The Three of Swords and a Lack of Originality

[Jessica]

I made a post a few weeks ago about how I generally despise the imagery of the Traditional Rider-Waite Smith decks. I don’t own the RWS but rather a collection of different interpretations on that imagery. I feel like a lot of clones generally just take the minor arcana as is and don’t change much or anything of the imagery. Which is fine however, personally, if you’re gonna change the Majors, why not do the minors as well. And even when creators do change the deck, they leave certain cards the same and generally speaking one of those cards is the Three of Swords.

I hate the traditional imagery of the three swords piercing a heart and hate it even more when a creator reuses that same imagery. It feels lazy and boring to me (like with the 10 of wands and the 9 of swords). Sometimes I will be going through a deck and will be fascinated by the new take on the cards-minors and majors- only to discover that the 3 of swords is that same heart with the same three swords. As someone who is an air sign, I always get the impression that the Swords suit is a very negative and disturbing suit which is not how I read the suit at all-if anything, I see the Wands as a very volatile and more negative suit because of all the dynamic energy that comes through that suit.

While I understand the major arcana is viewed as the “heart” of the deck, I personally view the Major Arcana as the “macro-narrative” and the Minor Arcana as the “micro-narrative” of our lives. Which is why I really like decks like the Botan Tarot, the Ink Witch Tarot, and the Carnival at the End of the World Tarot. These three decks takes the imagery of the tarot as a whole and then reworks them to fit the theme that the creator is trying to convey. It’s very lazy and unauthentic to me when I see deck creators focus on the Majors only but then sell an entire deck as I feel like all 78 cards work together to make a story, a narrative. You need the Minors to ground and center the energy of the Majors and vice versa.

I would love to see everyone’s take on this and if there are any cards that you feel like get the same treatment as the Three of Swords.

Discussion

[inadequatepockets]

[This](https://images.app.goo.gl/vXVVBAPwWyRAtpsbA) is my favorite 3 of swords. I agree with you about the imagery and I find this captures all of the meaning of the card with different imagery. I also like [this one ](https://images.app.goo.gl/svj1pNP5B2pD7N4c7)

[MrAndrewJ]

Going through my collection, the decks with strong visual themes almost never show the three swords piercing a heart.

On the serious side: Hermetic Tarot and Archeon Tarot.

Decks with a scifi / fantasy / speculative fiction angle also seem to avoid the three swords impaling a heart. Again, this is from my own collection. The Lo Scarabeo / Paolo Martinello “Universal Fantasy” seems to work hardest to take inspiration from the RWS while presenting its own consistent visual style.

I completely understand, though. There are other cards I have strong opinions about. And, it seems that very few artists see those cards the same way I do.

[Carded_Tarot-Tales]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/14/Sola_Busca_tarot_card_66.jpg

Its even less original than you imagine. The RWS 3 of swords is just a copy of the Sola Busca so its a design from the late 15th century. I love the design but if you aren’t enamored of tradition it makes no sense to still be making copies of copies of this card. Do something fun with it.

[screaming-lavender]

Absolutely agree

[MilkSkulls]

Also agree,I’ve never understood why people feel so beholden to the imagery in the minor arcana. Why not make something completely new, you know?

[Starscall]

Made me curious about my own decks, so I sat and pulled the three of swords out of all of them.

[The results](https://imgur.com/a/bB3BLrr)
(Top row from left to right: mystical manga, everyday witch, shadowscapes, Lightseer’s, fountain tarot, urban tarot.
Bottom row from left to right: Mermaid, Darkwood, Muse, Tarot of the Divine, Last Unicorn, Pagan mini.)

Of the 12 decks I own, I’d say 5 have a more traditional image of the heart run through with swords. The everyday witch tarot kind of counts, but also I wouldn’t fully say it counts either. Though the pagan mini also has a lot more too it as well, it’s not so simple.

Typically, of the decks I use most often, they don’t have the traditional imagery – Lightseer’s, Muse, Tarot of the Divine.

Fountain is the exception deck, but honestly despite being more “traditional” its actually my favorite 3 of swords. It’s one of my favorite cards from the fountain deck in general too. Because of the composition. Every time I see that card, I keep thinking about how the heart looks like a bubble, one that has been pierced and impaled, but despite being made from such a fragile material it’s still there. The swords couldn’t break it, and the tragedy hasn’t won. It reads to me as a surprisingly hope filled card of endurance and achievement. Which is Weird I’m sure, but that’s what the art triggers in me.

[manifestingmylife]

I don’t see a mention of the shadowscapes tarot deck. The 3 of swords is absolutely beautifully depicted. 3 swords piercing a swan instead of a heart

[MermaidTarot]

I completely understand where you’re coming from. Although I must admit – I personally don’t understand 3/swords on cognitive, emotional, or spiritual level. For now I am fearful yet somewhat ambivalent towards it.

I know that eventually it’ll click on a deep level, but for now, the stark and dramatic imagery does take over any possible nuance for me. I like the image from a design perspective, but I just dont “get it”.