Exciting past reflected in tarot cards that 'prophesy' the future

Featuring mysterious images such as the Hanged Man or the Hierophant, tarot cards have inspired fantastical stories about their origins. Today, associated with divination, tarot is often thought to have originated in East Asia.

Researchers now believe that the tarot card game did not originate in China or India, but in Renaissance Italy. Originally a card game for the Italian elite, the use of tarot cards for divination came much later.

During its long 'evolution' , tarot has maintained one 'constant' - its adaptability. As Helen Farley writes in 'A Cultural History of Tarot', 'tarot has evolved and adapted within the cultural currents of different times'.

A fresco of card players in the Palazzo Borromeo in Milan, painted in 1450 – around the time the game of tarocchi (tarocchi later became known as tarot to French speakers) first appeared. (Source: National Geographic).

The early use of tarot reflected a critique of the power of the Catholic Church. Then, in the early 19th century, the cards marked a shift from rationalism to mysticism. This role resonated during the tumultuous times of the Spanish flu pandemic (1918-1919) and two World Wars.

The victory of the cards

Although tarot is a European invention, the card games it originated from were invented in China, then spread west to the Arab and Islamic worlds. Arriving in Italy in the 1300s, probably from Egypt, card games quickly became popular among all social classes in Europe.

A surviving deck from Egypt, found at the Topkapi Palace in Istanbul, 'labels' the royal cards as kings but does not represent human figures.

In contrast, the first European decks featured human figures: fishmongers or priests, as well as the kings, queens… familiar in modern decks.

In the 1370s, shortly after its introduction to Europe, card games began to face opposition from the church. Attempts were made to ban the game, which was seen as frivolous gambling. Municipal archives record attempts to ban card games in Florence and Paris in the 1370s, and in Barcelona and Valencia in the 1380s.

In practice, bans on card games were difficult to enforce, and card games flourished despite this. Such games were popular among the nobility, who had elaborate hand-painted decks of cards kept in beautifully decorated boxes.

The first clue to the appearance of the tarot is found in a letter written in 1449 – from a Venetian army captain to the Queen of Naples, Isabella of Anjou, in which he gave her a special deck. The letter said that a young prince of Milan, Duke Filippo Maria Visconti, had invented the game 30 years earlier.

According to the letter, Visconti commissioned Michelino da Besozzo, a famous artist, to paint the cards 'with the most exquisite craftsmanship and decorations'.

Francesco Fibbia with some of his playing cards. (Source: Alamy/National Geographic)

The deck has not survived for centuries, but it is believed to have included 16 classical gods, divided into four ranks: Virtue, Wealth, Chastity, and Pleasure. For example, Venus belongs to the Pleasure rank, and Apollo belongs to the Virtue rank.

Historians believe that the letter's description of the deck marks a transitional period between the standard Renaissance deck and the development of the tarot deck today.

Other decks that have shaped tarot history include the Visconti-Sforza deck, which was commissioned by Visconti's son-in-law, Francesco Sforza.

In the 1440s, another deck of cards appeared in the Italian city of Bologna, developed by the nobleman Francesco Fibbia. This 62-card deck was used to play what became known as 'tarocchi' - a game that, as it spread across Europe, became known as 'tarot' in French.

On the cards

The popularity of tarot during the Renaissance was probably no coincidence.

As author Farley notes, the Renaissance was characterized by "a joy in worldly pleasures and a growing sense of independence and individual expression."

Amidst the splendor of art, Renaissance Italy was also ravaged by war, while the church's ostentatious displays of luxury and wealth attracted contempt.

The design of the tarot cards reflects that chaos. The Visconti-Sforza deck reflects the prevalence of corruption in the church and the proximity of violent and sudden death. One of the images in the deck is a skeleton holding a bow and arrow.

Despite such violent imagery, tarot remained a game for 200 years. Then, in late 18th century France, it underwent a transformation. As a reaction to the rationalism revered in the Enlightenment, esotericism became more popular.

Following Napoleon's campaign in Egypt in the late 1700s, this esotericism was fueled by a fascination with all things Egyptian.

Spiritualizing Tarot

The popular assumption that the tarot is an artefact of ancient wisdom is largely the work of 19th-century French writers, particularly Antoine Court de Gébelin, who was fascinated by 'Egyptomania' – the term referring to ancient Egypt in the Western imagination.

He theorizes that tarot originated from an ancient Egyptian priesthood using the ' Book of Thoth' (the name given to several ancient Egyptian texts written by Thoth, the Egyptian god of writing and knowledge) forced to hide their secrets in a game to ensure their survival.

A familiar image from tarot cards, the Wheel of Fortune, decorated the floor of the Siena Cathedral in Italy from the 14th to 16th centuries. (Source: Alamy/National Geographic).

Across the English Channel, members of the mystical Golden Dawn reimagined the tarot deck. Mystic Arthur Edward Waite and artist Pamela Colman Smith created the Waite-Smith deck in the early 1900s, linking it to the Grail Mysteries, medieval tales centered on the whereabouts of the cup used by Jesus at the Last Supper—the last meal Jesus shared with his disciples before his betrayal and arrest.

In the years following World War I, many Europeans and North Americans regained interest in spiritualism, in order to reconnect with loved ones lost in the war. As a tool of divination, the tarot once again became popular.

American poet TS Eliot used the cards in his 1922 poem , "The Waste Land" - a chronicle of the psychic devastation after war.

Modern Revival

In the 1970s, the New Age movement emerged as a force for peace amid the chaos and tensions of the Cold War.

Once again, the role of tarot has changed to reflect the times. The tarot's former divinatory and spiritual functions have been transformed into self-healing functions.

In recent years, tarot has once again become a cultural trend, indicating a renewed need for spiritual wisdom. As the need for mental health support increases, more people are turning to the game.

The standard 78-card deck is seen by players as helping to heighten people's emotional awareness during a time of global anxiety. The deck features a myriad of universal themes, reflecting the enduring desire for imagery that is both relatable and escapist.

During the chaos and war of the Renaissance, early tarot users found similar solace.