History
Original form
The First Tarot were a set of cards made of bones, with images painted on them. They were created by Ashake, a powerful sorceress from the Ancient Egypt. Ashake wasn't skilled in divination and precognition, so to aid herself she created these cards. The Ogdoad, the first generation of Egyptian gods, specifically Nu of the primordial waters, Amun, who rules air and the invisible, Hauhet, whose influence is space and visible matter and Keku, whose domain is darkness and chaos, either aided Ashake in the creation of the cards, or empowered them.[4]
Ashake created them by observing and recording certain archetypical individuals. While these Archetypes existed even before Atlantis, the First Tarot were the first instance of them being recorded and structured in such a way that they could show the past, present and future.[1][2] Eventually these cards served as the inspiration for the tarot cards.[4]
The fate of the cards after 11th century BC when Ashake used them is unknown. In modern times the First Tarot were obtained by Doctor Strange who used them to select heroes for the Secret Defenders, suitable for specific missions and then informing them with a spell or even directly summoning them.[5] Doctor Strange later gave the cards to Ian McNee, who used them for several years.[2] Eventually Strange got the deck back. After being warned by the Masked Raider about the threat that Carlo Zota posed to the timeline, Strange cast a spell to quickly assemble the new Defenders team, by summoning the people depicted on the cards he drew. However, it quickly backfired, then he drew The Lovers card depicting Cloud, a living sentient nebula who had to consciously transform themselves, but the spell summoned them in their natural default state which threatened to destroy the planet. To prevent it Strange surrendered control over the spell, letting the magic to work without rules. It worked, and Cloud was summoned in humanoid form,[3] however, the spell became attached to the Tarot and now any time the card was drawn the person depicted on it would be summoned.[6] After Strange's death, a spell was activated which sent the Tarot among other things to Blue Marvel and forcefully summoned another new team of Defenders for him.[6]Properties
Divination: The First Tarot is a powerful magical artifact, capable to show the past, present and future.[1] Unlike normal tarot cards the First Tarot were able to change their pictures to reflect the future and better help to predict it, for example, one of the card showed Ashake images of Heka-Nut, Magik and Mirage.[4] The First Tarot are linked by magic to every living being on Earth and from them can chose and show the single best representative for each card's Archetype. The First Tarot communicates with its user, it triggers user's memories to help them recognize the person depicted on the cards, if they ever met, heard or read about this person. If user doesn't know the person on the card, the First Tarot provides subtle clues, anything that can give the user insight, for example, a song, a color, a smell. The user then had to look for more details on their own, but if they are on the right track, with each new detail they would get additional clues from the First Tarot, until they can figure out the person on the card.[2]
It has been shown that what person an Arcana represents changes with each use of the Tarot, and that a person can be represented with different Arcana each time they are summoned. For example, during Doctor Strange's readings he drew different cards depicting himself, The Magician,[5] The Hermit[7] and The Magician, reversed.[3]
Ashake originally created the cards on bones, but they can change to reflect the era, so in modern times they were made of paper.[4]
Known Cards[]
Major Arcana[]
| # | Card | Keywords | Ian McNee's reading[2] | Doctor Strange's reading |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | The Fool | Doctor Druid[7] | ||
| 1 | The Magician | Action, consciousness, concentration, personal power, crossroads, energy, creativity, movement, precision, conviction, manipulation, self-confidence, elements, focusing, determination, initiative |
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| 2 | The High Priestess | Intuition, mystery, calmness, silence, inner voice, deep understanding, discretion, sensitivity, distance, stability, wisdom, unconscious knowledge, patience, looking inward, contemplation, subjective mind |
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| 3 | The Empress | Mothering, fertility, sexuality, abundance, material prosperity, pleasure, comfort, power, nature, delight, physical attraction, health, sensuality, beaty, satisfaction | Morgan Le Fay | |
| 4 | The Emperor | Authority, power, control, discipline, command, status quo, order, structure, egocentrism, tradition, leadership, experience, inflexibility, organization |
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| 5 | The Hierophant | Information, institution, conservatism, discipline, formality, social convention, belief system, conformity, experience, tradition, obedience to the rules, status quo | Modred the Mystic | Masked Raider (reversed)[3] |
| 6 | The Lovers | Union, passion, soulmates, connection, individual values, personal beliefs, romance, bonding, affinity, desire | Cloak and Dagger | |
| 7 | The Chariot | Conquest, victory, egocentrism, conviction, willpower, discipline | Devil-Slayer | |
| 8 | Strength | Self-control, patience, compassion, composure, stability, perseverance, kindness, gentleness, slowness, softness, serenity, discipline, inner strength | Golem | Deadpool and Luke Cage[7] |
| 9 | The Hermit | Introspection, silence, reflection, withdrawal, isolation, retreat | Living Mummy |
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| 10 | Wheel of Fortune | Destiny, fate, surprises, expansion, turning point, opportunities, possibilities. Wheel of Fortune is built around the idea of a trio. Past, present, future. The Moirae, the Norns, the Wyrd Sisters, the Triple Goddess (Maiden, Mother, Crone) |
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| 11 | Justice | Intellect, analysis, severity, impartiality, responsibility, rationality, reason | The Punisher[8] | |
| 12 | The Hanged Man | Sacrifice, surrender, acceptance, patience, contemplation | Brother Voodoo (reversed) | |
| 13 | Death | Loss, conclusions, mourning, transformation, regeneration, inevitability | Vampire by Night | Death (reversed)[7] |
| 14 | Temperance | Harmony, balance, health, recovery, healing, synthesis | Topaz | |
| 15 | The Devil | Futility, objectification, materialism, ignorance, anxiety, stagnation, egoism, obsession, vice, hedonism, passion, sexuality, temptation, anger, lack of faith, lust, pessimism |
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| 16 | The Tower | Chaos, crisis, revelation, disillusion, crash, ruin, downfall, disruption | Hellcat | |
| 17 | The Star | Trust, tranquility, joy, faith, harmony, hope, generosity, optimism, serenity. The Star card is linked to Oshtur, Star of the Dawning Year | Jennifer Kale | |
| 18 | The Moon | Doubt, fantasy, deception, confusion, fear |
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| 19 | The Sun | Optimism, expansion, enlightenment, vitality, innocence, splendor, brilliance | Janus / Golden Angel | |
| 20 | Judgement | Absolution, evaluation, forgiveness, decision, salvation, redemption | Cadaver |
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| 21 | The World | Nexus, harmony, fulfillment, conclusion, wholeness | Man-Thing |
Minor Arcana[]
Four suits of the Minor Arcana symbolize the four Elder Gods. Cups symbolize Set, Pentacles — Gaea, Swords — Oshtur, Wands — Chthon.[2] Additional fifth suit, Crowns, represents Enigma.[6]
| Card | Ian McNee's reading[2] | Doctor Strange's reading | Blue Marvel's reading |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ace of Cups | Serpent Crown | ||
| Ace of Pentacles | Ebon Rose | ||
| Ace of Swords | Sword of Bone | ||
| Ace of Wands | Darkhold | ||
| Queen of Pentacles | Spider-Woman[5] | ||
| Knight of Swords | Wolverine (reversed)[5] | ||
| Knight of Wands | Darkhawk[5] | ||
| Ten of Cups | Taaia (reversed)[6] | ||
| Ten of Pentacles | Loki (reversed)[6] | ||
| Ten of Swords | America Chavez (reversed)[6] | ||
| Ten of Wands | Blue Marvel (reversed)[6] | ||
| Ten of Crowns | Tigra (reversed)[6] |
Notes
X of Crowns
- The suite used to summon Tigra, Crowns, does not exist in a standard tarot deck.[6] It was theorized by Loki that was a hint to the true identity of the Enigma, the mysterious threat the Defenders were sent to find.[9]
- Loki's theory is later proven correct. Enigma is represented by a crown and is a Dominion of the original Nathaniel Essex, who created four clones (each with a different card suit).[10][11]
See Also
- 9 appearance(s) of First Tarot
- 1 appearance(s) in handbook(s) of First Tarot
- 18 image(s) of First Tarot
Links and References
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z #1 ; Ashake's profile
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 Marvel Tarot #1
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 Defenders (Vol. 6) #1
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Mystic Arcana: Magik #1
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 Secret Defenders #1
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 6.7 6.8 Defenders: Beyond #1
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 7.6 7.7 Secret Defenders #15
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Secret Defenders #4
- ↑ Defenders: Beyond #5
- ↑ Immortal X-Men #18
- ↑ Resurrection of Magneto #1