Methods--Etteila--Le Normand--Fortune-telling cards--
Rules--Meanings of cards with French pips--A fortune
told--The hairdresser of Paris--The First Napoleon--Les
hautes sciences--Deductions of the fortune-teller--
Papus--Definition of suits--Key to the pip cards of the
Tarots--Staves, Cups, Swords and Money--Rules for
reading the cards.
CHAPTER XIX--READING THE BOOK OF THOTH 384-392
Rules--The first diagram--Directions for divination--The
young man's career--A second game with its rules--To
establish fluidic sympathy--The fourth deal--Etteila's
method.
ILLUSTRATIONS
ATOUTS OF AN EARLY ITALIAN PACK OF TAROTS, 1 TO 6 _Frontispiece_
_Facing Page_
ATOUTS OF AN EARLY ITALIAN PACK OF TAROTS, 7 TO 12 30
ATOUTS OF AN EARLY ITALIAN PACK OF TAROTS, 13 TO 18 54
ATOUTS OF AN EARLY ITALIAN PACK OF TAROTS, 19 TO 22,
WITH TWO COURT CARDS 74
EARLY ITALIAN TAROTS, COURT CARDS 98
EARLY ITALIAN TAROTS, PIP CARDS OF THE CUP SUIT 116
EARLY ITALIAN TAROTS, PIP AND COURT CARDS OF THE CUP SUIT 140
EARLY ITALIAN TAROTS, PIP CARDS OF THE ROD SUIT 166
EARLY ITALIAN TAROTS, PIP AND COURT CARDS OF THE ROD SUIT 190
EARLY ITALIAN TAROTS, PIP CARDS OF THE SWORD SUIT 216
EARLY ITALIAN TAROTS, PIP AND COURT CARDS OF THE SWORD SUIT 238
EARLY ITALIAN TAROTS, PIP CARDS OF THE MONEY SUIT 264
EARLY ITALIAN TAROTS, PIP AND COURT CARDS OF THE MONEY SUIT 288
SWEDISH, KOREAN AND JAPANESE GAMBLING AND EDUCATIONAL CARDS 312
ENGLISH, GERMAN AND CHINESE GAMBLING CARDS 326
SPANISH, ENGLISH, DUTCH AND AMERICAN GAMBLING, HISTORICAL AND
EDUCATIONAL CARDS 354
FOREWORD
If an apology is needed for writing again on the subject of playing cards,
the excuse may be offered that new lights have been turned on the subject,
so that there is fresh information to lay before the public, derived from
a close and exhaustive study of the European libraries and museums, as
well as of the pictures on the Playing Cards themselves or prints found in
those repositories, and also in the collection owned by the writer; for
these speak their histories to those who regard their symbols with
appreciative knowledge, since they had an immense significance when
originally adopted.
It is twenty years since The Devil's Picture Book was published and it is
now out of print. The writer has been frequently called upon to furnish
papers on the subject, so that it has been kept fresh in mind. At the time
that the first book was issued it was the only one that had been printed
in the United States devoted entirely to the history of cards not
necessarily connected with games. Since then little has been published on
the subject, and the information given in the present volume has been
largely derived from the writer's own observations and studies.
A collection of Playing Cards, begun at that time with a solitary pack
brought as a curiosity by a traveler from Algiers, that bore the ancient
pips of Swords, Staves, Money and Cups, has now grown to hundreds of
specimens culled from many different countries. Comparing these with each
other, and studying all obtainable histories on the subject, leads to the
conclusion that the writers of the seventeenth, eighteenth and nineteenth
centuries were correct when they stated that no historical record existed
before the middle of the fourteenth century of _games played with cards_.
But each and all of the writers on Playing Cards agree that there were
cards and that they seem to have been used for fortune-telling before
1350, and also that there was a baffling resemblance between the
traditions of the cards and what was recorded of the Egyptian mysteries
connected with the worship of Thoth Hermes.
It therefore followed that the history and traditions peculiar to the
ceremonies connected with that personage should be studied in order to
trace Playing Cards to their birthplace and find for them an origin,
without weakly stopping at the fourteenth century, and declaring that
cards came out of space, as many authors have done.
The heraldic devices of Mercury, which are the emblems of what has always
been called, by historians, "The Book of Thoth Hermes Trismegistus," are
in themselves mute proof of the connection of the Tarots (as they are now
called) with the cult of Mercury. These cards are the oldest ones known,
and the symbols are retained in Italian Tarots of to-day, so it may be
allowed that when Playing Cards are studied as the leaves of the book of a
cult, not as a game, their own pictures relate the story that has lain
dormant for many hundreds of years. They only required to have a key in
order to be intelligible to any one interested in the subject, and this
has been furnished by recognizing the four attributes of Mercury in the
card pips, which had escaped the notice of students until the present
time, as well as the attributes of the picture part of the pack called the
Atouts, which are those of Egyptian gods.
The popular notion that cards were invented for the amusement of a crazy
French king is quite disproved by the historical records of the Tarots of
the fourteenth century and the packs that survive. There are some
beautiful specimens in Mr. Pierpont Morgan's collection, the emblems and
devices of which are identical with records of the ancient Tarots, and
these cards are very much older than the French packs.
Although the gap between the old cards and the worship of Mercury in
Etruria is still to be bridged through accurate historical data, the
inferential connection is too strong to be ignored and the rules of the
games played with the cards intended for prophesying or fortune-telling,
as well as the tradition connected with the Tarots themselves offer
connecting links with the cult of Mercury that cannot afford to be
disregarded, as has been done hitherto.
Mr. Stuart Culin, in his introduction to "Korean Games," says:
"Investigation has been hitherto comparatively unproductive of results
from the fact that most students have failed to perceive the true
significance of games in primitive culture, regarding them primarily as
pastimes." But he traces many of the games which are common to all
children all over the world to a "sacred and divinatory origin, a theory
that finds confirmation in their traditional associations, such as the use
of cards in fortune-telling."
That Playing Cards are derived from the mysteries of ancient days will
prove to be such a novel idea to many persons that the well-worn
expression: "It can't be true, I never heard it before," will be hurled at
the author. But such critics are begged to pause, to consider the subject
carefully, and to marshal convincing proofs to the contrary before dipping
caustic-tipped pens into the inkwells of ignorance, doubt and disbelief.
Court de Gebelin, over a hundred years ago, was scoffed at and called a
dreamer by the writers who followed him and wrote on the subject of
Playing Cards; yet these same gentlemen with strange accord, while failing
to advance any proofs of de Gebelin's inconsistencies or ignorant
deductions, contradicted themselves by agreeing with his bold statement
that the Tarots were the survival of the cult of Mercury or Thoth Hermes.
The nineteen-hundred-year-old crusade against cards, as wicked tools of
wicked persons, dates from the struggle of the early Christians against
idolatry, and this has been transmitted for generations, although there
are few persons who can trace their prejudices to the true origin. Nor do
they realize how often Divine commands to consult the occult were laid
upon the Israelites without carefully perusing the books of Moses.
It may be as well to sum up in a few words the various proofs that the
Playing Cards we now use are descended from the ancient mysteries. First,
Arrows, and their successors, Straws, Sceptres or Rods. Cups, Swords and
Money have always been used in connection with prophesying. Second, the
emblems of Swords, Sceptres (or Stylus), Cups and Money have always
represented Mercury, Thoth and Nebo as their emblems or attributes. Third,
the worship of Thoth was introduced into Italy by the priests of that
cult, as is proved historically by the remains of their Temple at
Puozzoli, as well as the Temple there to Mercury, near which place the
Tarots are still found in common use in their original form, displaying
pictures of the Egyptian deities. Fourth, the Egyptians or Gypsies are
the fortune-tellers of Europe and always use cards for the purpose. Fifth,
the name given originally to the Tarots or prophetical cards that bear the
ancient emblems was Nabi, Naypes or "Prophets," which name is retained for
playing cards in many parts of the world.
Thanks are due to the custodians of various museums who have displayed
their collection of cards, and in particular to the artist, Mr. Burton
Donnel Hughes, who kindly and skillfully designed the beautifully symbolic
cover for this book.
M. K. VAN RENSSELAER.
_New York, 1912._
CHAPTER I
PROPHETICAL AND OTHER CARDS
Playing cards may be classified under three distinct heads. First, are
those intended for divining purposes; these have descended from an ancient
religious cult that would be entirely forgotten were it not for the
traditional ceremonies connected with consulting this oracle, or "The
Tablets of Fate," that are known as Tarots, and which are still used for
fortune-telling in southern Europe, Asia and Africa.
The second division embraces cards used for gambling as well as for
educational purposes, which have a short and easily studied history
covering the time of their invention and the amusements for which they
were intended. These date no further back than the end of the fourteenth
century in northern Europe.
The third division includes the cards used for amusement or gambling,
commonly known as playing cards, which are found in common use all over
the world, although the designs on them vary with the location, and those
familiar in France, England and the United States are unknown in Spain,
Italy, Germany, Sweden, Persia, China or Japan, since each of these
countries has playing cards peculiar to the nation and quite unknown to
the others.
The French and German packs were invented solely for amusement or gambling
purposes, while the Tarots, with their typical and heraldic designs,
transmitted from early days, are now only to be found entire in Italy,
other countries having adopted one portion or the other of the original
set as more convenient for games. This separation renders the decks
useless for divining purposes; whereas, when intact they are distinctly
prophetical or fortune-telling cards, that are derived from ancient
mysteries, not only bearing the emblems of the three prophetical gods, but
also those of the chief divinities of ancient days.
In some countries, such as Persia, only the emblematic or picture part of
the pack, called by the Italians Atouts, is used; but the greater part of
the world ignores these entirely and is ignorant that such cards exist,
recognising only the pip or suit part of the pack, but in almost every
quarter of the globe four suits composing a pack are known, although the
symbols on them vary widely.
The oldest emblems are those of the Tarots that are still those most
commonly known. These are Swords, Rods, Money and Cups, which are the pips
familiar in Italy as well as Spain, Algiers, South America, Cuba, Mexico,
Porto Rico, the Philippine Islands and wherever the Spanish language is
used, for the Spaniards, when conquering the world, carried their favorite
toys with them, introducing them to the natives who accepted the novelty
with avidity and used them for games, just as the Spaniards had adopted
them from the Italians.
The standard pack has ten pip and four court cards, or fifty-six in all,
which are headed by a King, a Queen, a Cavalier and a Knave, and these
cards all have names given to them according to the country where they are
used. Cards for all parts of the world are made in Paris and local
preferences are closely followed, although most countries manufacture
their own cards, and a considerable revenue is gained by taxing the
product as well as the import of cards. But while the ancient emblems are
now commonly used in the countries mentioned, the important part of the
ancient pack has been discarded. This comprised twenty-one picture cards,
which were a most necessary adjunct to the pip cards, for when the
fortunes of the players were to be revealed by reading the prophecies of
the gods it was imperative that the two sets should be used in connection
with each other, but the complete pack that is still known as Tarots can
only be found in Italy.
The German cards were never intended for fortune-telling, but entirely for
gambling, and they have devices peculiarly their own. Hitherto no one has
explained why or for what purpose these symbols were invented, since they
had no particular significance when used in connection with the cards.
They are Acorns, Bells, Hearts and Leaves, and are partly heraldic emblems
connected with the game of Lansquenet. There are but three male court
cards called King, Over Knave and Under Knave.
[Illustration: ATOUTS OF AN EARLY ITALIAN PACK OF TAROTS
7 Il Carro
8 La Giustizia
9 L'Eremita
10 Ruota della Fortuna
11 La Forza
12 L'Appeso]
France uses the gambling pack invented for Charles VI about the year 1395.
This contains three court cards--namely, King, Queen and Knave, and the
cards display Carreaux, Piques, Coeurs and Trifles, or as we know them
Diamonds, Spades, Hearts and Clubs. This French pack is the only one
confining itself to two simple dominant colours, while all other cards are
extravagantly blazoned in variegated tints that are by no means as
harmonious as the distinctive French _Rouge et Noir_, which commends
itself so well to players for gambling purposes, that the packs of this
nation are being now rapidly introduced and adopted all over the world to
the exclusion of native designs, even although these symbols have been
inherited from the prophetical cards of prehistoric times. This is due to
the fact that the cards used for fortune-telling are not as convenient as
those that were invented particularly for gambling.
In Persia, where only the Atout or figure part of the pack is used, while
the pip part is omitted, the figures are painted in harmonious colours and
it is left for the tints of the background to indicate the suits. In the
Kile Kort or Cucu pack of Sweden (which also has figures) there are no
colours whatever, but the designs are printed in black ink on white
cardboard. This is also the case with old cards from the Netherlands, but
none of these packs were ever intended for fortune-telling.
There have been many persons who have interested themselves in the history
of playing cards, and some of them have pierced the veil surrounding their
cradle; but, generally, since these students have only been interested in
the cards as toys or gambling instruments or as rare specimens of
painting, engraving or stencilling, the studies have not extended beyond
the time when playing cards became common in Europe, or about the
beginning of the fourteenth century. None of these students followed the
clues that would have proved the original purport of the "tablets of
fate."
In "Les Etudes Historique sur les Cartes à Jouer," by M. C. Leber (1842),
the question is asked: "Where do cards come from, what are they and what
do they say?" These queries the writer proceeds to answer only in part,
for he fails to see the connection of the cards familiar to him, that have
French or German pips, with the more ancient Tarots, which, in all
probability, he had never seen. But Leber states positively that cards
"are of ancient origin and Eastern invention, and primarily they
constitute a symbolic and moral game." He professes to be guided by the
emblems on the cards themselves, but he fails to decipher or to understand
the evidences shown by the heraldic devices peculiar to one of the ancient
Greek gods, which would have answered his questions.
According to the Rev. Edward Taylor and other authorities, the emblematic
and mystic cards called Tarots were "born long since in the East, from
whence they were brought by the gypsies for thaumaturgic purposes."
Although it is declared that the gypsies always carried and consulted
packs of cards ever since the wanderers were known in Europe, these people
themselves have no history of their mystic book that they will disclose,
so the positive historical record of playing cards as used for gambling
games or fortune-telling does not commence before the second half of the
fourteenth century.
These cards are the ones we call Tarots, which are still common in Italy,
and the emblems on the cards themselves reveal their original connection
with the worship of Mercury in Etruria, of Thoth in Egypt, and of Nebo in
Babylonia. These three gods have the same attributes, and were worshipped
for many generations in the then civilised portions of the world; yet the
forms of their worship, that have been so strangely transmitted to us
through the greatest of their books, the cards are now little understood
and seldom consulted.
Indeed, the very name Tarot has been deemed by some authors as positive
proof that the cards are the unbound leaves of one of the great books of
the Temple of Thoth Hermes Trismegistus, since they derive the word Tarot
from Thoth or else from Thror Tahar, which, says Wilkinson (Volume II,
page 90), "were the parchment records kept in the Temple, which are
mentioned in the time of the eighteenth dynasty that were written on
skins." The same author states (page 207) that "Thoth framed the laws." In
fact, his temple was the seat of all learning, where doctors, lawyers and
scientists were able to study and to devote their knowledge to the god
they worshipped.
It seems, therefore, that the name is in truth one of the links in the
chain of evidence proving that what we use as playthings were once part
of the great cult of Mercury and his African or Asian _confrères_, in
whose time the pictures and the emblems were thoroughly understood and
were regarded with awe or reverently consulted, since by their means alone
could the wishes of the gods be made known to mortals, through the medium
of the priests of Mercury, Thoth, or Nebo.
The intimate connection of the triple god is no fanciful suggestion, but
is acknowledged by all students. Nebo, of the Babylonians (mentioned in
the Bible), Thoth, of the Egyptians, and Hermes, of the Greeks, were all
worshipped as gods of speech and inventors of transmitted ideas. It is not
credible that in Asia or Africa, even as early as the twelfth dynasty,
that voice language or speech was a gift newly granted to mankind, so
there must have been some reason for the belief that "these gods gave
speech to mankind." This is one of the superstitions puzzling many modern
students who have tried to investigate the mysteries of the Temple of
Thoth.
It is now believed that one of the priests who was connected with the cult
conceived the bright idea of communicating the wishes of the planets, of
the vegetable and the animal kingdoms, as well as those of the patron
gods, to mankind through a well-arranged system that had the Temple of
Thoth for a centre and its priests as interpreters. The power that this
system would give to the learned men congregated in the vast Temple of
learning would be great, and would increase their prestige to a wonderful
extent. Before that time the primitive people were content with simple
means of consulting the wishes of the gods, or with the decrees written at
the birth of each child on the tablet of fate by "the writer of Esigalia,
who was called Nebü." The means generally resorted to were those still
common in Korea, Japan and China, where the oracle is consulted by
throwing a handful of sticks before a shrine. Among the Arabs a sheaf of
arrows is used. Gordon Cummings describes his negro servants using sticks
which were marked and then thrown on the ground, when the natives desired
to be told by their gods where the game lay and what direction to take
when hunting.
The scientific arrangement devised by the priest of Thoth that earned for
his god the reputation of giving speech to mankind was done through
placing on the walls of the temple a series of pictures representative of
the chief gods, such as Thoth, Isis, Maut, Phthah and Ammon, as well as
various virtues, vices, etc., either pictorially or through heraldic and
emblematic devices. These mural pictures could be consulted by the priests
by casting on a central altar a handful of arrows, straws or rods, that
were always connected with the magic of the Egyptians, as is mentioned in
Exodus. As these rods fell they naturally pointed toward the pictures on
the walls, and since these represented nearly every event in human life
the "speech or commands" of the gods were readily interpreted by the
priests, who thus proved that Thoth was the "God of speech" with
themselves for his mouthpieces. This superstition was carried out even to
the sacrifice of tongues, which was customary as late as the days of the
Roman emperors, when tongues were used as one of the sacrifices to
Mercury.
It can easily be seen that the primitive arrows were incomplete without
the interpretation of the pictures on the walls used in their connection,
just as the pip part of the Tarot pack is useless for fortune-telling
without the Atouts, which are supposed to be crude Europeanized copies of
the pictures on the walls of the Egyptian temples representing their
deities. It will also be seen that the cards bearing the comparatively
modern pips of Hearts, Diamonds, Clubs and Spades, or of Acorns, Bells,
Hearts and Leaves have no power whatever of translating the wishes of the
gods, since they were invented for another and widely different purpose.
Some old and beautifully painted Tarots have been found in Italy, so it is
assumed that their use was common among the upper classes in that country,
who could afford to buy the beautiful unbound leaves of the great book of
Thoth, long before there is any historical record of cards either for
gambling or for fortune-telling, and that these cards were probably used
for the latter purpose whenever any wandering priest of the cult could be
induced to interpret their meaning.
We find that these mediæval Italian Tarots are usually painted on
cardboard by a skillful hand, and that when they were used for amusement
the game was called "l'Ombre" (or The Man). The rules for playing it show
plainly that it was not originally intended for amusement, but for a
serious consultation of the wishes of the divine powers. In short, the
game was identical with fortune-telling, since the most important rule
determines that only two persons took part, the one to inquire the future,
and the other to interpret the meaning of the cards that were dealt. Both
the rules for laying out the pack and the value or significance of the
cards point to the occult meaning of the game, which is still played with
somewhat the same laws, although alterations and modifications have crept
in that obscure the original intention, of consulting an oracle which is
probably not even conjectured by modern players of _Tarocci_, as the game
is now called.
The arrangement of the unbound leaves of the book of Thoth Hermes
Trismegistus, that is regarded to-day as a mere pack of playing cards,
enabled the priests (or initiates, as we may call them) of ancient days to
carry a pack on their persons, so that the wishes of the gods might be
consulted at any place. This rendered it needless to enter the Temple of
Mercury for the purpose, which had been the custom before the Christian
era. After this time secrecy was probably necessary, since the priests of
the Roman Catholic Church naturally discouraged any consultation with the
gods of ancient mythology, although the people might cling privately to
the cult that they had enjoyed and had believed in since prehistoric ages.
Through appealing to the prophets (or fortune-tellers, as the priests of
Mercury would be deemed at present) the superstitious people believed that
they were actually receiving divine guidance, and this belief is secretly
held by many, even in the twentieth century; although few of those who
consult diviners through playing cards realise that they are worshippers
at the shrine of Nebo, of the Babylonians; the great god Thoth, of the
Egyptians, or their successor, Mercury, of the Romans.
Many links in the chain connecting playing cards with the ancient
mysteries can be separately taken up and studied. In the first place, the
histories of Mercury show him as being worshipped under several distinct
attributes, combined with that of being the Interpreter or Messenger of
the gods, and the students who were of his cult learned twenty or more of
the arts and sciences which Thoth or Mercury was supposed to have
invented, such as speech, music, painting, agriculture and astronomy, all
of which were under his protection. Virtue, vice, death, temperance,
health, joy and sorrow each had an emblematic figure peculiar to and
connected with it, such as a hanged man or a skeleton. Each of these
figures, if displayed on the walls of a temple could be recognised even by
an unlettered congregation, so the people would have been accustomed to
these representations, even after they were removed from the walls to the
flat surface of the cards and no longer displayed in their exalted
positions.
The emblematic figures found on the Tarots and called the Atouts are still
known by the names given to them when the Egyptians introduced them to
Europe, and are as familiar in Italy to-day as when worshipped under the
protection of Mercury. After a little study the attributes displayed on
the modern Tarots show most plainly their Egyptian origin, and mutely
declare their pedigree--the image, value and position of each card,
unchanged for ages, all silently pointing to this. Yet, while strangely
conforming to all the attributes, decorations and posture of the gods as
represented in the Egyptian temples, the designs have been so modernised
as to be at first difficult to recognise.
It is supposed by several authors, notably by Court de Gebelin, as early
as 1773, when he published "The Primitive World," that originally the
twenty-two figures of the Atout or emblem part of the Tarots were painted
on the walls of the temples, a fashion inherited from Biblical times, to
enable the worshippers to recognise gods, sciences, arts or conditions
represented by the figures and their attributes when it was wished to
consult them. Discoveries in Babylonia and Egypt since De Gebelin's time
have confirmed his suppositions.
These figures in themselves were insufficient for communicating with the
gods, for they were speechless, so for the purpose of transacting business
with them the second volume of the book of Thoth was adopted by taking
from the peasants their ancient fashion of consulting the gods through the
throw of arrows or rods. These were marked with figures representing a
father, a mother, a child and a servant, and four tokens or heraldic
devices were also scratched on the rods, dividing them into the suits
that have been so universally retained. These symbols were always
connected with the worship of the gods, and ivory rods bearing these
devices have been found in the tomb of King Qa, who is supposed to have
lived about 4000 B. C.
Thus, the ancient divining arrows became the pip cards now in general use,
while the pictures on the walls, or the Atout part of the pack, is unknown
except in Italy, where the complete book of two volumes with twenty-two
Atouts and fifty-six pip leaves is still found.
Originally what we call the suits or pip cards were probably simply rods
inherited from Moses and Aaron, or perhaps only a quiver full of arrows,
or a bundle of straws, which we know were used at the Delphic oracle; and
out of these primitive articles the cards were evolved. On them were
placed the four heraldic emblems of Mercury by which any statue or
painting of him may be readily recognised. These emblems are convincing
proof that cards were part of the worship of Mercury, since the four suits
of the Tarots represented the four chief attributes of the god, those
symbols by which he is universally recognised, which are _Espadas_
(Swords), _Denari_ (Money), _Bastoni_ (Rods), and _Coppas_ (Cups).
Any one familiar with the many beautiful statues of Mercury that are
scattered through the great museums of Europe, or the funeral urns or
sarcophagi on which Mercury is represented, is aware of this. First, he
appears as Argiphontes, with the harpé or sword at his side, given him by
his father, Jupiter. Second, he is shown as Cyllenius, or Agoneus, holding
a purse, through the meshes of which round coins can be seen, signifying
the protector and representative of merchants. Third, he appears as
Caduceator, or the messenger of the gods, bearing aloft the caduceus, or
magician's rod. Fourth, he is represented as Chthonius, presiding at birth
or leading the soul to the unknown regions, when his emblem is the Cup of
Fortune.
This emblem inspired the shape of the beautiful Etruscan funeral vase,
which is in itself symbolical and derived from the worship of the
Assyrians. He is frequently represented by a cup or chalice, since Mercury
was also the cup bearer of the gods, like the butler of the Pharaoh
(Genesis xl), who protected his master from poison. When he was the
messenger he held to the lips of mortals the seven-ringed cup of sorrow or
joy, and the many significances of this cup, although now nearly
forgotten, were realised by the ancient worshippers as an important emblem
of the functions of the god.
If the Tarots are the direct descendants of the occult images in the
Temple of Thoth, as is conceded, it must also be acknowledged that then
these cards each has a meaning or intention worth studying, if only to
discover their secret; and that if they are connected with the ancient
mysteries they represent human life in all its phases. To wrest their
secret from them has been the endeavor of many writers, some of whom have
learned their portent traditionally, others through careful historical
investigation, while some confess to inspiration without authority or
support, but not one of these authors discovered the important connection
between the emblems on the cards and those representing Mercury
heraldically under his chief guises, although such a discovery would have
been conclusive proof that their surmises were correct and that cards were
the survival of the cult of Mercury and his predecessors.
Nevertheless, a thorough examination of all these writers shows that
through different channels they all come to the same conclusions, and by
comparing their writings with that of the original rules for the game of
l'Ombre (or The Man) quite a definite idea of the value and meaning
attached to each card by the initiates or priests of Mercury may be
reached.
Raymond Lulle (1235-1315) gives an historical account of Tarots in his
"Ars Magna." Jerome Cardeau (1501-1576) writes of the historic pack in his
work "Subtility." An English writer named Mathers has written exhaustively
about the great book of Thoth Hermes Trismegistus, chiefly with the view
of explaining fortune-telling through a correct reading of the mysterious
leaves.
Court de Gebelin, although sneered at by the authors who followed him, who
found his learning too deep for their understanding, has given a lucid
account of Tarots and their connection with divination, while Boiteau, in
his "Les Cartes à Jouer et la Cartomancie"; Merlin, in his "Origin des
Cartes"; Chatto, in his "Facts and Speculations About Cards," and Taylor,
in his "History of Playing Cards," agree that cards appeared suddenly in
Europe early in the fourteenth century, that the cards of that day were
the Tarots, or the fortune-telling cards, that they were altered to suit
Dutch, Swedish or German tastes, or the fancies of a French king,
following also the desires of each nation that adopted them for gambling
purposes, with no thought of the ancient cult to which they had belonged.
Not one of them, however, pointed out the connecting link with the emblems
of Mercury, or explained the reason for this sudden appearance in
civilised nations of these fortune-telling packs, except De Gebelin, while
even he failed to connect the attributes of Mercury with the pips on the
cards or the emblematic figures on the Atouts that still show the
attributes of the chief gods of Egyptian mythology, that would have been
such convincing proofs of their origin.
We are indebted to Papus, in his "Tarots of the Bohemians," for clearly
pointing out that the cards are derived from the book of Thoth and for
explaining the meaning of each leaf. But even Papus, shrewd and far-seeing
as he is, does not bridge the chasm lying between the temples of the
Egyptian deities and the introduction of cards into Europe, although he
recognises the paramount importance of the emblem of Rods, which he wisely
calls Sceptres, since he sees the value that such a symbol of power was to
the ancients, and he never condescends to call the pip by its vulgar name
of Club.
It is the more strange that the surviving signs connecting the ancient
worship of Mercury with the emblems on the pip cards remained unnoticed,
for the old Temple of Mercury at Baiæ remains with its vaulted roof in a
fairly good state of preservation; and on the ceiling of this temple can
still be seen traces of pictures resembling those on the Atouts. Almost
obliterated and difficult to see, since the place is dark and there is no
means of lighting, they can yet be discerned, even though it would be
impossible to reproduce the emblems.
They are in the shape of the old Atouts, that is to say, the figures are
enclosed in a well-defined line the shape of a card, and the same size if
considered in reference to that of the emblematic pictures. Two of them
are distinct enough to show a figure, although which one of the Atouts is
intended it is now impossible to say. Traces of other Atouts may be
discerned all along the roof of the building, although they are being
rapidly destroyed by the weather.
Enough evidence exists now to show that, in this house erected to Mercury
by the rich merchants of Rome, the emblematic figures were displayed as
ornaments on the ceiling and were not concealed in alcoves or curtained
niches, which some writers have supposed was done in the more ancient
temples of Egypt where pictures have been discovered that have puzzled the
savants who have not connected them with the worship of Thoth or Serapis.
Why the emblems of Mercury did not receive recognition from the
authorities on playing cards of the past three centuries, or from others,
remains a mystery, since it seems to be quite evident that, while the
Atouts show the various virtues, vices, arts and crafts, which were under
his protection, the pip cards display his four chief attributes, and that
these were evidently placed in the book to represent the god when it was
necessary to call on his good offices to protect or guide merchants, to
direct love affairs, to encourage warriors or to inspire scientists. No
other derivation for these devices has even been suggested, and these
self-evident links in the chain of evidence connecting playing cards with
the worship of Mercury have been totally ignored. Many students have,
however, pointed out that the Tarots are the survivors of his cult and
were originally the Book of Thoth Hermes Trismegistus.
In the "Catalogue of Playing and Other Cards in the British Museum," by
William Hughes Willshire, M. D. (1876, page 52), he shows a picture of
Addha-Nari, saying, "she is the Isis of the Hindus, a pantheistic emblem
typifying Nature, Truth and Religion." In this Hindu emblematic figure the
four symbols of the ancient Tarots (now the suit marks of the numeral
playing cards of the Tarots and of Italy and Spain) are placed in the four
hands of the figure that has the crescent or emblem of prophetic power on
her head--namely, the Cup, the Circle (or Money), the Sword and the
Magician's Rod. "These are recognised," says Mr. Willshire (page 62), "as
being the symbols of the four chief castes into which men were divided on
the banks of the Ganges and of the Nile. Accordingly, the Cup denotes the
sacerdotal rank or priesthood; the Sword implies the king, a soldier or
military type; the Circle or ring of eternity (that in the hands of the
protector of commerce became Money) typifies the world or commercial
community, and the Staff is emblematic of agriculture or the tiller of the
soil." This connection between these symbols with those on the Tarots has
been copied slavishly by many authors as the only explanation for the
adoption of these devices. That there were in early days these principal
caste divisions is unquestionable, and men of the different professions
selected their heraldic emblems when consulting the oracle to worship or
consult Mercury as Chthoneus, Argiphontes, Cyllenius or Caduceator.
The bridge connecting the great goddess of India with Mercury has not yet
been built, although the foundations have been laid and will soon be given
to the world. It is sufficient to say at present that the mythologies of
Babylonia and Egypt have mingled mysteriously, and that the mother of
Thoth is connected with the Indian deity so that symbols and rites common
to one country are often found in the sister continent.
Before the era of printing men crystalised their ideas by making pictures
to portray the thing or person that it was desired to represent. Thus the
heraldry of to-day is simply this crude idea scientifically treated and
classified, and a coat-of-arms is the name of a family pictorially
represented. The totem of the North American Indian displays his family
cognomen in this way, as do the various symbols of uneducated people all
over the world who are unable to express their ideas in written
characters.
Signs over the doors of tradesmen carry out the same plan, as the barber's
basin or pole (the latter being really the caduceus of Mercury, that was
inherited from the doctors who studied at the Temple of Thoth). The bunch
of grapes or bush of a wine dealer shows an inn, and a well-known saying
of Lady Mary Wortley Montagu recalls this, for she remarked, "How should
we know where the wine was sold if we did not see the bush?"
Thus, also, at a cross-road where directions from the god Terminus
(Mercury) were required, his pointing finger [Illustration: pointing
finger] (which was also the Yod found on the Tarots) was a pictured sign
that all could comprehend. It is the same with all the other emblems
connected with this ubiquitous deity, and the ancients understood these
devices far more easily than we of to-day, as the lapse of time has caused
the intention of many of them to be forgotten, and none more so than those
of Mercury on the pip cards of the Tarots. That their meaning is forgotten
is not the fault of those who credited transmitted knowledge through
pictures instead of written words, as the devices remain as a simple key
to the origin of cards that originally were intended only as a means of
communicating with occult powers. (See Numbers xvii.)
In order to come closely to the meanings attributed to the devices as well
as to the figures on the Atout part of the Tarots, each one must be
studied separately, and close attention must be given to the other
connections with the cult of Mercury that have not been dropped from the
cards in the course of ages, but which remain to enlighten us.
Thus, the girdle or cestus that Mercury stole from Venus encircles the
deuce of Money, and all the oldest cards retain this symbol as well as
those manufactured now. This card plays an important part in the
soothsayer's pack. Under some conditions it signifies thieving, which
probably refers to the theft of the girdle. A pig is always displayed on
the two of bells of the German pack that was evidently derived from the
Tarots, since it was sacred to Nebo. Pigs and tongues (representing
speech) were always part of the sacrifice to Hermes at his annual
festival, and both were sacred to Proserpene, whose descent to hell was
celebrated on the day she was dragged from her mother, Ceres, and
conducted by Mercury Chthoneus, to the arms of Pluto.
A gazelle under a palm tree is placed on the knave of Money, which recalls
the worship of Osiris, in which Thoth plays such an important part.
According to a legend, the gazelle gives notice of the rising of the
waters of the river Nile by fleeing from its wonted feeding grounds on the
banks to the recesses of the desert, long before the first signs of the
coming flood are noticed by mankind. The gazelle acts in this way as a
lieutenant to Hermes, or as a messenger from the gods to humans, and it is
sacred to Thoth, who was afterwards, by the Romans, merged into Mercury.
Thoth is also represented on the Fool or Joker.
[Illustration: ATOUTS OF AN EARLY ITALIAN PACK OF TAROTS
13 La Morte
14 La Temperan
15 Il Diavolo
16 La Torre
17 Le Stelle
18 La Luna]
The number thirteen has always received mystic reverence, and the reason
for this has been sought by many. Among the Atouts that number is on the
card representing Death. Mercury's festival falls on the thirteenth of the
fifth month, so the thirteenth card has more than one significance to the
believers in the old pictured symbols, particularly when connected with
the Tarots.
The card known to us as the Joker combines in itself all the versatile
qualities attributed to the god Hermes himself, and it is small wonder
that it was so regarded, as he was supposed to represent in his own person
so many and such different things. Among the Atouts it is called Le Fou
(the Fool). It has no number in the pack and was not one of the pictures
that were placed on the walls, but was probably a statue occupying the
centre of the temple, where it might be separately approached. Among the
cards it outranks all others, and is as volatile and as little to be
depended upon as the god of Quicksilver himself. It controls and dominates
every card in both the pip and Atout parts of the pack. It represents the
unforeseen, the unexpected, uncertainty or uncontrollable fate, and the
destiny that presides over every walk in life. It stands for Destiny,
whether it be called Kismet, Luck, Chance, Fate or Mercury, who alone
could tell to mortals what he had foretold at their birth, when as "the
Writer" he inscribed on his "tablets" all the events of life.
Through studying the Joker and the value bestowed on him in the old as
well as in the modern packs the similarity of the powers that he wields
with those that were attributed to the Hermes of the Greeks may be
recognised, and this representation of irresponsibility, of chance or of
luck, is found in every part of the world where divining cards are used.
It marks the difference between the Tarots and the French, German and
Swiss packs that were invented for gambling only, and were never intended
for fortune-telling. That packs in the United States, with French pips,
have a Joker, does not prove that in France the gentleman is known, for he
made his appearance here after 1850, as will be related later.
The way that the Joker is represented varies most strangely. Sometimes the
card shows a group of huddled imps. Sometimes it is a blank like that of
Korea and Japan, or it may show the figure of a clown or a jester like
that of Austria. It would be interesting to follow the history of jesters
through the troubadours from Mercury himself. But each and all
representations have the same value when luck rules, and the Joker takes
every card in the pack.
CHAPTER II.
THE TAROT PACK OF CARDS
The complete pack of Tarots (sometimes called "the book of Thoth")
contains seventy-eight leaves, and, of these, fifty-six bear pips, with
four court cards to each suit, which show the attributes of Mercury,
namely: Swords, Staves, Money, and Cups. Besides these, there are
twenty-two cards with emblematic figures, that were also connected with
the worship of Mercury or some of the ancient mysteries; and they, as a
whole, represent the chief moral or spiritual characteristics of mankind,
the cardinal virtues, marriage, death, creation, and resurrection, closely
following the attributes of the Egyptian deities. They are presided over
and controlled by Mercury himself, the card being named in Italy "_il
Matto_," or "_le Fou_"; and we know it as the Joker. This figure was also
originally intended for Thoth or Nebo and is often presented as a vagabond
or tramp, who typifies irresponsibility, the elements of uncertainty,
chance, or luck, that pervade all the concerns of life, and which must be
acknowledged and provided for under all circumstances, and in all social
conditions from the emperor to the beggar.
The close resemblance of this Matto, in all the attributes bestowed upon
him in the card world, to the Greek god Hermes should not be overlooked,
for he was so rapid in his movements as to have quicksilver named after
him, the mineral that has so many qualifications and is so uncertain. The
name was probably given to the metal by the scientists who belonged to the
Egyptian temple of learning. Then, too, its healing qualities were
recognised by the medical world of ancient days, and, as these wise men
were under the protection of the god Hermes, that also may have
contributed to its having been named after him. Mercury also was the
unexpected and versatile god who attended the dying, although he did not
cause the death. He was the inventor and patron of games, although he was
no gamester himself, but he personified luck and chance; so, with these
and many other characteristics, Mercury was, indeed, the Joker of the
pack, "the Trump that captures all other cards."
The twenty-two Atout cards, as they are called, present allegorical
figures in which the attitude, the costume, the accessories, and the
attributes each have a significance that may be traced back to their
origin, and although some of these symbols are still unidentified, the
greater part are recognised, so the value of the figure itself is
understood. Some of them were connected with one or the other of the arts,
crafts, or sciences that were taught by the priests of Thoth, and by them
transmitted to their successors in Italy; twelve of them represent the
gods of Olympus; the others are connected with Egyptian gods or can be
traced to even earlier ceremonies connected with divination.
Before describing each one of the Atouts and their meanings, it must be
mentioned that, while many authors have written of different packs of
cards, there are but two authors who have made a study of the Tarots, and
that neither of these regards the packs as toys or gamblers' instruments,
but as the outcome of a great mystery or religious cult. Court de Gebelin,
as early as 1773, declared: "The complete pack of Tarots, with pip and
emblem cards together, were part of the Egyptian mysteries, and
particularly of the worship of Thoth," and he traces the resemblance of
the figures and the quality or value attributed to them to Isis, Maut,
Anubis, or other personages in the Egyptian cosmogony, which theory is
confirmed by Papus in his "Tarots of the Bohemians." A careful study of
Sir Gardiner Wilkinson's "Ancient Egyptians," and Mr. Rawlinson's "Ancient
Egypt," shows how accurate these surmises were, for the origin of many of
the figures on the Tarots can be traced in these works, although in the
days of de Gebelin, Egypt was a sealed book to students.
Sir G. Wilkinson stated in "Ancient Egyptians" (Vol. II, page 207):
"Parchment was used for the records kept in the temples and is mentioned
in the time of the eighteenth dynasty, when there were histories written
on skins called Thr, or Tahar, and Thoth (Hermes) framed the laws." This
proves that the rules governing mankind emanated from the temple of Thoth
(as the name is indifferently spelled), and that, if it were necessary to
give publicity to the mandates, it could be done outside of the temple
with written characters, or ideographically. Probably letters were not
used at the time, although Thoth was the god of letters and the inventor
of the alphabet; but symbols and emblems were adopted, since they could be
more easily understood by illiterate people. This, then, might well have
accounted for the figures of the Atouts, even if there were no other
reasons for them.
We are indebted to M. de Gebelin for connecting the Tarots with this cult,
as well as to Papus, for the latter, in his "Tarots of the Bohemians," not
only accepts the statements made by the other writer, but tries to prove
that the Tarot pack was "the Bible of the Gypsies" and states that "it was
also the book of Thoth Hermes Trismegistus of ancient civilization."
Other writers who have studied the cards believe that they "are the key to
forgotten mysteries"; but none of them have pointed out the significant
facts connecting the emblems of the suit cards with the heraldic
attributes of Mercury, and none have noted the value and connection
between the different figures of the Atouts with those of the gods of
Babylonia mentioned in the Bible, yet they are so remarkable that it seems
incredible that they should have been so long overlooked by those who were
searching for the origin of Playing Cards.
It is quite evident in the first place that the Staff, or magic wand, must
have been inspired by the caduceus, or, perhaps, by the stylus, which is
also emblematical of Thoth and was used by the Babylonian god Nebo to
write on his tablets of fate. The Sword was derived from the Harpé
presented by Jupiter to his son, Mercury, and was also used by Nebo. The
purse of Money, and the Chalice, have from the earliest times been
connected with spiritual uses and the mysteries of the three prophetical
gods. Any one of the four denoted Mercury, while not one of the other gods
of Olympus, Babylonia, or Egypt was ever so marked, and none of them
combined all the sciences and arts that were practised by his priests and
dedicated to the honour of the god who was worshipped as the prophet and
messenger from gods to men.
The connection of the Tarot cards with astronomy and astrology is a study
by itself, but, since these sciences were part of the course of studies
pursued by the priests of Thoth, many emblems connected with them are
found on the Atouts. These had meaning for those learned enough to read
the signs. But each Atout, be it connected with kabbalism, demonology,
Babylonian, Egyptian, Greek or Roman mythology, is written in a language
now partly forgotten, but once widely known and revered.
At first the book of Thoth, or prophetic cards, was only in the hands of
the priests; but as the meaning of these detached leaves was from time to
time revealed to the educated classes, these persons learned to consult
the Tarots for themselves when desiring to know the wishes of the gods. A
systematic arrangement of the cards could be made by a couple of players,
and this tête-a-tête method of asking for divine guidance is a very
ancient custom, and must receive due recognition when studying the cult of
Mercury, for it must be particularly noted that all the earliest known
games with cards are invariably for two persons and two only, so that when
more players were added to the game its name was altered.
It will be recalled how many times magical performances are mentioned in
the Bible, one of the most notable being in Numbers xxii, when Balak
consulted Balaam. The whole ceremony is there graphically described, but
these two men were the only ones who took active part in the ceremony,
although Balak sent "the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian to Balaam
with the rewards of _divination_ in their hands." By some people it might
be supposed that Balak intended to bribe Balaam for a favorable report
from his god, but "When Balaam saw that it pleased the Lord to bless
Israel, he went not, as at other times, to seek for enchantments" (Numbers
xxiv:1). The whole history of the occult transaction shows that these two
men alone took part, although others stood aloof and watched from afar.
Prof. Samuel Daiches, in his essay, "Balaam a Baru," declares that "Balaam
was a sorcerer pure and simple," quoting from certain Babylonian tablets
written in cuneiform characters, to prove his resemblance to the "baru" of
the ancient ritual who would be deemed a magician in these days. Professor
Daiches also states that, in the Babylonian Ritual Tablets lately
deciphered, is found the statement that "the diviner and the inquirer in
the ceremony have _both_ to be engaged and present when the wishes of the
gods are to be consulted," and that "this was followed in religious
ceremonies in many other countries." This custom is adhered to at present
in the Roman Catholic Church when the penitent confesses to the priest,
the two people being alone and shielded from observation.
All the early games for the Tarots were arranged for two persons. The
modifications that crept in after 1400 allowed other players to join, when
different names were given to the newly invented games. The main rules
were but little altered and the play was only changed in order that others
might take part, which is one of the clearly defined marks indicating the
period when the Tarots were discarded by initiated persons and adopted by
people in general, who accepted the cards for amusement, leaving the
prophetic mysteries to the superstitious. The complete pack of Tarots, as
it came from the ancients, consists of two parts, twenty-two Atouts and
fifty-six suit cards, or seventy-eight in all; but these are used only in
Italy.
A pack called Tarok or Taroc is a favorite in Austria and Hungary, though
unknown elsewhere, a fact of which the Viennese are inordinately proud,
for they declare, and with truth, that their game is scientific and
requires keen intellects to play it successfully. But their handbooks on
the game do not recognise the fact that their cards are copied from the
ancient Book of Thoth, and that their game is almost identical with the
original one of divination called "L'Ombre." The Austrian Taroks have the
same numbers as the originals, and retain twenty-two Atouts, but only "le
Fou" or "Mercury" has an emblem resembling those on the old leaves. The
designs have within fifty years changed from the German or Italian pips to
the French devices of Coeurs, Carreaux, Trifle and Piques.
"Le Fou," or the Joker, is called Skus, Skis, Skys, or Stüs. The Juggler
of the old pack is named Pagat, and although the lowest in number it has
peculiar values that recall the fact that when used for fortune-telling it
represented the inquirer into the wishes of the gods. The card of highest
value in the Austrian Taroks is the World, and is called after its
predecessor, retaining the name, as well as its position in the pack, with
the value of its namesake, but the picture on the card does not resemble
the original, and it requires the inspection of an expert to connect these
two packs, since the Austrians have strayed so far from the old designs as
to make the emblems hardly recognisable.
The pictures on the rest of the Atouts are not even copies of those that
formerly were used in Vienna. One of these packs is now in the writer's
collection, bearing the date 1780; and showing some faint resemblance to
the Italian Tarots, proves its descent, for in it the figures of Death and
other characters are retained, while the card makers of the twentieth
century adorn the Austrian Taroks with pastoral views, which mislead
students who have not older packs with which to compare them, so the book
describing the Wiener Tarok games claims that these cards and games
originated in that city and are peculiar to that locality.
The Austrian Taroks, given to the writer in 1890 by an old lady in New
York, were wrapped with a faded green ribbon and accompanied with a note
describing how they had come into her possession. It seems that her father
left Vienna when a young man, having got into some scrape through playing
cards. Before leaving he bade farewell to his betrothed and begged for her
garter and her miniature. These he placed with the fatal pack of cards and
kept in his desk. After several years the young man, having made a fortune
in America, wrote to his ladylove, begging her to cross the ocean to marry
him. The answer was that, not having heard from him since he had left, she
had married. Her lover consoled himself with an American wife, and had
many children, the descendants of whom are now well-known people in New
York.
There are several complicated and interesting games played with the
Austrian Taroks derived from "l'Ombre," or "the man," and originally
intended for two players only. One is called the "Great Tarok," another
retains the old name "Tarok l'Ombre," while a third game (a modification
of the last and arranged for more players), is called "Tarok for Four."
The game called "Tapp Tarok" requires but fifty-four cards; it is only a
variant of the others and is most popular. "Styrean Tarok," like the Tapp
game, requires three players, the fourth one being a silent partner or
dummy. These games are so intricate, and have so many rules, that none but
Austrians play with these adapted cards.
In the "Illustrirtes Wiener Tarokbuch," by Ulman, we find this statement:
"Two centuries had not passed after cards were introduced into Europe,
when Francis Fibbia, Prince of Pisa, Italy, arranged from the oldest of
all games, called Tappola, a new one called Tarok, which is found in
Bologna as a favorite game during the fifteenth century. This was played
with Trappola or Trappelin cards, when the original suits were retained,
which were Cups, Money, Swords, and Staves, but after wood engraving was
invented, the French pips were adopted and are now the only ones used in
the Austrian Tarok pack."
It is noteworthy that the Rev. Edward Taylor, in his "History of Playing
Cards" (pages 209 and 457), mentions an interesting pack of cards, "the
imprint of which states them to be sold by John Lenthall, stationer at the
Talbot over against St. Dunstan's Church, London, who carried on business
there from 1665 to 1685, so the cards were probably issued immediately
after the Restoration." They were prophetical or fortune-telling cards,
and their use was described in directions published with them. The pips
were French; the emblematical figures were imitations of the Atouts and
evidently had been copied from part of a pack of Tarots, but the figures
had names applied to them that were not exactly like the originals. The
Ace of Hearts had a figure that was named Hermes Trismagus, which leads to
the supposition that the original connection of Mercury with the Tarots
was not entirely forgotten in the seventeenth century, but was known in
connection with fortune-telling. As a prophet he was still an important
personage. The other figures on the cards represented Roman Catholic
saints or modern heroes, so that of Mercury was entirely out of place,
unless in connection with his cult.
CHAPTER III
MERCURY
Although treated by modern writers as one of the minor of the twelve gods
of Olympus, Mercury was by no means so looked upon by the ancients, who
revered, feared, consulted and obeyed him as they did no other deity, so
he wielded more influence over the lives of mankind than did all the other
gods put together. Jove was dreaded because a bolt from the blue might
destroy the unwary at any moment; even though Mercury was the lightning
conductor, the latter was not blamed for the catastrophe. Juno commanded
admiration by her beauty, but her cold self-esteem drew few followers;
still, as presiding over maternity, she delivered, through Mercury, the
newly born to its parents. Diana had, perhaps, the largest number of
worshippers, since she had a plurality of attractions, and had under her
protection many and various walks of life, when Mercury acted as her
lieutenant. It was Mercury who lured Proserpine from the side of Ceres,
to reconduct the former to earth when spring followed winter, and it is
under this form, as Chthonius, that Mercury is allegorically represented
as the messenger conducting the soul at death to the future state.
Mercury was the peacemaker, or adjuster of difficulties, as well as the
councillor and intercessor, for he could be appealed to with the certainty
that his orders could be received by mankind, and by them could be
comprehended through a sign language interpreted by his priests. He was in
reality more powerful than any of the other gods taken separately, for,
although they might be lavishly propitiated, they could not reply to
invocations except through their messenger, Mercury. He was also the
inventor of emblems, pictorial art, and language, through which he could
be directly approached and his wishes communicated in response to
invocations by means of the Atouts and the pip cards. Any profanation of
his mysteries was rapidly revenged by his worshippers, so it is little
wonder that they were not placed in town records or in early histories.
Nor, if they were, would these mysteries have been mentioned as Playing
Cards, for the ancient Book of Thoth was not classified as a game, and
until the Temple of Toth, as well as the Serapeon, near Naples, were
destroyed, compelling the exiled priests to carry on their person the
emblems taken from the walls, there was absolutely nothing like a card to
mention in the official records. Students, therefore, must search for
descriptions of wanderers, of soothsayers, of astrologers, of
fortune-tellers, of prophets or of gypsies, if they wish to discover
traces of the cult of Mercury, since it was gradually and imperceptibly
merged into the Playing Cards as we understand them.
There were few of the homes of the rich Romans that were not adorned with
a statue of this god under one of his four great attributes. The best
known is, perhaps, one by John of Bologna, showing him as Caduceator, or
the messenger, under which guise Mercury carries the caduceus and points
with his right hand to heaven. When represented in this way, he is the
bearer of news, of life, and of health. It was his wand, or caduceus,
that, up to the middle of the eighteenth century, was the emblem of the
medical man, who always carried his stick or staff into the sick
chamber. It is still used by barbers, who display his staff, apparently
wound with bloody rags, before their shops, a survival of a custom dating
from the time when barbers were the dentist surgeons and "blood-letters."
His wand was also representative of the stylus which was used to write on
the "Tablet of Fate," for Mercury was also the god Nebo of the
Babylonians, who is mentioned under this name in the Bible. He is credited
with being "the writer in the Book of Fate" and, says a Cuneiform
inscription, "had foretold the destiny of mankind since eternity." The
stylus was also the emblem of Thoth, who wrote in the "Book of Good Works"
after death.
[Illustration: ATOUTS OF AN EARLY ITALIAN PACK OF TAROTS WITH TWO COURT
CARDS
19 Il Sole
20 Il Giudizio
21 Il Mondo
22 Il Matto
23 Queen of Cups
24 King of Cups]
As the protector and foreteller of events, Mercury was represented as
benign or benevolent, but the second attribute as reproduced in his
statues was purely mercantile. These statues are frequently found holding
a purse in the right hand, the coins inside being seen through its meshes,
emblematic of the Money pip on the cards. When represented in this way the
face is no longer joyous or serene as it is when depicted as the
messenger; it is stern, cold and calculating, perhaps rather shrewd, yet
still self-reliant, and with an air of concentration, but always youthful.
As the god could foresee and foretell business probabilities, since they
were already written in his Book of Fate, or could give counsel in
mercantile transactions, Mercury was always consulted and obeyed. It was
due to this that his image bearing aloft the money bag was a favorite
decoration in the homes of successful merchants, who credited the counsels
of Mercury with having caused the riches of Plutus to fall into their
coffers.
The beautiful statue of Mercury seated idly with a sword girded at his
side, but trailing on the ground, is well known. Here another and most
powerful attribute of the god was silently displayed for worship in all
that concerned enterprises other than commerce, since the sword denoted
warlike expeditions, explorations, and voyages, and was the symbol of
rulers, of soldiers, and of men of a class superior to rich merchants.
Besides, under the attribute of "the sword," Mercury was the patron of
books, and of arts and crafts, as well as the encourager of learning.
Girded with the ever-ready sword, presented to him for his wit and
understanding by his father, Jupiter, Mercury was alert to point out in
the Book of Fate the initiative that should be taken, if success was
desired, and also to adjust quarrels, smooth away strife, or heal
differences. Under the emblem of the sword, Mercury was an often-consulted
oracle. The sword (or lightning) was also emblematic of Nebo.
The fourth guise of Mercury was usually kept for serious or sacred periods
of life, and was seldom seen in the home, as it was reserved for more
grave positions. After Mercury gave up being the cupbearer of Olympus to
the beautiful Hebe he retained the badge of office, and "the cup of
Hermes" remained as one of his attributes as a reminder of this position.
To-day it is used at Christmas in Italy, when presents are placed in
Mercury's cup for distribution instead of being hung on a tree, as is the
more northern custom. The seven-ringed cup was sacred to Nebo as well as
to Toth, and this votive cup entwined with two serpents--now in the
Louvre--proved that the Chalice and the Caduceus were always typical of
Nebo.
As Chthonius, Mercury was always the useful helper of mankind. He presided
at birth, when he recorded the future events of a child's life on "the
tablet of fate," as had been done by his predecessor, the god of the
Babylonians, Nebo. He also attended the dead, when the tablet was broken,
(which was Thoth's perogative), so he is allegorically represented on
funeral urns, where he is seen leading Proserpine to Hell. The vase has
been converted into one of Mercury's emblems on the cards, as the Cup or
Chalice. Many of the beautiful Etruscan vases in the Vatican show Mercury
with Pluto's reluctant wife. Perhaps the most graceful of stone pictures
on this subject is in the British Museum, where a female figure reclines
on a couch, surrounded by a group of mourners, and behind the dying woman
stands Mercury, patient and alert, ready to show the soul to its bourn.
The cup of sacrifice is overturned, the tablet is broken, and Mercury's
task is to guide her spirit carefully and gently to another sphere.
Here, then, are the four attributes of Mercury through whose aid he speaks
to men: the Caduceus, stylus or magic wand; the Coin or ring, emblem of
eternity; the Sword, and the Cup or chalice.
Always depicted as a youthful or, perhaps, irresponsible man, sometimes
described as inconsequent, volatile and light-hearted, still Mercury was
the most affording and helpful of all the gods of Olympus, and it was he
who interceded for men, who presided over births and deaths, as well as
over love affairs, business, and the arts. He was, therefore, consulted at
every turn of life--small wonder that his image was a prized ornament of
their homes, under one of his three attributes, or else near their tombs
under the fourth.
Temples to Mercury, to Thoth, and Nebo, were the principal and most ornate
ones that were built. The great one at Babylon to Nebo was called
E-Sigalia. He was worshipped as the "tablet writer" who foretold fate.
There is one to Mercury that is still in a fairly good state of
preservation and is first of the group to the other gods of Olympus, at
Baiæ, a town ten miles north of Naples in Italy. This temple was probably
erected by the rich merchants of Rome, near their own beautiful villas,
that have rendered the place historical. The other temples are little more
than charming ruins, but that of Mercury survives to remind us that
mutilated rites are still held in his honour in all parts of the world,
although by persons who have lost their clue to the original intention of
the cult that they follow.
It is probable that the adjoining town of Pozzuoli was the cradle of
Playing Cards in Europe, for it was here that the mysteries of the
Egyptian god Thoth were taught by the priests of that cult. Close to the
edge of the water are the ruins of the vast temple of Osiris, or Serapis,
called the Serapeon. Here the strangers worshipped, who landed there
yearly from the Nile, from a vast fleet which was sheltered in the bay of
Baiæ. Its arrival was heralded by a number of swift yachts that could be
recognized as they passed through the narrow straits between Capri and the
mainland with topsails flying, a privilege that was accorded to none but
the visitors from Alexandria, who were too powerful to offend and too
desirable not to conciliate.
The exports of corn from Alexandria were of such importance to Italy that
the trade enjoyed the peculiar protection of the State, and "the
Alexandrian corn fleet," says Merivale ("Roman Empire," Volume IV, page
392), "enjoyed the protection of a convoy of war galleys that was met by a
deputation of senators."
The visitors landed at Pozzuoli, at the spot where St. Paul disembarked
from the _Castor and Pollox_, in a bay that sheltered mariners from Spain,
Sardinia, Elba, Cyprus and all the great trading ports of Asia Minor, the
isles of the Ægean Sea and, above all, Greece. This great centre received
merchandise, iron and fine tools from the clever workmen of Elba, and
gorgeous carpets from Phoenicia, as well as Egyptian goods and cults; so
it was natural that what was presented at this port should also be
exported from there. Thus it was with the learning and the arts of Egypt
that were taught by her priests or initiates in the temple erected by them
at this spot, which points to the probability that their great book was
from this centre scattered over Europe.
What is now called the Serapeon is one of the most remarkable ruins in
Italy, for through some volcanic action it was buried beneath the sea in
the twelfth century during the last eruption of the Solfatara, reappearing
after another volcanic outburst in 1538. It had been forgotten for
centuries, but when the fresh movement of that ever-swaying shore made the
waters recede, the temple again appeared above the surface. Some of its
marble columns are still erect, although they are honeycombed with holes
made by a little bivalve that is still found in the bay of Baiæ, and in
these perforations countless of their shells can be seen. Enough of the
temple remains to record the fact that the Egyptians were numerous and
prosperous on the foreign shore, and it is probable that it was built 211
B. C., although many students think its erection was even earlier.
Serapis, or Osiris, was worshipped as Hermes, or Mercury, by the Romans,
which worship was introduced into the neighbouring city of Rome by the
Emperor Antoninus Pius, in A. D. 146, which may indicate the date of the
Temple of Serapis (Mercury).
Serapis was the god of commerce, so his shrine was enriched by the
merchants who thronged to the ever-busy port. It was probably after this
temple (the original home of Mercury) was submerged, that the smaller one
was erected to him at Baiæ. The latter was a famous marine watering place
of ancient Italy, perched on an indentation of the western shore of the
Bay of Naples. It is celebrated for the softness of its climate, and the
abundance of its hot springs, so it became fashionable about the era of
Lucullus, the ruins of whose magnificent villa, as well as those of Cæsar,
Pompey and Augustus, still remain. It was a favourite resort until the
invasion of the barbarians under Theodoric the Goth.
Horace alludes to the palaces and temples overhanging the sea, but most of
these have now fallen into the water, where beautiful columns may be seen
beneath the waves.
Besides these luxurious homes, and the vast temple of Serapis that was so
near, there remain ruins of a temple to Jupiter, another to Venus, and
others that are unidentified. But the one that remains in the best
condition and state of preservation is Mercury's, as the domed roof
protected it when the others were destroyed by the ashes from the
neighbouring volcano. The façade of the temple has been removed, but one
long vaulted hall remains. It is not pierced with windows, and was
probably intended to be dark, for the better perpetration of mysteries. On
the ceiling may be traced oblong shaped paintings, "men portrayed upon the
wall," that are too much defaced to identify, but they recall the shape
and approximate size of the Atouts of the Tarots. These may be seen at
stated intervals, and, when originally placed there, would have
accommodated the twenty-two Atout cards ranged in the order in which they
are now numbered. It was supposed that the emblematic figures representing
Osiris, Maut, Isis and other deities with the virtues, vices, love,
marriage, death, etc., were placed in recesses or alcoves in the Egyptian
temples, but if these half-obliterated figures in the temple at Baiæ were
intended to represent the Atouts, a different plan was followed, more like
that mentioned in Ezekiel xxiii:14. It may have been that the priests
followed the idea of putting the figures on the ceiling, so that they
might teach their followers the significance of the emblems when it was no
longer worth while to make mysteries of them and to conceal them.
Beside the temple, and opening from it, is an inner room that was probably
once covered by a roof, but that has fallen, and now the space is only an
enclosed court. In the centre remains what might have been a platform or
altar where the sacrifices of pigs or tongues, and of other things
immolated to Mercury, were made yearly at the time of his festival, on the
thirteenth of May.
Prof. Charles Anthon, in his "Classical Dictionary," when describing
Mercury, says:
"Mercurius was a celebrated god of antiquity, called Hermes by the Greeks.
He was the messenger of the gods and of Jupiter in particular. He was the
god of speech, of eloquence, the patron of orators, of merchants, and of
all dishonest persons, particularly thieves, of travellers, and of
shepherds. He also presided over highways and crossways, and conducted the
souls of the dead to the world below, and it would be nearly impossible to
discover anything about which this versatile god could not be consulted
through his learned priests, who had been taught the gift of speech from
him that they transmitted to their followers. The Egyptians ascribed to
Hermes the invention of letters, and the Greeks accredited him with many
other important improvements that made men's lives happier or better, such
as the invention of the lyre, as well as the regulation of commerce, and
the improvement of gymnastic exercises, while, by a strange perversion the
Greeks made Hermes the protector of thieves, when, in Egypt, he was the
god of merchants, so that it may be possible that the crafty god favoured
the person who first propitiated him or, perhaps, the highest bidder."
Mercury was the son of Jupiter by the brightest of the Pleiades, Maia,
herself the daughter of Atlas, King of Mauritania, and Pleione, one of the
Oceanides, or ocean nymphs whose mother was Tethys, and father, Oceanus.
Such distinguished ancestry may well have placed the ever-youthful Mercury
among the presiding deities of Olympus, even if he had not inherited the
mantle of the Egyptian god Thoth, and with it the ægis of the god of the
Babylonians, Nebo, who was the arbiter of the fate of mankind.
His infancy was intrusted to the Seasons, who could not prevent his
stealing the trident of Neptune, the girdle of Venus, the sword of Mars,
and the sceptre of Jupiter, all of which are displayed on the old pip
cards, the sword and sceptre being two of the pips, while the girdle of
Venus encircles the Deuce of Money.
The ingenious god presented the lyre that he invented to Apollo, receiving
in exchange the "golden three-leaved rod," called by the poets _Aurea
virga_. It was represented as a wand of laurel, or olive, with two dainty
wings on one end, and entwined with two serpents, the whole emblematical
of many things besides peace, or a flag of truce, for which it was
generally used. This rod entwined with serpents is one of the most ancient
symbols and is found on a vase discovered in Babylonia that is supposed to
have been used 2350 B. C. Another device showed the staff wound with ropes
tied after a peculiar fashion, and when so depicted the caduceus
represented commerce and merchants, since the rope tied after a certain
fashion was the token of the Phoenician traders. This is retained on the
Ace of Sticks in the Tarot pack. When the caduceus was wound with stripes
of red and white it represented surgeons, or the healing arts; and, as has
been mentioned, is so displayed on barbers' poles to-day. The stick wound
in this way also represented birth, and, set before the door, was a token
of Mercury's recent visit carrying a babe from Juno to its parents. The
caduceus served Mercury as a herald's staff, and this name was sometimes
applied to the white wand or rod that in time of war was regarded as a
signal for peace.
The wings of Mercury typify the planet named for him, that is so fast that
it completes its revolution around the sun in a little less than three
months. He is connected with the old Israelitish legend, referred to in
Ezekiel ix:2, where Nebo is one of the seven planets.
The important place given to the rod in the Bible must not be overlooked.
It is closely connected with the arrow of primitive peoples, that was used
not only for war or the chase, but serving also to ascertain the wishes of
the gods, for when a bundle of arrows was cast to the ground from a quiver
or the hand, according to certain well-known laws, they indicated the
wishes of the divine power by the direction in which they fell. This is
recalled in Jeremiah, in the story of Jonathan and David, besides in many
other instances.
It was a natural sequence that Mercury, who had inherited the "tablet of
fate" from Nebo of the Babylonians, should also have received the "wand of
the magi" that, when cast before the Pharaoh by his wise men, was able to
swallow the serpents that sprang from the rod of Moses. The rod, when used
as a sceptre, has other and important significances, and is one of the
chief signs of a ruler's position and power.
Mercury was the most active and useful of all the gods, owing to his
temperament, and no event or ceremony was undertaken without seeking his
advice. He had many names under which his good offices were invoked, such
as Argiphontes, or the slayer of Argus, when he represented warriors. Then
he was called Chthonius, or "he who guides the dead"; when thus
represented he is generally seated and is without sword, caduceus, or
purse. Another name for him was Agoneus, the patron of gymnastic
exercises, of commerce, and of executive ability.
Sometimes Mercury is represented in his birthday suit, at others with a
chlamys or cloak enveloping him, the petasus or winged cap on his head,
the talaria, or winged sandals, on his heels, bearing the caduceus aloft.
Ancient representations of Mercury were simple wooden posts, the terminals
carved with a rude head wearing a beard, which were the original
signposts.
Professor Anthon says: "Hermes may in some degree be regarded as a
personification of the Egyptian priesthood. It is in this sense,
therefore, that he is regarded as the confidant of the gods, their
messenger, the interpreter of their decrees, the genius who presides over
science, the conductor of souls to the realms of bliss."
One of the Egyptian names for Mercury, when he combined many attributes of
Osiris and other deities, was Thoth, which, according to Jablonski's
"Pantheon Ægypt," signifies "an assembly composed of sages and educated
persons, the sacerdotal college of a city or temple." Professor Anthon
says: "Thus the collective priesthood of Egypt, personified and considered
as a unity, was represented by an imaginary being to whom was ascribed the
invention of languages and writing, hence the sacrifice of tongues to
Mercury. He was also credited with the origin of geometry, arithmetic,
astronomy, medicine, music, rhythm, the institution of religion and sacred
processions, the introduction of gymnastic or health-giving exercises,
and, finally, the less indispensable, though not less valuable, arts of
architecture, sculpture and painting. So many volumes were attributed to
him that no human being could possibly have composed them.
"For many years it was customary for the priests devoted to his service to
present the results of their labours to Thoth, receiving no reward or
glory for the individual work, which was turned to the advantage of the
whole sacerdotal association in being ascribed to its presiding genius,
who, by his double figure, indicated the necessity for a plural doctrine,
of which the interpretation was confined entirely to his initiates, or
priests, who translated the occult signs of the gods or the learning
entrusted to their care to the inquirers, who frequented the temples to
receive knowledge or directions in the material walks of life which they
were taught to believe was transmitted by the oracle to ordinary mortals
by the priests of Thoth, who alone understood the painted or written
signs."
Besides the arts and crafts before mentioned as being under the protection
of the Egyptian god, was the important one of commerce. "This in like
manner," says Professor Anthon, "was intended to express the influence of
the priesthood on commercial enterprises."
"The identity of Hermes with the Dog Star, Sirius, that serves as
precursor of the inundation of the Nile, the emblem of which," says the
same authority, "was the gazelle that flies to the desert on the rising of
the waters, his rank in demonology as the father of spirits and guide of
the dead, his quality of incarnate godhead, and his cosmogonical alliance
with the generative fire, the light, the source of all knowledge, and with
water, the principle of fecundity. It is surprising, however, to observe
how strangely the Grecian spirit modified the Egyptian Hermes, who was
transformed by the Greeks into the messenger or interpreter of the wishes
of others who were more powerful than himself, but not omnipotent, as the
Egyptian mythology regarded him."
This is seen in the mystic portions of the early Orphic or Homeric hymns,
where Hermes is treated quite differently than is done in the Iliad or the
Odyssey. The earliest records of Hermes recall all the peculiar qualities
of the Egyptian Hermes, and sometimes even the strange legends of the
Hindoo Avatars, as well as the Babylonian Nebo. One of the Hindoo gods
bears the same emblems that are devoted to Mercury, namely: the Cup, the
Sword, the Staff, and the Ring, Coin, or Circle; but a striking difference
is noted when Hermes is adopted by the Romans, who even changed his name
as well as his characteristics, although retaining his distinguishing
marks or emblems.
"The Romans," says Professor Anthon, "first received the sacerdotal
Hermes, whose worship had been brought into Etruria by the Pelasgi,
previous to the time of Homer, and, as the earlier Hermes had been
represented by a column, he became with them the god Terminus. When,
however, the Romans became acquainted with the twelve great deities of the
Athenians, they adopted the Grecian Hermes under the name of Mercury,
preserving at the same time the remembrance of their previous traditions
and jumbling the attributes of the Egyptian god Thoth with that of the
Grecian Hermes."
But, in order to make this favourite god of use, it was necessary to
approach him through his own priests, the only persons who were initiated
into his mysteries and who could interpret them. Since these priests were
already established and had been for some time in Italy, in the great
temple of Serapeon, it is easy to see how the cult engaged the attention
of the people, and how readily it absorbed the new-fashioned god who
strayed there from so many different quarters.
CHAPTER IV
THOTH
The great authority on modern Egyptian discoveries, M. Gaston Maspero,
says in his book, "Ancient Sites and Modern Scenes": "On the outskirts of
Thebes there are ruins that lie to the north of the Valley of Kings. The
temple was built or restored in the last years of the seventh, or in the
first years of the sixth, century B. C. to Thoth, the master of magic and
letters; the god who was the scribe and the magician of the gods."
This mysterious but powerful god ranked high in the Egyptian cosmogony and
the remains of his worship flourish to-day among the votaries of the card
table, who, however, no longer consult him as the oracle, but use his book
for their amusement or pleasure.
"During the Roman period, from 527 B. C. to 332 B. C., that was called the
Egyptian renaissance," says Mr. Rawlinson in his "History of Ancient
Egypt" (Volume II, page 502), "Asia poured the fetid stream of her
wonderful superstitions into Africa. The exorcisms of Thoth and the powers
of witchcraft in league with him are the favorite themes which cover the
polished surfaces of the monuments at this remarkable time." And on page
465, "Asiatic Greeks became in the reign of Psammetchas (about 610 B. C.)
close to the throne. Consequently, free communication and commercial
intercourse between Egypt and Europe were opened." This ruler was devoted
to art, architecture and adventure, and one of the inventions of his reign
was the enchorial or demotic writing which superseded the hieratic. This
was attributed to the priests of Thoth, those wise men who sought no
personal glory, but who contented themselves with placing their works at
the feet of their presiding genius and attributing their own discoveries
to him.
Without discussing whether the Assyrian god Nebo absorbed the Egyptian
Thoth, or the reverse, we may concede that such strong similarities exist
between them that they are virtually the same. With similar heraldic
symbols and functions, they were the inventors of many useful arts, that
of writing always being attributed to both. Besides, both gods were
supposed to have the power of recording the fate of mankind at birth, and
both presided at the judgment of souls after death.
The ibis-headed Thoth was also symbolized by a stylus and inkstand, and
was often termed "the Scribe," just as Nebo was called "the Writer," and
had for his device a stylus and inkstand. A month was dedicated to each,
that of Thoth being the first in the Egyptian calendar, or our September.
Its symbol was a reversed crescent with three lotus flowers, under which
were two aspects of the moon, as full and as a crescent. One cannot but
wonder if the artistic Egyptians, while adopting the cuneiform characters
which resemble long shafts with reversed triangles on top, did not alter
the lines and convert the "arrow head" of Nebo's invention into the
graceful flower, thus retaining the original conception of the symbol of
the Assyrian god, while stamping it with their own love of the beautiful.
The tablet of Khufu at Wady Magarah shows Thoth bearing in his right hand
a sceptre (one of the designs of the Tarot pack). This rod has three
triangles on it that resemble the cuneiform characters, which is certainly
not accidental.
The name of Thoth is written heraldically as "an ibis standing on a perch
(which in shape again recalls the cuneiform) followed by a crescent and
the two oblique lines commonly used to express the number one."
The principal likenesses of the great gods of Egypt seem to be represented
in the Atouts of the Tarot pack of cards, called "The Book of Thoth Hermes
Trismegistus," for the sun, moon, seven stars, etc., are all among the
Atouts. Mr. Rawlinson ("History of Ancient Egypt," page 315) gives the
names of the gods, and the qualities for which they were worshipped,
revered or dreaded, as follows:
NUM or KNEPH--the creative mind.
PHTHAH--the creative hand.
MAUT--matter.
RA--the sun.
KHONS--the moon.
SEB--the earth.
KHEM--the generative power in nature.
NUT--the upper hemisphere in heaven.
ATHOR--the lower world.
THOTH--divine wisdom.
AMMON--divine mysteriousness.
OSIRIS--divine goodness.
All knew that there was but one god, but these were the interceders.
On page 370 of his book, Mr. Rawlinson says: "Thoth was the oracle or the
clerk (recorder) of the wishes of the divine circle, who bears as insignia
a palm branch or a stylus, and often a tablet. Sometimes he carries the
Crook Headed Sceptre. His titles were Lord of Sesennu and Lord of Truth.
He is called one of the chief gods--the Great God--the God Twice
Great--the Great Chief in the paths of the dead--the Self-created or
Neverborn--the Lord of Divine Words--and the Scribe of Truth."
Thoth was often represented under two different forms, earthly and
infernal, or as Thoth in the House of Selection, and Thoth at the Balance
of Souls. As the god who took part in the judgment of the dead Thoth was
revered throughout Egypt and it is written of him: "All Eyes are open on
thee and all men worship thee as a god."
[Illustration: EARLY ITALIAN TAROTS
Court Cards of the Pip Part of the Pack
25 Queen of Rods
26 Queen of Swords
27 Queen of Money
28 King of Rods
29 King of Swords
30 King of Money]
Oxen, cows and geese were sacrificed in his honour and the ibis with the
cynocephalous ape were sacred to him. Very many images of him are found
that show him in attendance on different kings, either purifying them or
inscribing their names on the sacred tree. His spiritual office was to be
present in Amenti when souls were to be judged, to see their deeds weighed
in the balance and record the results. This is recalled in the Atout of
the Tarot pack, named Justice. Thoth also reveals to men the will of the
gods. He composes the Ritual for the Dead, that great work that is so
frequently found bound in the shrouds of mummies, to instruct the soul how
to conduct itself in the world of spirits. It is also Thoth who, in the
realms below, writes for good souls with his own fingers the Book of
Respirations, which protects, sustains, and enlightens them, causing them
to "breathe with the souls of the gods for ever and ever."
Thoth had three great colleges, at Thebes, at Memphis, and at Heliopolis,
where he was worshipped by priestesses as well as by priests, and there
are many records of the prognostications of the former. If the supposition
is correct that the gypsies are descended from the outcasts of the temple
of Thoth, near Naples (the Serapeon), when that building was overthrown by
an earthquake, it may be noted that in the tribe the women are the
principal soothsayers, while the men generally pursue other occupations.
King Shafra, who built the Second Pyramid, married the daughter of
Meri-Aukhs. Her tomb at Saccarah bears an inscription stating that she was
a "Priestess of Thoth," and her son was called "a sacred scribe." From the
time of Shafra, scribes are frequently represented as seated or squatting
at work, with a pen or brush in the right hand and one or two tucked
behind the ear, while the left hand holds the paper or a palette.
"The first and greatest of the builders of the pyramids," says Mr.
Rawlinson, "was Khufu or Cheops. He composed a religious work called the
Sacred Book. He was a great admirer and worshipper of Thoth, who is
represented with him on the rock pictures."
Closely copying the Assyrian kings, who placed themselves under the
protection of their gods, notably that of Nebo, by adopting their names,
several of the Pharaohs called themselves Thothmes, meaning child of
Thoth. The third ruler of that name, who has been called the Alexander of
Egyptian history, raided the heart of Western Asia, going as far as
Nineveh. He was wise as well as valiant, and noted all novelties in the
lands through which he passed, which he afterwards sought to introduce
into his own country. The two obelisks known as Cleopatra's Needles were
originally set up at Heliopolis, one of the temples of Thoth, by Thothmes
III. They were transported to Alexandria and afterwards carried to London
and New York, so the genius of playing cards still presides at the two
great world centres, where cards are a favourite amusement.
The priests of Thoth were said to have descended in a direct line from
father to son for three hundred and forty-five generations. This habit is
another one common to gypsies, who rarely marry any but their own people.
To the priests of the temple of Thoth many books called Hermetic were
ascribed that were so dedicated to the honour of the god that the name of
the writer is merged into his. M. Maspero mentions "an Egyptian romance
that describes the adventures of a family of ghosts who were living with
their mummies in a tomb lighted by a wonderful talisman, which was an
incantation written on papyrus by Thoth himself." Another work was
particularly full of wisdom and science, containing in it everything
relating to the fowls of the air, the fishes of the sea, and the
four-footed beasts of the mountains. "The man who knew a single page of
the book could charm Heaven, Earth, the great Abyss, Mountains and Seas.
This marvellous composition Thoth enclosed in a box of gold, which he
placed within a box of silver, within a box of ivory and ebony, and that
again within a box of bronze, within a box of brass, within a box of iron;
and the book thus guarded he threw into the Nile at Coptos. The act became
known, and the box was searched for and found. It gave its possessor vast
knowledge and magical power, but always brought misfortune on him." One of
the books of Thoth consists of magical texts, and Mr. Rawlinson says: "The
belief in magic was widely spread among the Egyptians, and the behests of
the priests were obeyed with confidence that, whether they turned out well
or badly for the inquirer, they had been foretold at birth. The fatalism
of the North Africans is too well known to be disputed, for they accept
misfortune bowing the head and saying: 'It is the will of Allah.' This is
the inheritance of ages."
The priests explained to the inquirer into the divine wishes the commands
of the god, and then inscribed them on parchment or some convenient
material. These records were either hung around the neck or bound on the
arm. The ignorant folk considered that these amulets would preserve them
from all evil. This practice is observed to the present day by members of
different religious cults. One amulet has been translated: "Thou art
protected against the accidents of life. Thou art protected against a
violent death. Thou art protected against fire. Thou escapest in Heaven
and thou art not ruined upon Earth." Such a valuable insurance against
every evil during life or death must have been well worth a handsome fee
to the priest who issued it.
Lenormant, in his "Manual" (Volume I, page 516), says: "It is remarkable
that the Ritual of the Dead (the Egyptian name for which was Manifestation
of Light, or the Book Revealing Light to the Soul) is accompanied by
pictures which form the essential portion of it." So the Book of Thoth
Hermes Trismegistus, or the Tarots, is composed of pictures that can only
be deciphered by initiates. The Ritual of the Dead claimed to be a
revelation from Thoth Hermes, who through it declared the will of the gods
and the mysterious nature of divine things to mankind. Portions of it are
expressly stated to have been written by the finger of Thoth, and other
parts to have been the composition of the god himself. It was held in such
high esteem that portions of it were placed in coffins. The Ritual has
been divided into three sections. There are prayers for the dead, and a
long chapter that has been said to "contain the Egyptian Faith." This
creed is followed by a series of prayers, and spells, and famous chapter
(cxxv) describing the seat of judgment known as the "Hall of Two Truths."
Here the deceased is brought before Osiris as supreme judge. The latter is
seated on a lofty throne, surrounded by forty-two Assessors, each of whom
addresses the dead person in turn, and to each he declares his innocence
of crime or sin, saying, "I have not blasphemed. I have not deceived. I
have not stolen. I have not slain any one. I have not been cruel. I have
not caused disturbance. I have not been idle. I have not been drunken. I
have not been indiscreetly curious. I have not multiplied words in
speaking. I have struck no one. I have caused fear to no one. I have
slandered no one. I have not eaten my heart through envy. I have not
reviled the face of the king nor the face of my father. I have not made
false accusations. I have not kept milk from the mouths of sucklings. I
have not caused abortion. I have not ill-used my slaves. I have not killed
sacred beasts. I have not defiled the river. I have not polluted myself. I
have not taken the clothes of the dead." A dead person is always spoken of
as "An Osiris," or "He sleeps in Osiris."
Egyptian writing was of three distinct kinds, known as Hieroglyphic,
Hieratic and Demotic or Enchorial. There is but little difference between
the Hieratic and the Demotic. The former is the earlier of the two, but
was nearly lost in the Demotic, which, according to Lenormant, was
introduced about the seventh century B. C., and rapidly superseded the
Hieratic, being simpler. Both were written from left to right.
It was about this time that the worship of Nebo, in Babylonia, and of
Thoth, in Egypt, was most important, so it is probable that the priests,
who were the learned and scientific men of the day, then reconstructed the
art of writing and so earned for their patrons the honour of being gods of
writing, although the stylus and the title of "the Writer" had been born
for many centuries.
Pasmmetichas, king of Sais, who, as has been already mentioned, fought the
Assyrians, must have been a most intelligent person, for during his reign,
says Mr. Rawlinson (page 465), "a question was raised as to the relative
antiquity of different races of mankind. Therefore the Pharaoh had two
children isolated from their species and brought up by a herdsman who was
dumb, and suckled by a goat, in order to see what language they would
speak, presuming that they would revert to the primitive type of speech.
The result of his experiment was thought to prove the Phrygians to be the
most ancient nation, and the Egyptians, we are told by Herodotus, accepted
it as an established fact."
Thoth was revered as a great teacher, since his works treated of all
things, such as the creation of the world, of divine power, of wisdom, of
the art of presaging the issue of maladies by means of the planets. The
work treating on this was dedicated to Ammon. Then there were the
Aphorisms of Hermes, which consisted of astronomical propositions
translated from the Arabic about the time of Manfred, king of Sicily. "The
Cyranides of Trismegistus" treats of magic power and the medicinal virtues
of precious stones, of plants, and of animals. Many of the other books of
Thoth are treatises on chemistry or alchemy. One is called "The Seven
Seals of Hermes Trismegistus," another, "Chemical Tinctures," and a third,
"The Emerald Tablet," describing the art of making gold. It is said that
Sara, the wife of Abraham, found the Emerald in the tomb of Hermes, on
Mount Hebron. One essay is to Tat or Esculapius, another is entitled "The
Virgin of the World," as Isis is sometimes called, and is a dialogue
between her and her son Horus.
Many small statues were found in a well in the temple of the Sphinx, that
may have originally represented the gods now found among the Atouts. This
would be a most valuable confirmation of the theory of their original
position in the temple when the priests and initiates wished to consult
the occult.
In an age when letters were only used by the learned, and pictured emblems
or symbols took the place of an alphabet, it was natural that the priests
of Thoth, when pressed to divine the fate of men, should place sketches of
the great gods on the walls of their temples, so that, by combining them
with the rods of divination, the wishes of the supreme beings could be
easily conveyed. The custom of adorning the walls of the temple is
referred to in Ezekiel xxiii:14. "She saw men pourtrayed upon the wall,
the images of the Chaldeans (or Nebo and his confrères) pourtrayed with
vermilion, girdled with girdles upon their loins, exceeding in dyed attire
upon their heads, all of them princes to look to, after the manner of the
Babylonians of Chaldea." This was possibly the origin of the Tarots, or
the Atout volume of the Book of Thoth.
CHAPTER V
NEBO, OR NABU
A great Chaldean god was Nebo, mentioned in Isaiah xlvi:1, "Bel boweth
down, Nebo stoopeth," and he had an immense influence over the lives of
the Assyrians and Babylonians, extending over centuries. In primitive
times nothing was undertaken without an attempt to consult the wishes of
the superior gods, and it is interesting to trace through the tablets on
which are inscribed the wonderful cuneiform inscriptions, discovered and
deciphered during the past fifty years, how the people were taught by
their prophets or priests to consult the predestinations of Nebo, who
inscribed at birth what would befall each person during life. Nebo had
many names or designations. He was called Laghlaghghi-Gar, or illuminator;
Gishdar, or god of the sceptre; Ilu-tashmit, or god of revelations; and
the spouse of Tashmit; his name signifies Proclaimer Herald in Assyrian,
and Height in Hebrew.
Nebo, called Nabu by the Babylonians, was the son of Enlil, or Marduk, the
Merodach of the Bible (Jeremiah l:2), who became merged in the Jupiter of
the Romans. Nebo was the husband of Tashmitum, or Tashmit, or Tashmetu,
sometimes called Erna. Her name is translated as signifying "revelation,"
"she who listens," or "she who intercedes." She is frequently invoked and
besought to placate her more important spouse, or she is appealed to by
worshippers to intercede with her consort to reveal what he had prophesied
on the "tablets of fate."
As the grandson of Ea, who was the god of doctors, Nebo inherited the
privileges of healing. He also presided at birth and death, and could cure
diseases. One of his symbols seems peculiar and is still retained on the
Tarots. It is a sword, for in the minds of the men of his day a pestilence
was a certain follower of war. Although Nebo was not the god of war, he
was first its herald and then the healer of the sick or wounded, so it was
under these conditions that a sword became his attribute.
Nebo shared with Shamash, Gula, and Nergal of Assyrian mythology, the
power of restoring the dead to life, which, being interpreted, means
curing the ill, whether from disease or sin.
It was to Nebo that the Assyrian kings ascribed their wisdom, for he was
deemed to be the source of all knowledge, and the wonderful inventor of
the art of writing that enabled the wise men who were his priests to
preserve the records of the different reigns and the history of wars, the
description of buildings and their donors, of deeds of valour and of
charity, for the enlightenment of posterity.
The great temple built at Calah in the time of Ram-man-nerari III (812-783
B. C.) is inscribed with a dedicatory inscription placed by the king on
the statue of Nebo. It closes with the sentence:
"Oh! posterity, trust in Nabu,
Trust in no other god."
Nebo was also the patron of agriculture, who taught the husbandmen when to
plant, the best time for irrigating, and a favourable time for the
harvest. Being the messenger from heaven to earth, one of his symbols was
the lightning. This emblem is preserved on the Japanese cards, although
it is probably accidental. A hymn to Nebo attests his having lightning as
an attribute, and the tablet upon which it was transcribed in cuneiform
characters has been translated as follows:
"Lord of Borsippa, Son of E-Sagila! Oh, Lord, to thy power
There is no rival. Oh, Nebo, to thy Temple E-Zida there is no rival,
Or to thy home, Babylon. Thy weapon is the lightning,
From the mouth of which no breath does issue or blood flow.
Thy commands are as unchangeable as the Heavens,
Where thou art Supreme."