tarot cards

Fortune-telling aid consisting of 78 cards: the 56 minor arcana in four suits (resembling playing cards) and the major arcana, 22 cards with densely symbolic illustrations that have links with astrology and the Kabbalah.

The earliest known reference to tarot cards is from 1392. The pack is of unknown (probably medieval) origin and may have been designed in Europe in the early 14th century as a repository for Gnostic ideas then being suppressed by the Christian church. Since the 18th century the tarot has interested occult scholars.

The major arcana are named after the picture symbols they display, such as the Juggler, the High Priestess, and the Wheel of Fortune. They are said to correspond with the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet, each letter having an occult significance in the Kabbalah tradition (see numerology). The remaining cards (the minor arcana) are grouped into four suits: rods or wands, cups, swords, and pentacles, corresponding to the clubs, hearts, spades, and diamonds of the modern pack of playing cards. In addition to the king, queen, and knave, each suit has a knight. The lower denominations often display pictures as well as numbers.