So What Is It With the Hierophant and the Number Three?

[Shaira]

Hi everyone, 

 

So this is just a bit of idle speculation. 🙂 I was doing my daily reading this morning (7-card horseshoe "Counsel Spread") and the Hierophant turned out in the Present position #1. I'm using the Radiant Wise Spirit, so basically a nattily coloured RWS deck. Anyway, as I focussed on the card, I was really struck by how important the number three is to almost everything there. Three figures, triple crown, three horizontals on the cross-staff, three crosses on the tabard, three Vaus, two columns plus the Middle Pillar, and so on. All that, and the fact that the Hierophant is essentially the male counterpart of the High Priestess, with contrasting symbolism and significance, and it suddenly felt like the card was telling me it should be numbered "III" in the Major Arcana, and not "V".

 

Now, I know that that upsets the apple-cart in *so many ways* for the whole Major Arcana (especially the Empress and Emperor), but, just for idle speculation: what is it with the Hierophant and the number three? Does the Hierophant's position as the Vth card in the Major Arcana make so much more sense than if it was the IIIrd? 

 

Blessed be,

 

Sarah

[akiva]

1 hour ago, Shaira said:

Now, I know that that upsets the apple-cart in *so many ways* for the whole Major Arcana (especially the Empress and Emperor), but, just for idle speculation: what is it with the Hierophant and the number three? Does the Hierophant's position as the Vth card in the Major Arcana make so much more sense than if it was the IIIrd? 

I think the reason for the number 3 being such a prevalent symbol is because The Triad was seen as a bridge by (some of) the Greeks. It makes sense to have the number 3 represented on a card to do with a person who represents the 'bridge' between mankind and the divine. Also, it's probably making use of the Holy Trinity. 

 

But why is The Pope 5 and not 3? My theory is that it's because 5 sits smack bang in-between The Monad/source/god (1) and The Decad/created world/universe (10).

 

5 in Greek number symbolism can represent mediation (according to Anatolius), and any number used to add up to 10, would have 5 as the arithmetic mean. 9+1, 8+2, 7+3, etc, all add up to 10, and have 5 as the mean. Megillus said it represented lack of strife because it combines what was previously discordant: even (2) and odd (3), to produce reconciliation between the two different types of number.

 

These both hint at the combining and mediating of masculine and feminine/higher and lower/inner and outer world's. Which fits with what The Pope does well. He's the arithmetic mean for source to communicate in the Decad/world and for the world to communicate to It/the Monad.

 

5 was also seen as marriage, which is an older meaning for The Pope card. 5 is the ultimate marriage number, of course, being made up of 2 + 3. 

 

[Misterei]

On 8/22/2024 at 12:45 AM, Shaira said:

... how important the number three is to almost everything there. Three figures, triple crown, three horizontals on the cross-staff, three crosses on the tabard, three Vaus, two columns plus the Middle Pillar, and so on. ...

 

What @akiva said. 100%

 

It's also interesting that Hierophant in RWS is the first card to introduce a triad motif. All the cards up to now have been a single figure. And after the Fool, these singles started to couple-up. Magician + Priestess. Empress + Emperor.

 

Now all of a sudden we get Hierophant and Lovers which show a central figure presiding over 2 smaller figures. 3 figures total.

There's a whole esoteric symbolism to that which might be a bit long for a forum post, but you may feel it intuitively just studying that progression.

Edited August 24, 2024 by Misterei