Artists when they feel creative crisis, they feel to be loved by nobody and their creativity is not able to find feedback in hearts of other people. It is the card of the frozen (inhibited) state, when all your efforts to change something give a birth to the irritability inside and it only just depletes your mind. You are involved to wrong ideas and escape far from your real nature, person becomes too confident and inconsistent in ones actions. You should change the way of your mind in order to solve the conflict and problem.

The card shows that success does not come quickly, and the path will be difficult and cunning. But this time will not last long, it forces you to look for new ways to help you find more constructive solutions of the problem. It will be necessary to disable your heart and call a mind for help.

 

[Genna]

Many thanks for your fantastic reading of this card, Surja76!! I totally missed the earring on the Queen. Thank you for exploring the meaning of this card. I will use it as a meditation on the beautiful picture.

 

[Surja76]

Thank you, genna. You started so wonderful deck I wish you good luck in study and work with it.

 

[jcwirish]

I love this card. I find it to be very beautiful but also there's a dangerous quality. I love all the responses that have been given, but I especially like the idea that this card represents losing your way, and getting caught up in something that distracts you from your true purpose.

 

[Genna]

Thank you, Surja76!
Thank you for your comment jcwirish. I love this card too!

 

[vee]

I did some studying on the story behind this card.

Kay, the boy on the card, is unable to see the danger the Snow Queen poses because he has a splinter from a magical mirror in his eye and heart. The story behind the mirror goes like this: Satan (or some evil devil) built a huge mirror that instead of reflecting reality, made everything appear to be horrible and ugly. The demons had great fun with this mirror, until one day they got a little over ambitious and decided they would show it to God. As they lifted it up, they dropped it and shards of it shattered everywhere, including the two that are in Kay's heart and eye.

Because of this, Kay is unable to see the good in anything: he curses his family, mocks his friends, and destroys the beautiful garden he built with his best friend. The only thing he sees that is beautiful to him are snowflakes, and so he latches his sled to the Snow Queen's and she takes him away. Kay is afraid, but she kisses him twice: once to make him numb to the cold and second to make him forget all that he holds dear.

Kay's BFF eventually comes and saves him, but at this moment in the card, we do not know that. We see a little boy, who already is at a disadvantage (the mirror shards in his heart & eyes) who makes one fatal mistake. It's a mistake he probably would not have made in his right mind, I imagine. There might be something here about unavoidable weakness. We can yell "Stop!" at Kay, but there's no way he's ever going to stop. In his mind, he is chasing the one good thing. He is blinded, but it's through no fault of his own. So here in the 5 of Wands I see a mixture of environmental and personal choices that lead you to a very vulnerable place: one where you can be easily preyed upon and convinced to set aside your loyalties. The whole world is against you and the Snow Queen leans in, ready to give you her icy kiss.