The Arthurian Tarot (Paperback)

~ Caitlin Matthews (Author), John Mattews (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Steeped in the sheer unequaled magic of the legends, history and traditions of Arthurian Britain, these exceptional cards capture in 78 frames all the wonder and beauty of King Arthur's realm.

From the Publisher

The ultimate in tarot design: steeped in the magic of the legends, history, and tradition of Arthurian Britain, these exceptional cards capture all the wonder and beauty of King Arthur's realm.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 159 pages
• Publisher: Thorsons (January 25, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0850308437
• ISBN-13: 978-0850308433
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 6.3 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,323,007 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars For the Serious Worker, November 19, 2001

By	wysewomon "wysewomon" (Paonia, CO United States) - See all my reviews

This has been my main deck for the last ten years or so. The artwork is immensely detailed and stunning, and the scholarship is unrivaled. Whereas some recent decks leave out a lot of the ceremonial magick symbolism and replace it with nothing, the Matthews have developed an entirely new symbolism, just as rich and detailed, based on Arthurian legend. Every single card portrays a scene you can sink into, and in every viewing you notice something different.

The Arthurian Tarot might prove challenging in that a number of the Major Arcana have been substantially changed to fit the underlying mythology. The Chariot, for example, has become Prydwen (King Arthur's ship) and The Hanged Man has become the Wounded King. This is apt to pose difficulties for someone with a little experience; a new reader won't get the differences and an experienced reader probably won't care.

This is not a "pretty" deck. The colours are striking rather than soothing and the many of the images are unusually violent. This is a deck for people who are serious about facing themselves and committing to action. I would not recommend it if you think Tarot is a game or if you think it's not really going to change you.

Arthurian legend has become increasingly popular in recent years and now there are a number of decks of this theme available. The Matthews' deck is the first and remains the best.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Well Thought Out Deck, February 15, 2002

By	Mr. M. P. Duffy (Littlehampton, West Sussex United Kingdom) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The Arthurian Tarot was the second tarot I bought (the first being the incredibly dull 1JJ!), and despite having since amassed a collection of 15 decks, it has remained my main reading deck for the last 9 years. This deck lends itself to the type of reading that I mainly carry out, which is that concerning personal developmet & exploration of issues, rather than prediction.

This deck follows the Rider-Waite initiative in having a pictorial minor arcana, rather than the bland arrangement of pips so beloved of occultists. The suits are different only in the fact that Spears replace Wands & Stones replace Pentacles, with Pages becoming Maidens. The illustrations embody the feelings of each card perfectly, you can feel the isolation & imprisonment of the eight of swords, the defenciveness of the nine of spears (wands) is clearly evoked by the strong cliff edges and the Washer at the Ford powerfully embodies the forces of Death.

This deck expresses the whole range of experience, refusing to soften the less desirable aspects of life by wrapping them up in soothing colloquialisms. The cards, like life, depict suffering, cruelty & harshness alongside those of love & abundance. This makes it the perfect deck for confronting your inner landscape, and journeying through it, in order to bring restoration & wholeness. This deck is also backed up with two further books, Hallowquest & the Arthurian Tarot Course, which aid those interested in going deeper into the cards than mere prediction.

The book that comes with the cards describes the myths that the scene on each card depicts, which aids the interpretation somewhat, with the myth often embodying a process that the person is currently going through. Also included in the book are some themed spreads, such as Merlins Mirror & Mabons Gate, which I have found are great tools in unravelling the Self.

I must admit that those interested only in prediction are most liklely going to be diappointed by the book, concentrating as it does on more esoteric matters than whether or not someones going to get that house they're hankering over. But that's not to say it's not adaptable to this use, just it's more suited to exploration.

And if anyone is trying to decide whether to go for this or that horrid Legend deck, go for this one, it has finer illustrations and its composition shows that the author's of this deck actually have a knowledge of their subject. The Legend deck is a poor attempt at a copy.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Easy instructions, great Celtic history & beautifully drawn, April 4, 2000

By	Patty Kalck (Berlin, NJ, USA) - See all my reviews

These tarot cards are a must-have for any tarot-lover! They include detailed but clear instuctions for several reading spreads. Each cards meaning is also fully explained. Their Celtic origins and history are a plus for people of all ancestries. The illustrations are just the icing-on-the-cake, beautifully drawn. They have definately been a great source of fun!