Olympus Tarot (Cards)

by Lo Scarabeo (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
LS Olympus Tarot


Tarot cards illustrate the archetypes that are alive in all of us—larger-than-life icons representing different aspects of the universal human experience. Likewise, the Greek gods played a similar role in their day. This natural union of tarot cards and the Greek pantheon is beautifully presented in the Olympus Tarot. Characters and scenes from Theogeny, Jason and the Argonauts, the Iliad and the Odyssey, and other exciting works of Greek mythology find themselves at home in the tarot. Raimondo, the same artist who created the Tarot of Casanova, exhibits the same elegant skill combined with simpler, bolder compositions.



About the Author
Since 1987, Art Publisher Lo Scarabeo has published over 100 Tarot decks that have been acclaimed all over the world for originality and quality. Only the best Italian and International artists are selected for our new decks, and the result is that Lo Scarabeo's decks are all recognizable as an exceptional artistic value.

Tradition One of Lo Scarabeo's goals is the preservation of traditional Tarot decks.

Development New decks and ideas are continually gathered from all over the world. This allows Lo Scarabeo to produce some of the most innovative decks available today.

Quality Lo Scarabeo is committed to ever increasing quality and beauty of their products.

Distribution *Llewellyn is the exclusive distributor of Lo Scarabeo products in North America.

Product Details

• Cards
• Publisher: Llewellyn Publications (March 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0738702072
• ISBN-13: 978-0738702070
• Product Dimensions: 4.8 x 2.8 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #390,944 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Lovely Theme Tarot for Greco-Roman Myth Fans, May 21, 2002

By	Cerulean (USA) - See all my reviews

I have had great pleasure looking at the Olympus
Tarot. Golden-brown borders frame each scene in the sunny colors of Greek terracotta vases. The titles delicately notes the number and name of the card (The Fool, Ten of Batons, etc.)
on top. The bottom titles name the character in French, Spanish, German and Italian. Each scene is
illustrated with smooth pen and watercolor washes of an excellent graphic novel or an expensive
magazine. The backs are deep blue with a white etched

illustration on the top and reversed on the
bottom. Fourteen pages of the LWB are blue print on white.
The assignment of the majors are creative. Other decks with Greco-Roman themes have books. (Pythagorean Tarot by John Ops: A Renaissance Tarot by Brian Williams; Mythic Tarot by Juliet
Sharman Burke and Liz Green and the Tarot Mitilogical
by Amerigo Folchi.) Olympus does not.
The major assignments of the Olympus tarot is as
follows:
0. Fool - Pan
1. Magician - Zeus
2. High Priestess - Hera
3. Empress - Aphrodite
4. Emperor - Ares
5. Heirophant - Chronos
6. Lovers - Eros
7. Chariot - Hermes
8. Justice - Athena
9. Hermit - Posidon
10. Wheel - Moires (Fates)
11. Strength - Hephaestus (Vulcan)
12. The Hanged Man - Dionysus
13. Death - Hades and Persphone
14. Temperance - Demeter
15. Devil - Hecate
16. Tower - Hestia
17. Stars - Hebe
18. Moon - Artemis
19. Sun - Apollo
20. Judgement - Phobos, Delmos and Harmonia (from Ares
and Artemis)
21. The World - Uranus (Starry sky)
You do need the LWB to explain the majors. The LWB has names, a brief paragraph and suggested keywords. Zeus for the
magician is described well, but other assignments need fleshing out for someone like myself. Lo Scarabeo said the books by Robert Graves was the resource for this tarot.
This tarot is ideal for starting research and creative thought. Also a comparative tarot for any of the other above Greco-Roman decks. You may find that your favorite tarot also includes some Greco-Roman themes.
The minors are also very different in assignment, similar to the Avalon Tarot. Chalices or Cups are places, suggestive of spirit and soul, the aspect of water. Pentacles are objects, possessions, earth. Wands are Creatures, instinct, animalistic aspects, passions and strengths and fire. Swords are Heroes, with logic, intelligence, human mind, air.
For collectors of mythic themes, here's a lovely deck to add in your collection of Greco-Roman themes.
For those who are beginners or Rider-Waite-Smith fans of tarot, I would recommend reading reviews. Lo Scarabeo offers
the Universal Tarot by R. DeAngelis and Tarots of the
Renaissance (Rebirth) by Giorgio Trevisan that has a
beautiful European feel and scenic majors and minors
that work with RWS assignments. If you are into
learning about Greco-Roman themes, my suggestions in
the third paragraph also might assist your desire and
enjoyments.
Happy readings.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Misleading Perhaps, but still a great deck., February 15, 2004

By	Mithrea "Bookeater" (United States) - See all my reviews

Yes, there are tons of little mythology quirks about this deck, but Greek Mythology isn't always consistent anyway. My one big obstacle to using this deck is the use of Hecate as The Devil. While I understand that her Cthonic aspects suit her for the role, I'm still very uncomfortable with using a very misunderstood goddess on such a very misunderstood card. It doesn't exactly lend itself to use by people who aren't thoroughly knowledgeable about the Tarot and about this specific goddess. That being said, it's still a fantastic deck for people interested in the Greek Pantheon. I don't use it to read, but my collection wouldn't be complete without it and I still often use the cards in Tarot spells.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Advanced Tarot Readers or Collectors Only, March 18, 2004

By	"dilificus" (Texas, USA) - See all my reviews

The Olympus Tarot is a beautiful deck with lovely and unique art and a Greek mythology base. It is excellent for those, like myself, who collect tarot cards and have an interest in Greek mythology. However, if you are looking for a first deck, this is certainly not it. The definitions in the little booklet that came with it are woefully unspecific. With some practice, they have potential for the reader to add details to meanings such as this, for the Five of Wands/Creatures:

Echidna. A woman's bust and a serpent's body. Mystery.

I suggest if you want to use these cards seriously, you do your own research on the mythological entities used for the cards and in traditional tarot card meanings. I personally only have them for show.