Celtic-Themed Tarots ~ Major Arcana Compared
Magician ~ Lovers ~
Death ~ World
Suits
The comparison list below shows the Rider-Waite-Smith numbering and titling, along with the titles, personages and/or meanings ascribed to several of the most popular Celtic-themed tarot decks by their authors/illustrators.
NOTE: Spelling of names varies due to alternative spellings used by the different authors.
To find out more about the deities and legendary figures named below, go to the Encyclopedia Mythica. To understand more about Irish pronunciation and spelling, go to Standing Stones Website's Gaelic Pronunciation Guide.
|
RWS #/Title |
Legend | Hallowquest | Celtic Wisdom | Celtic-DeBurgh | Glastonbury |
| 0 - Fool | Percivale | The Seeker | The Soul | Setanta / Cu Chulainn at Emain Macha | Percival |
| 1 - Magician | Merlin | Merlin | The Decider (Dagda) | Mog Ruith of Munster | Merlin |
| 2 - High Priestess | Nimue | The Lady of the Lake | The Guardian (Brigantia) | Morrigu of the Morrigan | Morgana |
| 3 - Empress | Guenevere | Guinevere | The Shaper (The Triple Mother) | Brigit | Guinevere |
| 4 - Emperor | Arthur | Arthur | The Keeper (Teutatis) | Dagda | Arthur |
| 5 - Hierophant | Taliesin | Taliesin | The Rememberer (Ogma) | The Druid | Joseph of Arimathea |
| 6 - Lovers | Gareth & Lyones | The White Hart | The Lover (Nemetona) | Cano & Cred | Creiddylad & Gwythyr |
| Here is where the divergence
of these decks becomes quite apparent! Five different Celtic couples or
themes illustrating aspects of love, choice, and sacrifice. Gareth and
Lyones' story is, on one hand, a typical 'Arthurian' tale of
prince-rescues-maiden. On the other hand, their love was a fiery one, and
Lyones' sister took drastic steps to ensure the couple's honor was intact
on their wedding day. The story of the White Hart is one of
infatuation becoming a more mature love through many trials, symbolized by
the hunt for the White Hart, which "represents the call of the Otherworld
to compassion and commitment to the spiritual quest". The Celtic Wisdom's Lover card is much more symbolic, not relying on a specific story to indicate meaning. The Nemetona was the Goddess of the Sacred Grove, and she symbolizes the aspect of choice that belongs to the maiden in choosing her suitor. The final two cards carry darker meanings, their stories ending in tragedy in some versions of the tales. Cano and Cred (or Creide) are in love, but are never able to be together. In one version of the Creiddylad and Gwythyr story, they end up separated for the rest of their days due to the intervention of Gwyn ap Nudd. These two stories seem to indicate the dangers of investing too much of one's self in one's lover. Each author, however, mentions 'choice' as a primary or secondary meaning of this card, whether it be a choice between lovers, a choice made to take love to a higher level, or a choice between life and love. |
|||||
| 7 - Chariot | Battle of Mount Badon | Prydwen | The Mover (Epona) | Laeg mac Riamgabra with Cu Chulainn's Chariot | The Barge of Avalon |
| 8 - Strength | Percivale's Vision | Gawain | The Empowerer (Andraste) | The Strength | Arviragus |
| 9 - Hermit | Lancelot in Exile | The Grail Helmet | The Counselor (Silvanus / Suibhne Geilt / Merlin / Lailoken) | The Hermit on the plain of Mag Slecht with a gold-embossed idol of Crom Cruach | St. Collen |
| 10 - Wheel of Fortune | Arthur's Dream | The Round Table | The Spinner (Ninefold Sisters) | The Wheel of Fortune | The Glastonbury Zodiac |
| 11 - Justice | Lady of the Lake | Sovereignty | The Balancer (Nehelania) | Asling & the Midnight Court | Gog & Magog |
| 12 - Hanged Man | Castle Perilous | The Wounded King | The Dedicator (Goddess of Sacrifice from the Gundestrap Cauldron) | The Hanged Man | The Fisher King |
| 13 - Death | Gwyn ab Nudd & The Wild Hunt | The Washer at the Ford | The Liberator (Cailleach) | Babd of the Morrigan | Gwyn Ap Nudd |
There are two strong images at work in the Death cards of these decks: Those of Gwyn ab Nudd and of the Crone aspect of the Goddess. The Legend and Glastonbury show the Lord of the Underworld, Gwyn ab Nudd, on his flight through the night gathering the souls of the dead. The other three decks show versions of the Crone, a goddess-like figure representative (in various myths) for the transition from life to after-life. When one sees the Washer at the Ford, for instance, it is indicative of impending death, much like the Scandinavian Valkyries. The Celtic Wisdom card combines the
Crone image with the image of Sheila na Gig, or woman as the portal to
life through birth and to afterlife through death. Also, the Legend, the
Hallowquest, and the DeBurgh feature the metaphor of water as the flow of
life, and a river as the division between life and death. |
|||||
| 14 - Temperance | The Cauldron of Annwn | The Cauldron | The Mingler (Coventina) | Bean Naomha at the Well of the Sun | Brigit |
| 15 - Devil | Cernunnos | The Green Knight | The Challenger (Cernunnos) | Cernunnos | St. Dunstan |
| 16 - Tower | Vortigern's Fortress | The Spiral Tower | The Changer (Taranis) | Balor of the Evil Eye's Crystal Tower on Tory Island | The Tor |
| 17 - Star | The Firedrake | The Star | The Dreamer (Nuadu Airgetlam / Nodens / Iriel Faith) | (Angus mac Og searching for Caer Ibermeith?) | Bride's Mound |
| 18 - Moon | Morgan le Fay | The Moon | The Imaginer (Manannan) | The Moon | Chalice Hill |
| 19 - Sun | Lleu | The Sun | The Protector (Belenus & Dis Pater & Epona) | Lugh | The Grail |
| 20 - Judgment | Avalon | The Sleeping Lord | The Renewer (Cauldron of Rebirth / Gundestrap Cauldron) | Breitheamh (Druidic judges) | St. Michael |
| 21 - World | The Giants' Dance | The Flowering of Logres | The Perfecter | The World | The Phoenix |
|
RWS #/Title |
Legend | Hallowquest | Celtic Wisdom | Celtic-DeBurgh | Glastonbury |
| Wands | Spears | Spears | Skill (Spear) |
Wands | Staffs |
| Swords | Swords | Swords | Battle (Sword) |
Swords | Swords |
| Cups | Cups | Grails | Art (Cauldron) |
Cups | Chalices |
| Pentacles | Shields | Stones | Knowledge (Stone) |
Pentacles | Vesicas |
Where images of cards are still copyrighted to their respective designers, artists, and publishers, they are shown here for example purposes only. No copyright infringement is intended.
