About this item
- The Dragons Tarot features mythical dragons, earthly dinosaurs and feathered serpents from all cultures, myths and eras
- in its very colourful and useable 78 cards. Not to be confused with the other ragon Tarot.
Specifications
Name
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Dragons Tarot
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Creators
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Manfredi Toraldo,
Severino Baraldi
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Publisher
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Lo Scarabeo 2004
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Deck Type
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Tarot Deck
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Cards
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78
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Major Arcana
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22
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Minor Arcana
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56
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Deck Tradition
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Mixed
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Minor Arcana Style
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Unique Scenes Without Suit Symbols
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Suits
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Chalices, Swords, Wands, Pentacles
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Court Cards
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Enfanta, Knight, Queen, King
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Major Titles
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Fool, Magician, High Priestess, Empress, Emperor, Hierophant, The Lovers, The Chariot, Justic, The Hermit, The Wheel of Fortune, Strength, The Hanged Man, Death, Temperance, The Devil, The Tower, The Star, The Moon, The Sun, Judgement, The World
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The Fool
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is 0
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Strength
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is 8
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Justice
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is 11
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Card Size
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2.60 x 4.72 in. = 6.60cm x 12.00cm
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Card Language
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Spanish, Italian, German, French, English, Dutch
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Card Back
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Reversible
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Back Design
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Art Deco design of dragon heads.
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Reviews
The deck features some very diverse dragons from small goanna-like reptiles and feathered snake-like creatures to magnificent winged dragons. The dragons differ in cultural background, appearance, colour and activity and are companions, competition, prey, mortal enemies, guardians, steeds, and even constellations to humans. Dragons are the subject of art, heraldry, tapestries, sculpture, architecture and rock paintings, all rendered on the cards in colours from all over the palette and surrounded by a deep red border. (The cards’ artistic style may seem familiar – the artist is Severino Baraldi, who has worked on several fantasy or historically-based decks from Lo Scarabeo, including the arot of the Journey to the Orient, amses: Tarot of Eternity and the arot of the Druids.)
The major arcana cards are associated with well known dragons or dragon-related archetypes, from the Hydra in Temperance, Uther Pendragon in the Hanged Man, St George in Death and the Ouroboros in the World. The minor arcana feature scenes built around the dragons associated with each culture, each an imaginative interpretation of Tarot imagery with the suit elements subtly incorporated into the dragon’s scene. The suit of Swords features European dragons and people; Chalices have Eastern dragons and themes; Wands are linked with the earthly dragons very similar to dinosaurs and Babylon, Egypt and Africa; and Pentacles depict the Feathered Serpents of the Americas. Court cards have also been altered from the norm - the Page has been replaced by Infanta – a baby or young toddler.
The cards in the Dragons Tarot that caught my attention were the Aces, particularly the Ace of Chalices: a glowing, dragon-carved chalice held aloft by a richly robed woman. Judgement is also interesting – a trumpeting angel oversees fiery meteorites slamming into the earth, as triceratops, stegosaurus, tyrannosaurus rex, and other dinosaurs run in confusion – as is the Devil. The black dragon dominating the scene has the sun in chains, not the human in front of him.
In the booklet, there are a relatively decent explanation for each major (for a deck from Lo Scarabeo), plus a few common keywords. The minors receive one sentence describing the scene and a phrase or word to sum it up.
I – Magician – (Merlin) Fertilization. Magician par excellence. Merlin is the male who uses the dragon’s spiritual energy for his own benefit without, however, being aware of the risks he is taking. Masks – Diplomacy – Trade - Power.
Ace of Wands – A male hand grips a staff with a sculpted four-legged dragon. Debut.
Whereas the ragon Tarot was illustrations of the modern dragon in fantasy novels and films, and the eltic Dragon Tarot honoured the British creatures, the Dragons Tarot encompasses dragons from many cultures and civilisations and brings them to life in vivid colours and storybook art. I’d recommend it to dragon fans who some experience with Tarot cards, or for readings with teenagers.
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