What cards would represent a coward?

[Metafizzypop]

What cards do you think might come up in a reading for a coward? The cards that could appear when someone is motivated by an irrational fear.

The first thing I thought of were the Knights reversed. Upright, I could see the Knight as charging courageously into battle. But reversed, it might mean someone who's running away from battle, and away from conflict. Which would be cowardly indeed.

I also thought of the 8 of Swords, but that's a given, I guess.

What other cards do ya think?

 

[violetdaisy]

Any of the "people" cards reversed - but coupled with other reversed cards like 8w, 7w, 4s, 8c, or upright 9s

 

[Bonny]

someone i used to ask a lot about who finally revealed cowardice used to show up as the emperor ... i can't justify it... it was just how he was showing in the cards... always in role and never getting real...

 

[werewolfmoon]

These cards sprang to mind, the Seven of Swords or any of the Knights reversed.

 

[Sunbrook]

I have some experience with cowardice in the cards..

Strength Reversed. A loss of confidence, stemming from denial.

the Knight of Pentacles reversed. He is already cautions, and reversed he can be overwhelmed, a defeatist, and a coward.

Knight of wands reversed. Scared of losing out on other opportunities. Scared of commitment.

King of cups reversed. Scared of intimacy.

Page of wands reversed. He is afraid to look bad and ruin his image.

Queen of swords reversed. Scared of being hurt. Overly guarded so that she is bitter

Queen of cups reversed. Sacred of being alone. She seems insecure and impatient.

Queen of wands reversed. Scared of not being chosen, or of losing her place/ honor. Too worried about what people think.

The Hanged Man reversed. Reversed, he can be a martyr. He doesn't few he can take control of his life, so he makes up some noble reason to cover his cowardliness.

Nine of swords. Overwhelmed with anxieties and guilt, but stressing instead of taking action.

Seven of swords reversed, not only is he being selfish, but he won't even admit it to himself.

Four of cups. He wants something, but lacks the motivation to go get it. Be prepared for excuses.

Three of wands reversed. Could be a failure to follow through becuase of fear, or lack of confidence in something.

He could be she, and vice versa, ofcourse. Not trying to be sexist.

 

[intuitivetarot]

Fool reversed because upright, the Fool is either unaware of possible dangers ahead, yet still struts on its journey/adventure with confidence and optimism. Reversed, it's not marching ahead despite the possible dangers. It's either fixated on the "what if's" or too scared to even consider what could come of the journey. Often times, we stop ourselves from bettering ourselves because we heed to the "butterflies in our stomachs", and often times, it is this very reason that holds us back from being anything but the status quo. It's time to leap into an adventure, knowing with full confidence that we'll be alright and that all is well. So I can totally see Fool Rx as a coward, who is too scared to take a leap of faith or initially leads you on as though they're all for it and then falls through at the last minute. It's not you, it's them.

 

[Padma]

I would have thought the 5 of Swords, because cowards are often bullies as well - makes up for their cowardice. And I see that 5 in particular as being someone who feels triumphant when backstabbing or bullying someone else...it makes them feel bigger to make others feel smaller.

 

[Metafizzypop]

Thanks everybody, for your responses. There's some great, creative ideas here. But also a few that I don't understand so well.

Any of the "people" cards reversed - but coupled with other reversed cards like 8w, 7w, 4s, 8c, or upright 9s

I can see some of these cards as representing fears, but others not so much. Can you go a little more into depth on why you see these cards as showing cowardice? The 7 of Wands, if upright, I can see easily as cowardice, but the others I'm not clear on.

someone i used to ask a lot about who finally revealed cowardice used to show up as the emperor ... i can't justify it... it was just how he was showing in the cards... always in role and never getting real...

Now this is interesting. I would never expect the Emperor to represent cowardice. I'm wondering what type of questions you asked when the card came up. Were the questions about relationships? I could see this card as representing someone who was afraid of getting romantically involved, and was keeping emotional distance as a way of feeling in control of the situation. Or maybe he's putting on a big strong show to mask insecurities.

These cards sprang to mind, the Seven of Swords or any of the Knights reversed.

The 7 of Swords, yes. That's a good one, someone sneaking away because he's too cowardly to face a certain situation. The Knights reversed though, was the first thing I thought of, and I covered that in my OP and gave reasons for why I consider all the Knights to be significant.

I have some experience with cowardice in the cards..

Strength Reversed. A loss of confidence, stemming from denial.

the Knight of Pentacles reversed. He is already cautions, and reversed he can be overwhelmed, a defeatist, and a coward.

Knight of wands reversed. Scared of losing out on other opportunities. Scared of commitment.

King of cups reversed. Scared of intimacy.

Page of wands reversed. He is afraid to look bad and ruin his image.

Queen of swords reversed. Scared of being hurt. Overly guarded so that she is bitter

Queen of cups reversed. Sacred of being alone. She seems insecure and impatient.

Queen of wands reversed. Scared of not being chosen, or of losing her place/ honor. Too worried about what people think.

The Hanged Man reversed. Reversed, he can be a martyr. He doesn't few he can take control of his life, so he makes up some noble reason to cover his cowardliness.

Nine of swords. Overwhelmed with anxieties and guilt, but stressing instead of taking action.

Seven of swords reversed, not only is he being selfish, but he won't even admit it to himself.

Four of cups. He wants something, but lacks the motivation to go get it. Be prepared for excuses.

Three of wands reversed. Could be a failure to follow through becuase of fear, or lack of confidence in something.

These observations are really sharp, but there's a couple in there that seem to be stretching things just a teeny bit. Like the 4 of Cups, for example. But the Hanged Man reversed I think fits perfectly. Strength reversed also. The lack of confidence in the 3 of Wands also sounds like it could lead to cowardice. Your descriptions of the Queens, though, seem to be more about quite rational fears rather than cowardice, and I don't see them as the same thing. Sometimes people have legitimate reasons to hold their feelings back, to be cautious, etc.

Fool reversed because upright, the Fool is either unaware of possible dangers ahead, yet still struts on its journey/adventure with confidence and optimism. Reversed, it's not marching ahead despite the possible dangers. It's either fixated on the "what if's" or too scared to even consider what could come of the journey. Often times, we stop ourselves from bettering ourselves because we heed to the "butterflies in our stomachs", and often times, it is this very reason that holds us back from being anything but the status quo. It's time to leap into an adventure, knowing with full confidence that we'll be alright and that all is well. So I can totally see Fool Rx as a coward, who is too scared to take a leap of faith or initially leads you on as though they're all for it and then falls through at the last minute. It's not you, it's them.

I'd never really thought of the Fool in this light before, but it does sound like something to consider. Usually when I get the Fool in a reading, whether reversed or upright, it's because the person I'm asking about really is a Fool, in a true literal sense. I mean, it's about someone who's just being an idiot. I'll have to try and see if the coward interpretation fits the next time I get this card in a reading, and I'll see how it goes. I find this a more original view on the Fool.

I would have thought the 5 of Swords, because cowards are often bullies as well - makes up for their cowardice. And I see that 5 in particular as being someone who feels triumphant when backstabbing or bullying someone else...it makes them feel bigger to make others feel smaller.

Yes. This is very true. I like this one. Bullies are indeed cowards. They knock others down to build themselves up. I can definitely see the 5 of Swords as a coward card. This is good.

 

[Tiggy-cat]

These cards sprang to mind, the Seven of Swords or any of the Knights reversed.

I would have thought the 5 of Swords, because cowards are often bullies as well - makes up for their cowardice. And I see that 5 in particular as being someone who feels triumphant when backstabbing or bullying someone else...it makes them feel bigger to make others feel smaller.

These were the 2 I first thought of, the 5 because bullying is always a cowardly act, and the 7 because I think it can mean sneaking around and cheating to get what you want, rather than dealing honestly with people to get what you want.

 

[violetdaisy]

People card (ex King of S rx) with 7w rx - = afraid to speak his mind / make decisions because he just can't handle standing his ground. (Simplified version, but an example) 7w usually has someone on top of a hill or something with more people below brandishing staffs. But they're successfully fending off. Rx - not so successful. Add rx King/other "people" card you get an area of where the person is experiencing cowardice.