Marseille - Chevalier de Deniers (Knight of Coins)

[jmd]

This card has two quite major peculiarities.

The first is that it is the only Knight which faces the right of the card. As a consequence, his 'exposed' side is his right side, unlike the other knights who show their left (heart) side.

The other peculiarity is that the Coin of the suit is hanging mid-air: it is the only Court not in touch with the element they represent. In typical Marseilles decks, what he holds is far more reminiscent of the wand/staff/batton.

In readings, it may be that this could represent a young adult going out to get or give some physical item(s). As I often use the MBTI, for me, it may also indicate a peculiar aspect of one's personality, either needing to or actually going out and further getting the 'facts' of the situation at hand and think (rather than intuit or feel) through these carefully (ESTP).

 

[Diana]

Chevalier or Cavalier?

A Cavalier would have more of a "Soldier in the cavalry" kind of meaning.

The Chevalier has the more noble implication. The Chevalier is the title just under that of Baron.

I have never been able to quite make up my mind about this. Is this person serving the King in his army, or his he serving the King as a member of his nobility? Or is he a member of the nobility who has joined the cavalry?

In some Marseilles books, the Knight does not come after the Valet, but at the end of the series - after the King.

Slowly but surely. This is our Cavalier de Deniers. His horse may not be as noble as the others, but it is sturdy and will take him far. His horse is walking slowly, ambling along, there is no hurry here at all. Probably because the Cavalier has quite a long way to travel, so better not tire out the horse. I think he has a long road to travel because of his stick. Roads in those days could be dangerous (well, today they are too with all the crazy car drivers who use their cars like they're playing a video game ), so the stick can be used as a defense if he is attacked.

To me, the Chevaliers/Cavaliers are newsbringers. But the news will take time to get to me.

This Cavalier is a simple man - no need for fancy head-dress or the latest fashionable clothes. (His tastes are similar to those of the Cavalier de Bâtons.) Any news he brings will be given in a straightforward way.

The Denier, he is looking at it very intensively in my Marseilles decks. But as it floats, I wonder if it's real. A virtual Denier?

Perhaps when he brings me my news, I will ask him if he can lend me his stick. I may need a little help in making this Denier actually materialise. Perhaps what I make of the news he brings me, is more important than the actual news.

jmd: I would appreciate your elaborating a little more on your explanation of why the Cavalier is facing right and not left. Do you look at all your cards as in a mirror, or only the Courts?

P.S. I still would like to know why the Denier doesn't look like a Denier (I mentioned this in the Valet de Deniers thread.) Does no-one have an answer for me?

 

[jmd]

With regards to the facing of the Chevalier (which has the same etymological roots to Cavalier - and both are related to the noble warrior 'class'), I mentioned that he faced the right of the card, hence we view his right side.

Unlike a person facing us in which s/he may have their head turned to either their own right or left, when the whole figure is going in a direction, I suppose it depends on our own viewing viewpoint as to whether they are directing their course left or right. I certainly do not 'mirror' view them - my apologies if my sentence lead to confusion.

In terms of the Deniers not quite looking like Deniers or Coins, and thought one may view these in quite a number of ways, to me, they still look like deniers, though without any locality seals one would expect on especially European coins. That they also can appear as chakras, flowers, polo balls, mandalas or inumerable other possibilities remains, for me, just that: possibilities in a specific reading.

As to their historical reason for this depiction, please, if anyone else has specifics, add to our discussion!