Slavic and Oriental decks: which ones do you know?

[Eugenie]

I am compiling a list of Slavic decks - Ukrainian, Russian, others - looking for something to MAYBE buy later. I am also interested in Oriental decks. I have seen many beautiful Asian decks (Chinese or Japanese) but what I want is a deck with an Arabic or Persian influence. Ethnically, I am an Uzbek/Tajik-Ukrainian-Russian mix, and I would like one deck that reflects at least some part of my ancestry. 

 

I have been looking long and hard at the 1001 Nights. These are tales I grew up with, and the cards look very much like illustrations from my beloved Uzbek fairy tales. I am very, very tempted to buy the deck, however I don't like its white borders. And Benebell and many others wrote that it wasn't good for readings as some cards didn't seem quite relevant. Of course this was art made into a tarot deck so I guess it is understandable. Well, I don't know, maybe I don't want to buy it. I can look at Carre's art on the Internet. 

 

I am expecting Russian Tarot Lubok by Vinitsky  but I am not yet sure if I will be able to use it, I really don't care for the Russian keywords and I am also not used to the Russian names on cards, they look and feel so strange. But it is a beautiful deck! 

There is a beautiful Slavic Oracle in existence but I don't do Oracles (or Lenormand) yet and also I don't feel attracted to it. (And it is very expensive for me, too). 

 

Miss Indira's Persian Tarot is Persian but I don't like it. Golden Wheel and Slavic Legends are Slavic and beautiful decks but they don't call to me, either. 

Found a Slavic Lenormand on Etsy, and the Innocence and Play card looks seriously scary. 

I don't really feel the urge to snatch something, due to our wonderful De-Enabling thread (and, @Misterei, thank you for saying more than once that it is better to have a few decks and use them well, I am getting bonded with my Spacious and it gives me good readings). 

I might want to make my own Major Arcana deck with family photos eventually. Probably the best way to get a meaningful deck reflecting my ancestry.  

 

 

 

Edited November 17, 2023 by Eugenie

[Raggydoll]

2 hours ago, Eugenie said:

I might want to make my own Major Arcana deck with family photos eventually. Probably the best way to get a meaningful deck reflecting my ancestry. 

That’s a nice idea. If your goal is to strengthen your ancestral connections then you might also want to look into ancestral work in general. I don’t have a deck that reflects my ancestry but I don’t find that necessary since I use divination to communicate with my ancestors. So the connection is there, no matter what decks I use. I do also like to use runes because they are native to me, maybe there is another type or style of divination that is native to you?
 

When I read cards for myself, I view them from my cultural perspective. I also incorporate playing card meanings that are from a Swedish tradition. So there are many things we can do to strengthen our connection with ancestors, and I don’t think it’s necessary to purchase anything in order to make this happen (even though it can certainly be special to own a deck that displays one’s own culture, plus it’s nice to support creators, so I totally understand if you still want to buy a deck!). 
 

[Niobium]

As far as Arabic and Persian influences, a few come to mind:

 

The Byzantine Tarot, which recently got a reprint so is available once again: https://schifferbooks.com/products/the-byzantine-tarot

The Tarot Beruit, a really lovely deck (pips style),] in Arabic, if you contact them directly they'll sell you one: https://www.instagram.com/tarot.beirut/ / https://tarotbeirut.com/

Of Light and Dust, a tarot deck by artist Afruz Amighi: https://www.oflightanddust.net/

Tarot of Semitones, a wonderful monochrome deck by burned_hound_tattoo though I don't know how easy it would be to get hold of. You could contact modernmagic.ru and ask, that's who I got my copy from.

[Misterei]

@Eugenie

Check out alexander Daniloff. He's a russian living in Italy.

I own his Orient tarot (Persian theme)

LOVE LOVE LOVE.

It evokes Persian miniatures.

I'm Greek and Russian ... but when I got the DNA test done ... surprise! part Persian, too.

Anyway this might explain why I've always liked Persian food and art and when I was a dancer Persian people really liked me.

persian style deck by daniloff

[Eugenie]

4 hours ago, Raggydoll said:

That’s a nice idea. If your goal is to strengthen your ancestral connections then you might also want to look into ancestral work in general. I don’t have a deck that reflects my ancestry but I don’t find that necessary since I use divination to communicate with my ancestors. So the connection is there, no matter what decks I use. I do also like to use runes because they are native to me, maybe there is another type or style of divination that is native to you? 

 

I was thinking in this direction. It is possible that I can do without a specific ancestral deck. I don't have a "native" style I am afraid, my relatives weren't practicing these things or they were concealing them very well, so even my mother doesn't know. I might end up being a bit cosmopolitan, we'll see. I will read about Russian and Ukrainian practices. On Tajik and Uzbek approaches, I am afraid, there's not much to read,  or maybe I didn't search properly... 

 

@Niobium, @Misterei, thank you very much for showing me these decks! The Beirut Tarot is very close to what I was thinking. I don't think it will be OOP soon, so maybe will buy later. 

Orient tarot by Daniloff is spectacular! At this point of my learning curve, I am a bit afraid of very expressive cards, even if it sounds funny. I feel overwhelmed. But I am making a list and I will be coming back to it. 

[DanielJUK]

I've always wanted to buy the 1001 nights, it's always been on my wish list as the books were so influential. But somehow never bought it.

 

I found these Ukrainian made decks earlier in the year and posted in the kickstarters thread -

 

The KS have ended but both are on etsy now

I don't own them so cannot say what they are actually like 🙂

[Eugenie]

@DanielJUK, thank you! I have seen the deck but I probably would not be able to work with it. It is too loaded with the current events for me... so, instead of buying the deck I won't be using, I always prefer to just donate a little bit. 

Do you think 1001 Nights is okay to work with? Of course some people can work with anything, I am just not sure about myself. But I keep looking at it.

[DanielJUK]

The artwork is really beautiful of the deck for sure, but I am not sure how it reads in a tarot way. Also I am suspicious of taking stories from the book and then associating it with tarot. I am not sure how well that works.

 

Have a read of reviews from our old (now archived) tarot forum -

 

formal review - https://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/1001-nights/

member's discussing it - https://www.tarotforum.net/threads/1001-nights.126817/ started by our dear @Nisaba

 

found this whilst getting the links for you, these are all the Aelectic categorised "Eastern" decks - https://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/eastern.shtml

 

I think I will one day get the 1001 nights but look for it on sale or maybe will get it in a trade exchange here 🙂

[Eugenie]

@DanielJUK, thank you for that Eastern collection, some are very nice! I also found the Old Arabian Lenormand, a stunning deck. This is how people start learning new systems... Anyway, I promised to myself not to buy anything until I receive the package that is on its way now and spend some time with those cards. Otherwise this will be an endless cycle and it will not be good for me. 

[Guest]

Look up Vera Sklyarova. She's a very popular Russian Tarot creator. I remember that her some of her decks have hordes of forums in Cyrillic dissecting them. 

[Eugenie]

@Akhilleus thank you for the suggestion! Unfortunately she doesn't "click" with me. I know her Shadow Tarot was very popular but it's not to my taste. Ah, I am also off buying decks for the moment, anyway. I feel the need to work with the two I have, and besides the Russian Loubok by Vinitsky is to arrive today or tomorrow. 

Edited January 2, 2024 by Eugenie

[Scandinavianhermit]

Adam McLean mentions Vasily Nikolayevich Masjutin's tarot and George Ottonovich Mebes' tarot on his website.

[Yaroslav]

I'm a bit late answering, but  if you're still interested, I suggest you check out the Slavic Legends Tarot by Taroteca Studios. It's a beautiful deck, and beautifully presented too. I have this deck and the Dark Mansion from the same producers.

[katrinka]

On 8/5/2024 at 6:20 PM, Scandinavianhermit said:

Vasily Nikolayevich Masjutin's tarot

My god. Have all of the images survived? WHY ISN'T SOMEBODY PRINTING THIS????? As a Majors deck, at least!

Edited January 25 by katrinka

[JoyousGirl]

2 hours ago, katrinka said:

WHY ISN'T SOMEBODY PRINTING THIS?????

 

Oh my ga ga. I've googled this despite saying I don't want to buy any more decks.... 

 

 

[katrinka]

2 hours ago, JoyousGirl said:

 

Oh my ga ga. I've googled this despite saying I don't want to buy any more decks.... 

 

 

I don't either. I'm in a thinning out phase.
But this one is stunning!

[Nanook]

https://www.thegamecrafter.com/games/slavic-folklore-oracle-deck1
 

This oracle deck is lovely. 

[geoxena]

Tarot of the Golden Wheel (from US Games) is based on Slavic and Russian folktales as well as RWS.  The cards are very pretty and evocative.  I think it's quite readable.   I added it to our Deck Library some years ago:

 

 

 

Edited February 5 by geoxena

[Esclarmonde]

I've got the Golden Wheel. I really like the artwork and yes, it is readable - I get very good readings from it. And I like the fact that, despite it being (loosely IMO) based on the RWS, the 3 of swords is not another variation of the pierced heart... 

[Morwenna]

On 2/5/2025 at 3:17 AM, Nanook said:

https://www.thegamecrafter.com/games/slavic-folklore-oracle-deck1
 

This oracle deck is lovely. 

Yiii!! I wish my husband had lived to see this--he was half Slovak and very proud of it. 

[Morwenna]

I love the Russian Tarot of St. Petersburg--an oldie but a goodie. The colors against black will knock your socks off. I wouldn't mind having a couple of those as a poster. (BTW, the original artist died after producing the majors and Cups, so that's why the other suits don't look the same but are like each other. Still gorgeous anyway.) 

[katrinka]

12 minutes ago, Morwenna said:

I love the Russian Tarot of St. Petersburg--an oldie but a goodie. The colors against black will knock your socks off. I wouldn't mind having a couple of those as a poster. (BTW, the original artist died after producing the majors and Cups, so that's why the other suits don't look the same but are like each other. Still gorgeous anyway.) 

 
That one IS pretty, I love the palekh style. The ones by the original artist are particularly well done.
And IIRC, there are no nudes. It's one of those decks you can use anywhere.

[Nemia]

 I have recently bought Greta Egy's Divine Deco Tarot. She's Albanian, and her inspiration for the deck is partly Balkan, partly Art Deco and partly the world of dance. Balkan is not Slavic but there are strong Ballet Russe influences, and I like it very much. I haven't read much with it but so far, I'm happy with it. 

 

 

I don't have the Sufi Tarot but it looks fascinating. Great decks in this thread! 

 

[geoxena]

On 2/9/2025 at 1:57 PM, Esclarmonde said:

I've got the Golden Wheel. I really like the artwork and yes, it is readable - I get very good readings from it. And I like the fact that, despite it being (loosely IMO) based on the RWS, the 3 of swords is not another variation of the pierced heart... 

Yes, I like that about it, too.  I do usually look to see how that card is done.

 

The Eight of Wands is one I always look for as well.  I want to see that the artist gave some thought and imagination to it and came up with something other than just sticks flying through the air.

[Morwenna]

On 1/25/2025 at 7:27 AM, Yaroslav said:

I'm a bit late answering, but  if you're still interested, I suggest you check out the Slavic Legends Tarot by Taroteca Studios. It's a beautiful deck, and beautifully presented too. 

I have this one too; just got it last summer.