Mythologia Fennica tarot, new vs old edition

[Raggydoll]

I just got the new edition of the Mythologia Fennica tarot, a deck rooted in Finnish mythology. This version is mass produced by Rockpool publishing. I also have the older edition, that I bought from the creator herself, Susanna Salo. The reason that I bought the new edition is because I saw that they had altered the titles to make the deck easier to understand. In the old version, it is not as straightforward to tell a major from a minor, and to top that off, every card has also been renamed. I will show you some examples and make comparisons in just a minute, but first we will just look at the packaging of both editions and see how they differ.

 

 

In this picture you have the old edition to the left. It consists of a large guidebook and a tuckbox. The guidebook is in English, and the deck has a mix of English titles and Finnish names. 

 

The new edition is seen to the right, it comes in a larger box which holds a much slimmed down version of the guidebook, plus the deck - no bag or tuckbox. The cards are of the same size as the original, but the cardstock is chunkier and the cards have silver edging. There is a matte finish to the cards, and the borders are now in two different colors - one for the majors and one for the minors. 

 

Here you have the old version to the left and the new version to the right. Not only is the color of the border different, but some of the artwork also seem to have been altered. Another thing I notice is that the new version feels duller in color. Here you can see that they kept the original titles but added standard names in the newer version. This is a huge improvement in my opinion. All the cards in the original deck had these circles in the bottom corners, and it lists the number of the card with a background color that is meant to tell you if it is a major or a minor, and which suit it belongs to. This made it difficult to tell apart majors from minors at a quick glance. In the new deck they have removed those circles from the majors and added numbering at the top. I really like these alterations. 

 

 

Below is an example from the minor arcana. The original version is to the left and the new version is to the right. You can see that they have clarified the title in the new version, and they have also altered the elemental symbols. I think the new version is much easier to comprehend. 

 

 

Here I am going to show you what I think made the older version so confusing. Both of these cards are from the original deck. The one to the left is a Major arcana card, and the one to the right is a minor. The only way to tell them apart is to know the colors in the circles. Both cards have titles in capital letters as well as identical numbering. The imagery isn´t very helpful either, because there is no traditional imagery and many of the illustrations have a 'major arcana vibe' to them. The Finnish titles also makes it a little more challenging for most people. 

 

 

Here is a comparison of these same two cards in the two editions. The older one (white border) is to the left and the newer one (blue/turquoise border) is to the right. Can you tell the difference in color here? The new deck feels dull and the artwork looks a bit grubby. But there is no doubt that the titles are easier to comprehend in the new version. 

 

 

Now, lets compare the two guidebooks. The original one is to the left and the new one is to the right. 

 

 

There is a BIG difference in size. The new version is like a travel edition of the older one! 

 

 

I haven´t had the time to fully compare the content of these books, but my first impression is that they condensed the rather lengthy discussions in the older version, and also tweaked the language to make it flow better. In the older version you can tell that the author is a non-native English speaker and that the book was probably never proof-read. I didn´t mind that, I understood everything and I think it was an interesting read. Though at the same time, I do appreciate this new version. The language flows nicely and there seem to be just enough information about each card. I don´t think you will miss out if you have the new guidebook only, it doesn´t feel like they have skimped on the mythology. 

 

Finally, some overall thoughts.

 

The old version: As to card quality, I much prefer the older version. I like the smooth yet sturdy cardstock and the brighter colors. The guidebook is a bit of an awkward size, but it is jam packed with information. The tuck box is nothing special but it definitely does its job. I do not love the confusing system with suit symbols, it makes it hard to read with this deck. (This is a big drawback in my opinion!) 

 

The new version: I don´t love that there is no bag or tuckbox. And the cards came slightly warped, which is something that I have had happen before with this type of packaging. I don´t love the cardstock or the silver edging. It just doesn´t enhance the shuffling experience in my opinion. I am also disappointed at the murky colors in this version. However, I do like the new expanded titles. The colored borders are fine, I don´t really have much of an opinion about them. The guidebook has a nice quality feel to it, and it is a handy size. I think I prefer the guidebook in this new edition.

 

Overall, I am not sure if I will read the most with this new edition or not. I will probably refer to the newer guidebook, but I think I will use both the new and old deck and see how I like them over time. Maybe I will eventually learn all the cards by using the new deck, and then the old deck will be less confusing. If so, I would absolutely choose the original version. I find it prettier to look at and it has a nicer feel in my hand. 

 

I hope this was helpful to anyone curious about this deck! 

[FindYourSovereignty]

Yes, very helpful, thank you! For now, I will stick with the original. I have small hands and the new size alone makes me hesitant. And the dilver gilding is a big 'no' for me. Thank you for sharing this great comparison review. 

[Rose Lalonde]

I wonder how Rockpool publishing managed to lose the bright colors and crisp lines of the original art you can see in the first deck? Or could the artist have given them new art, since some are changed?  If I were trying to get this deck, I'd rather memorize all the card placements than get the new edition. 

 

Also in the image below the original art naturally draws your eye to the center, to the bird and horizon where sky meets water. By adding the blue border and dulling the colors, it loses its impact.

 

Anyway, great review and comparison.

 

Quote

 

Edited September 25 by Rose Lalonde

[Raggydoll]

8 hours ago, Rose Lalonde said:

I wonder how Rockpool publishing managed to lose the bright colors and crisp lines of the original art you can see in the first deck?

Maybe it is a RGB to CMYK thing? 🤷🏻‍♀️

If the original scans were saved as RGB then she would have had to change them into CMYK for the professional printers. And doing so will dull the colors. You need to have the originals as CMYK from the start, and take into account the colors of your screen in order to get optimal results from printing. 
 

I always do my cards in RGB because Printerstudio allows both RGB and CMYK. I have tried changing my files to CMYK and they printed very dull indeed. I don’t have a calibrated screen and RGB is simply much easier for me to work with.