Lo Scarabeo's Tarot decks have been acclaimed all over the world for originality and quality. With the best Italian and international artists, each Lo Scarabeo deck is an exceptional artistic value.
Commited to developing innovative new decks while preserving the rich tradition of Tarot, Lo Scarabeo continues to be a favorite among collectors and readers.
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Summary:
Beautiful deck made in the Rider-Waite-Smith pattern, but with a
unique Major Arcana and a focus on Celtic myth and legend. Perfect
for Celtic Wiccans and all Pagans drawn to Celtic lore. Beside
being good for doing divination (especially if you're not so set in
the RWS design that you're willing to look at new insights with the
Major Arcana), it's also great as a guide for beginning
investigations into the myths and characters of ancient Celtic
belief.
In-Depth Review:
When Tarot decks are drawn by multiple artists they often seem like
a total joke with no continuity, no tone, no common style, and no
overall meaning that goes through the deck. This can make it
virtually unusable for anything for anything other than
collecting.
Although the Celtic Tarot does have two artists, it is wonderful
and looks very consistent. Originally, only the Major Arcana
appeared, as drawn by Giacinto Gaudenzi. This deck includes a Minor
Arcana drawn by Saverio Tenuta, who obviously used Gaudenzi's style
as a model. As a result, even though the Major Arcana cards tend to
have more complex imagery and symbolism (perhaps as befits them),
this does give the feeling of a single and very solid deck.
As indicated by the name of the deck, it is related to the Celtic
people, and specifically with the people of Ireland. The suits of
the Minor Arcana are each associated with a different Irish ethnic
mythical race. The Wands are associated with the Fomori. The Fomori
were an ancient race considered to be semi-divine or even the
predecessors to the Irish gods. They are depicted here as fierce
and proud, with haze-filled backgrounds. The Pentacles are
associated with the Tuatha de Danann. The name means that they are
the children of the goddess Danu and they are considered to be the
fifth group to settle in Ireland, conquering the Fir Bolg. The
images are taken from the RWS, but are more colorful than the
Wands. The characters have pointed, faery-like ears, and the
pentacles all appear to be gold or bronze with a triskelion symbol
on them.
Chalices are associated with the Fianna. These people were small in
stature and lived in forests outside of society. They supposedly
lived by three mottoes: Purity of heart; Strength of limb; Actions
that match our words. The cards have lots of bluish backgrounds
(appropriate to the suit) and show the characters as mythic
Medieval/Renaissance lords and ladies. Finally, the Swords are
associated with the Ulaid. Modern day Ulster is named after them
and the series of stories known as the "Ulster Cycle" is about
them. The backgrounds and the characters' clothes are filled with
fiery reds, and the King has a pose that is similar to a famous
drawing of Conan the Barbarian as King, drawn by famed illustrator
Frank Frazetta.
As mentioned previously, the Major Arcana has more detail in the
figures and backgrounds. It is also joyously Pagan. The Empress,
for example, identified as Morrigan, is a buoyantly dancing,
partially clad, rubenesque woman. The Devil, identified as Finn Mac
Cumhail, shows a man wearing the skin and horns of a stag. Each of
the Major Arcana cards has the traditional name at the top (in four
languages) and the name of the character shown on the card at the
bottom. These characters are taken from three different Irish
Celtic legends.
The Little White Booklet (LWB) gives brief descriptions of one
aspect of the legends associated with each character in the Major
Arcana cards, along with divinatory meanings. For the Minor Arcana
there you get key words for divination. The LWB includes a
surprisingly in-depth, 13-card layout called the "Celtic Flower"
spread.
So is it good for readings? That depends upon who you are. Although
the Minors follow the RWS imagery, the Majors only use it as a
hint, focusing more on the Celtic legends. As a result, if you are
really stuck with the RWS interpretations, you may need to spend
some extra time getting comfortable working with the Major
Arcana.
On the other hand, if you take the time to learn those cards or
simply adore and are familiar with Celtic myth, the new images and
symbolism on the Majors will inspire you in new and previously
unconsidered directions. This deck would be especially good for
Wiccans and Pagans, especially those who follow a Celtic Wiccan or
Celtic Pagan path. Using the Majors to spark discussion of a
particular mythic figure and his or her legends makes this deck a
great teaching tool, too.
In sum, this Tarot is great for the exploration of Celtic myth and
legend, as well as ideal for Celtic Pagans giving readings to other
Celtic Pagans and Celtophiles.
Deck Attributes
Name of deck: Celtic Tarot
Publisher: Lo Scarabeo
ISBN: 9780738700137
Creators' names: Idea and graphics by Pietro Aligo. Major Arcana
conceived by Giordano Berti.
Artists' names: Giacinto Gaudenzi (Major Arcana) and Saverio Tenuta
(Minor Arcana).
Name of accompanying booklet: Celtic Tarot
Number of pages of booklet: 64 (14 in English)
Author(s) of booklet: Giordano Berti
Available in a boxed kit?: No
Magical Uses: As part of Pagan magick rituals and training in
Celtic Paganism.
Reading Uses: General for people involved with mythic Celtic
culture.
Ethnic Focus: Celtic Irish
Artistic Style: Illustrated novel/comic book
Theme: Ancient Celtic people, myth, and legend
Tarot, Divination Deck, Other: Tarot
Does it follow Rider-Waite-Smith Standard?: Yes, except it uses the
pre-Golden Dawn, pre-RWS Major Arcana order with 8 being justice
and 11 being strength.
Does it have extra cards?: No
Does it have alternate names for Major Arcana cards?: No
Does it have alternate names for Minor Arcana suits?: No
Does it have alternate names for the Court Cards?: No
Why was deck created?: To transmit the myths and legends of the
ancient Celts in a (relatively) new form.
Book suggestions for Tarot beginners and this deck: Easy Tarot by
Josephine Ellershaw and Ciro Marchetti; Celtic Tree Mysteries by
Stephen Blamires.
Book suggestions for experienced Tarot users and this deck: Walking
with the Sin Eater by Ross Heaven, Druid Magic by Maya Magee Sutton
and Nicholas R. Mann.
Alternative decks you might like: Celtic Oracle, Legend Tarot Deck:
The Arthurian Tarot, The Sacred Circle Tarot
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