About this item
- ead reviews of the Vampire Tarot
Specifications
Name
|
Vampire Tarot
|
Creators
|
Natalie Hertz
|
Publisher
|
US Games 2000
|
Deck Type
|
Tarot Deck
|
Cards
|
78
|
Major Arcana
|
22
|
Minor Arcana
|
56
|
Deck Tradition
|
Mixed
|
Minor Arcana Style
|
RWS-Based Scenes
|
Suits
|
Cups, Swords, Wands, Pentacles
|
Court Cards
|
Page, Knight, Queen, King
|
The Fool
|
is 0
|
Strength
|
is 8
|
Justice
|
is 11
|
Card Size
|
2.75 x 4.75 in. = 6.99cm x 12.06cm
|
Card Language
|
English
|
Card Back
|
Reversible
|
Back Design
|
Black border, black swirls on a red background
|
Reviews
my favorite renditions from any decks I've
worked with or seen.
Virtually all of the Major Arcana cards show the central
character standing in front of a mandala like backdrop, or
are "framed" by some other means. Because one of the purposes of
mandalas is to aid in meditation, I suspect Hertz uses these "halos"
around her characters as a way to help the reader reach into the
subconscious when confronted with these cards. Though most of the
Major Arcana cards lack extra images and symbolism, the evocative and
powerful central characters seem to warrant this.
Hertz's artwork throughout the deck is both dark and romantic.
Her colors are deep and vivid, and her characters both frightening
and comical. The emotional charge behind many of these cards makes
me swear I know some of these people, ummm... beings.
The Minor Arcana cards are equally lovely, and while I first
favored the suit of Pentacles, the more I examine the cards, the more
information I pick up from
the other suits. (I am completely in love
with the Knight of Cups. Look him up, you'll see why.)
Surrounding all of her powerfully illustrated cards is a border
that is reminiscent of rod iron fencing, perhaps inspired by
something from a cemetery she came across. In the border are
realities of death, as displayed in her skulls, and the promise of
life represented by blooming vines and bunches of grapes. The backs
of the cards are appropriately deep red with black borders and black
spirals, symbolizing the blood hunt at the dark of night. To create
her deck Nathalie implemented metallic inks, fabric and unusual paper
into her paintings.
This deck is not only for the eyes, however. Since we all have
dark sides, and skeletons in our closets, this may be the perfect
deck to use when confronting difficult and dark issues. While the
Justice card in most decks is righteous, honorable and regal, the
Justice in this deck scares the bejeebers out of me! But perhaps
that is the point. The
whole theme of this deck is a look into the
darker world, the world of Vampires. If I, or someone I loved, were
threatened in any way, you'd bet I could become the Justice depicted
here. She conveys a power and fierce strength that few people are
willing to acknowledge they have. And though the pictures in this
deck deal with the most base of human issues - survival - there is an
honesty about Nathalie's creatures that many of us have lost. They
are unashamedly themselves, with no apologies offered. Taking a step
into the world of Natalie Hertz's vampires could oddly enough reveal
a more human you.
|