Universal Fantasy ~ Five of Wands

[Hemera]

This is one of the scariest cards I have ever seen in a long time. This card really freaks me out and in fact I gave up using this deck for a long time partly because of this particular card.
One can almost hear all the squeaking and screaming and flapping of wings in this one. Plus the banging of their wooden beaks together. This fits the traditional RWS interpretation for this card: quarreling, arguing, hassles, challenges. But this card is much more than just hassles. To me this looks like the birds have been tortured and staked. It´s horrible. The LWB speaks about a "bitter conflict and tragic outcome". No doubt about that.

Skydancer wrote (in another thread) that it is "obviously a genetic experiment on hummingbirds gone terribly wrong!" and temperlynne wrote "5 of wand is just perfect. The bird-beasts getting tied up while their heads keep branching, there just isn't room in the sky for all that growth and creativity."
I´m more with Skydancer here although I´m glad about temperlynne´s comment because it helps me to tolerate this card somewhat better.

ETA: I wonder what the small black thing is that seems to be falling downwards? Is that a bird? A "normal" sort of bird?

 

[Maskelyne]

I find those grotesquely deformed beaks rather disturbing, too. The small black critter looks like a moth to me - curled proboscis, bug eyes, and ragged wings - but it could be a bird. Perhaps some prey that the five are battling over?

 

[etherealtarot]

The Five of Wands is a very frightening card indeed. But the quote in the little booklet gives a great perspective. I love it: "However bitter a conflict may be and however tragic its outcome, we will always be able to stand up for our ideas and principles."

Conflict is always scary. But when all is said and done, it makes us grow. My morning was definitely a Five of Wands. I woke up to a rude awakening but in the end, that's exactly what I needed. I was holding a secret and it finally came to light and I'm so happy it did. I can truly be myself now.

On the card, there is a smaller creature in between the beaks of all the birds.. and I think that's very interesting. Whenever you go through a conflict, there is always someone else who isn't directly involved.. but someone who is the peacemaker in a way. Or someone who you want to prove your worth to.. I don't know if that makes sense but thought i'd give my two cents!