king of cups fish

Kit

Okay, another question (hopefully not too silly). Of the King of Cups, Waite says, "...his throne is set upon the sea; on one side a ship is riding and on the other a dolphin is leaping...". But this is NOT a dolphin- it is a FISH (unless it really is a dolphin which looks alot like a fish). Does this support the theory that Waite was less interested in the Minor Arcarna or is it really just a fish-like dolphin?
Raeven (who is confused)
 

starhermit

Hi Raeven,

Isn't the sillest question simply a question that hasn't been asked? :)

Had a close look at the fish/dolphin on the King of Cups... at first glance it reminded me of those old woodblock prints depicting whales, and dolphins really are toothed whales (yup lots of useless info stored in my head!).

On second thought though, it could be a porpoise since they don't have 'beaks' like dolphins do? Could even be a blue orca (killer whale)?

Going off an a bit of a tangent, but what does the 'dolphin' represent? Hmm.
 

Fulgour

Alan Oken, ever so determinedly inept, refers to this image as:
"...the head of a sea turtle that rises above the water in the card."
(page 113: Pocket Guide to the Tarot 1996 Crossing Press) :joke:
 

Parzival

Susan Levitt, in her useful Introduction to Tarot, refers to the dolphin as "sensitive and intelligent," the King of Cups' "animal totem."Does this make sense? ( Sounds fishy to me.)
 

RedMaple

It is a creature of the sea, whether a fish, dolphin, or head of a turtle. It knows how to swim in the subconscious, how to live with emotions. Also, fish were sacred to Aphrodite as the Goddess of Love, (think about it). Is this King comfortable with the feminine, or in what is usually thought of as a feminine domain where he's not too sure of himself?

What's even more interesting to me, is how this relates to the Page of Cups, and the fish coming out of the chalice. The Page is innocent and open, and delighted at this fish appearing in a cup. But the King, older, more experienced (or jaded?) relegates the fish/dolphin/ whatever to the waves.

He doesn't look any too delighted, or even steady to me. Maybe he's "in his cups" (tee-hee) :)
 

Kit

Have done some more research. :)
Found...
http://www.geocities.com/tarot_r_us/Symbolism.html
which has some interesting info on the symbolism of various animals in tarot (you'll need to scroll down). There's some other interesting stuff too.

It describes the fish on the King of Cups as coming "from the sea of universal subconscious" but those on the Knight & Queen of Cups as "Ordination of dedication to spiritual service, creativity, pregnancy increase, ideas."
However, it descibes the fish rising from the cup of the Page as "arising from one's (the Page's) ownsubconscious, idea or thought".

Raeven
 

Kit

Dolphin, however, is taken to mean the ancient friend of man. But then why, as RedMaple said, has the King "relegated it to the waves"? :confused:
Raeven
 

Ophelea

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Dolphin, however, is taken to mean the ancient friend of man. But then why, as RedMaple said, has the King "relegated it to the waves"?
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My take on it is this: This King sits on a very stable throne in the middle of choppy seas. He is untouched by the roiling waters of emotion - or is he? He seemingly does not notice the dolphin.. I think the king likes to appear as if he were "above" all that stormy emotion, though he wears a fish pendant on his necklace.

Does he think he's mastered his subconscious/emotions.. his dreams? The leaping dolphin, to me, shows that while pretending not to feel, he's missing out on some of the lighter, happier emotions - like spontaneous gaeity, or joy. Maybe he feels ineffective as a king (or male, dare I say..) when in the realm of the subconscious or of emotion..

O.
 

Parzival

Interesting. The page's cup is held towards him, fish leaping at him; the knight's cup is in front of him, leading him away; the queen gazes into the ciborium ; the king, between fish\dolphin and ship , holds the cup right side ( a fish hangs from his necklace.) Four very different ways of response to the cup.
 
Anniversary Deck 6 of Cups - Nostalgia