The Vikings Tarot

Does anyone know if there is a companion book to the Vikings Tarot? This is my first tarot deck and I am having some difficulty understanding the cards. I know the Vikings deck isn't one for beginners, but of all the decks I looked at this one kept 'calling' me back. Thanks for any help.

FaeryMoon

I couldn't find one on the LS website. They don't do very many companion books (yet?). I think you would do well with a good general Tarot book (78 Degrees of Wisdom comes to mind) and another good book on Norse history or mythology (is there any mythology in this deck?). And, of course, this website has a wealth of information and everyone is happy to help when you get stuck.

I also highly recommend Tarot for Self Discovery by Nina Lee Braden. To paraphrase her, you don't have to know how to read Tarot to use the book but you will learn how by using the book. Putting the Tarot to Work by Mark McElroy, I think, also works like this but with an emphasis on business. I just got it the other day, and I'm not very far into it, but I love it! I think they're both kind of "teach yourself" books. The authors let you come to conclusions about interpretations on your own.

As for beginner's decks, there's no such thing! There are spreads and books and maybe even methods that are better for beginners, but pick the deck you like most no matter what anyone else says. My opinion, of course.

Peace,
April

As far as I know, there is no companion book for the Vikings tarot, apart from the little white booklet that comes with the deck.
I don't know if you are familiar with the Norse mythology ? If you are not, it will be a great help to get familiar with it, because that is what the deck is based on. The booklet tells very succinctly what is going on in the cards, but if you know the whole story and are familiar with the characters, it will make more sense to you.

If you are already familiar with Norse mythology - you may just need to give yourself some time to get used to the deck.

To get really acquainted with Norse mythology, you can read some of the original texts online at:
http://www.angelfire.com/on/Wodensharrow/texts.html
and
http://www.ugcs.caltech.edu/~cherryne/edda.html

For a more simplified look at the more popular myths, see if your library's children's section has a copy of _Norse_Myths_and_Legends_, by d'Aulaire. It's a nicely-illustrated children's version, but it's not as dumbed-down as some kid's books are.

I wish I were more familiar with the deck, but I'm still only lusting after it.

Thank you all for your comments and suggestions! I have several beginner books on Tarot but they use some version of the Rider-Waite. I am learning quite a bit about Norse mythology through using the Vikings deck, so I guess it will just take a little more time for the meanings to flow smoother (if that makes any sense).

Thank you, Ulfdis, for the links to the mythology sites.

FaeryMoon

FaeryMoon - I find this a useful website as well:

www.pantheon.org/areas/mythology/europe/norse/articles.html

an alphabetical list of important names in norse mythology.