Comparative Tarot 13: Death

[Rose Lalonde]

Death

 

Please see the discussion thread if you'd like some background about the study group.

 

As a visual start, here are the Tarot de Marseille Noblet (Flornoy), the RWS, and the Thoth. (You don't have to compare your deck with these, though, if you have another deck in mind.)

 

If you'd like to add a small image of the card you're discussing that would be great. If not we can google it.

 

You can write about the same deck someone else did.

 

Feedback on comments about this card are welcome here! For general questions and suggestions, please use the discussion thread.

 

[WhiteMoon]

Traditional decks show Death as a cloaked skeleton on a high horse trampling even the most powerful. Motherpeace Death emphasizes the circle of life by showing a snake shedding its skin. The snake encircles a skeleton in the fetal position. Both are under trees shedding their leaves. Robin Wood deck shows invisible Death wearing a bright red cloak, holding a flag with a white rose, standing in a springtime forest.  
 

In my readings, the Death card tends to emphasize grief. Both Motherpeace and Robin Wood remind me that grief is part of a cycle with something promising (new life) around the next curve.

[gregory]

I see Rose's link went down, so here are the three cards she linked: 

 

My favourite card is death, so I thought I'd show up.

 

My VERY favourite death is from the Ansata:

 

 

Not the most optimistic in many ways. But while there's death and decay all over the card, and it's all very much about endings - the seasonal end of the year, a skull or two, monsters in the sky, a felled tree - there are also seed heads, alive scorpion; even death himself has shoots growing from his head. It's not hopeless, but a lot of the finality and most of the attitude to the endings are in one's view of things. There is space for a way forward - if you look for it. There is even light in the clouds. An end offering a beginning for those who choose to look for it. Graveyards full of dead bodies find the plants grow rather well. 

[WhiteMoon]

9 hours ago, gregory said:

My VERY favourite death is from the Ansata:

Wow, thanks for posting that card. I love Death's tail with the scorpion sting and the branches growing from Death's head. 

[WhiteMoon]

On 6/23/2024 at 7:11 PM, WhiteMoon said:

Traditional decks show Death as a cloaked skeleton on a high horse trampling even the most powerful. Motherpeace Death emphasizes the circle of life by showing a snake shedding its skin. . . Robin Wood deck shows invisible Death wearing a bright red cloak, holding a flag with a white rose, standing in a springtime forest.  

Now that I'm on my laptop, I can add the images.

 

Edited June 26, 2024 by WhiteMoon

[Misterei]

My all time favorite Death. He's having WAY too much fun 😆 He seems to have a preference for Kings and Cardinals.

Of course it was the Black Plague back then.

Charles VI deck

 

Edited June 28, 2024 by Misterei

[WhiteMoon]

I don’t think I’ve noticed such a happy Death before!

[Misterei]

LOL right? Of course Death had good reason to be happy in the plague years. BTW i updated the post to say it’s the Charles VI deck.

[Ferrea]

One Death I wanted to share with you comes from the Golden Gomera Tarot by Rolf Eichelmann.
I find the display of both, serenity and vitality, rather thrilling.