cards 13-15 in the Etteilla tradition

 CARD THIRTEEN

For card 13, here are: the c. 1910 Etteilla I from http://a.trionfi.eu/WWPCM/decks03/d01612/d01612.htm; Sumada's Etteilla II, before 1890, http://sumada.multiply.com/photos/album/76; and La Rue Etteilla III, 1890-1917, http://sumada.multiply.com/photos/album/16.

The Etteilla II and III title of the card, “The High Priest,” and the appearance of a high church official on the Etteilla I and II, misled Papus into thinking that this card corresponds to the Pope in the Marseille sequence (The Diivnatory Tarot p. 18). But Etteilla said clearly in the second Cahier that card 1 corresponds to the Pope. And everything else points to the Lover as its Marseille counterpart; it is a card of love and marriage, as can be seen by its keywords, “Marriage” and “Union.” Etteilla is following the tradition in which the third person on the Lover card, if there is one, is someone sanctioning the marriage, if not a priest then perhaps a priestess or a parent.

One card that appears to have a priest is the Vieville, Paris, 1650 (below right): the third person looks more male than female. In the Schoen horoscope of 1515, where tarot card images were put as astrological Houses, the third person appears to be a priest (below center).

Another example is in the earliest known Love card, the Cary-Yale, the couple has above them a row of banners in alternating heraldic designs, suggesting the union of two families (above right). The serpent is certainly the Viscontis’; the other was probably originally Savoy, into which Filippo Visconti married in 1428. It might also have been Sforza, if the card was after 1449, when Francesco Sforza captured Pavia, which also had the white cross on red background as its banner. (See Kaplan Encyclopedia vol. 2.)

For the specific imagery, Etteilla was likely inspired by 17th century alchemical illustrations, for example this one from Michael Maier’s Tripus Aureus of 1618.

Now for the word lists. Again, words that are in either translation of Papus, and also in Orsini, are in regular type. Those in Papus only are in italics; and those in Orsini only in bold.

Quote:

13. [Mariage.] MARRIAGE (13)-Union, Meeting, Joining, Assembling, Bond, Alliance, Vow, Oath, Intimacy, Copulation, Coupling, Chain, Slavery, Financial Straits [Gene; Stockman has "discomfort or difficulty "], Captivity, Servitude. Reversed: Union. UNION. Society, Contacts, Concubinage, Adultery, Incest, Alloy, Blending, Mixture, Compounding.-Peace, Concord, Accord, Harmony, Correct [Good] Understanding [bonne intelligence; Stockman has "good terms"]. Reconciliation, Patching up.

These words include marriage in a metaphorical as well as literal sense. And the Reverseds, at least in Orsini’s word-list, include some disapproved forms of sexual relationship. This is perhaps why the modern Grimaud changes the reversed keyword from “union” to “Liaison.”

Here is Orsini's commentary on the card, c. 1838, with my explanatory comments in brackets.

Quote:

The Egyptians were much invested in this hieroglyph, because they regarded marriage as an absolute commandment of the Creator. If the consultant is a young man, this card announces a union to follow soon with the person he desires; if the consultant is married, it will be one of his relatives who marries. If this card is found near no. 18 [Traitor], it means betrayal of love [c. 1853 has “love cooling off” (refroidissement d’amour), which doesn’t quite fit]; if it is near no. 14 [Devil], defy a person who makes a good impression in order to deceive you; beside no. 70 [8 of Coins: Brown-haired girl], your existing or future marriage will be very happy and your lineage will be numerous. Near no. 57 [Hopes], it announces an impending reconciliation with a person whom you have not seen for a long time. When this card is reversed, it predicts only contrary things: failed marriages, trouble in your household or in that of your friends [this last, starting with “trouble...” omitted from c. 1853 edition].

The word "reconciliation" is in the word-lists, albeit in the Reverseds.

The 1865 booklet, written for the Etteilla III, merely repeats some of Orsini. It says the card means marriage to the one whom one desires, or if already married, for a very near relative. Near 57, it means reconciliation, and near 70, many children.

The c. 1910 Grimaud booklet, probably written 1826, has some melodramatic twists:

Quote:

It is a marriage which cannot miss for you or someone who touches you closely. But this marriage will please you. If this card is reversed, the person that you love will marry another, and you will have great despair as a result. IF it is near no. 18, you will be ignobly betrayed in love. The person to whom you have given your confidence will steal the heart of the one you love. If no. 14 follows, defy a dark-haired person who wants to marry you; that person will be unfaithful. If no. 13 is near no. 70, your marriage, made or to be made, will prosper, and your children will be rich

The plots of numerous potboiler romances may be found here. Only a few of them were retained by Orsini.

Here is the modern Grimaud. Its interpretation is closer to Orsini than to the c. 1910, in that it includes Orsini's association to 57. For the reversed meaning of 13, it offers yet a third alternative.

Quote:

The High Priest. This card represents marriage or a love affair with its ups and downs. R [right side up]: it is all right to sign the contract. U [upside down]: Your matrimonial plans will be delayed. R: With 14: a dark-haired person deceives you. U: No. 18 brings you no happiness. But 70 [now “Pleasant girl”] and 57 herald a lot of happiness because of children and return of affection.

The modern writer has ameliorated some of the others’ extremes: when reversed, there is not failed marriage, or dashed hopes, but merely delayed marriage; also, the prediction with 18 [Traitor] is stated very vaguely and is only a problem when 13 is reversed.

It seems odd to me that 70, Brown-haired Girl, predicts children, as that is not mentioned in any of the interpretations for that card, nor in the word-lists, which only has “passive” and “depth of night.” My only explanation--and there doesn’t have to be one--is that there is a residue here (and so far, only here) of an association, from the Theology of Arithmetic (and only there), of the number 8 with Rhea, mother and grandmother of the Olympian gods.

CARD FOURTEEN

or card 14, here are: the 1910 Etteilla I from http://a.trionfi.eu/WWPCM/decks03/d01612/d01612.htm; Sumada's Etteilla II, before 1890, http://sumada.multiply.com/photos/album/76; and De La Rue Etteilla III, 1890-1910, http://sumada.multiply.com/photos/album/16.

The Etteilla I and II are of course modeled on the Marseille Devil card. Correspondingly, the Etteilla II and III title of the card is “Devil.” On the II, the two little figures are nude; that is also the way they are on the 1789 original card (below left): the c. 1910 Etteilla I has put clothes on the pair. Also, the small woman’s headdress looks less devilish in the Etteilla II, more like a crown than in the Etteilla I, or perhaps the Egyptian Seth-animal’s ears (or a 15th century ladies’ hat), than in the c. 1910 Etteilla I. Below left, I have put the uncolored Etteilla II, where her headgear looks more like donkey-ears on a crown than the bull's horns of the c. 1910. I can’t tell from Decker et al’s picture in Wicked Pack of Cards (below left), which is closer to the original.

The Devil himself has aspects of both genders. Here we see a forked beard, breasts, and a female torso. Having aspects of both genders was a feature of many of the earlier Devil-cards as well, as we can see in the Noblet, at right above. I think that the two dots on one side and three on the other also ndicate both genders. In some versions of Pythagoreanism, i.e. that of Macrobius, 3 was the first masculine number and 2 the first feminine number.

Now for the word lists. Again, words that are in either translation of Papus, and also in Orsini, are in regular type. Those in Papus only are in italics; and those in Orsini only in bold.

Quote:

14. [Force Majeur.] MAJOR FORCE (14)- Human Force. Great Movement, Vehemence, Extraordinary Effort, Strength, Extraordinary Power, Ability-Capability, Powers, Violent Impulse, Surge of Genius,-Enthusiasm.-Ravage, Violence, Constraint, Physical or Manual Work. Reversed: [Etteilla I: Force Majeur. Etteilla II & 3: Force Mineur.] MINOR FORCE. Insubstantial, Weakness, Pettiness, Moral or Physical Weakness. Tenderness, Weakening. Loss of energy, Fainting-spell. Exhaustion, Languor. Sin. Offense. Sacrilege.

Orsini here begins with a lengthy footnote:

Quote:

The Devil. The Egyptians, by this word Devil, or Demon, did not understand infernal spirits imprisoned in the abysss, but a man whose science surpassed many others; in sum, who knew all by divine gift, or by an “interpassante” study [“etude interpassante,” i.e. study passing between, perhaps the meaning is “study passing between worlds”]. Such were the Brahmins, the Gymnosophists, the Druids, etc. etc. This hieroglyph signifies major force, in all that concerns the things of human life; minor force, in all that concerns the future or eternity.

This contrast between major force and minor force is reflected in the word-lists. That is, the ability to pass, in this world, above the merely human is part of the upright meanings. It includes not just physical power but the ability to go beyond the merely human into ecstatic states. I think someone has in mind the Greek “Daemon,” as in Socrates’ account of his daemon in Plato’s Symposium (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daemon_...ical_mythology)). The Reverseds then see such superhuman effort from a Christian standpoint, in which it is not the “daemon” but a “demon” that has been contacted: it is sin, offense, sacrilege, moral weakness, pettiness, insubstantial. There are also words that simply denote small force from any perspective: tenderness, fainting-spell, languor, weakening.

The footnote is fairly unusual in its definition of “major force.” Usually the “force majeur” is just the infernal power of evil. The main body of the Orsini c. 1838 is itself an example:

Quote:

A formidable [Fr. redoutable] betrayal is announced by this card; an extraordinary power will lead you into errors the results of which will be dreadful [Fr. funestes] for you and your friends. This card predicts an impending illness if it is found near no. 16 [Judgment]; beside no. 70 [8 of Coins: brown haired girl, usury], it designates a reprehensible love. Near no. 60 [4 of Swords: Solitude/Economy], it announces that one of your relatives will be shipwrecked near a desert island, at which he will stay abandoned for a long time. Reversed, one must fear a great dishonor which will destroy your tranquility.

That is a very negative interpretation. Not surprisingly, this section was extensively rewritten for the c. 1853 edition of Orsini, one of a very few explications that receives such treatment:

Quote:

A joke in bad taste will cause you some difficulties; you will be led into big errors that will not spare you unfortunate suppositions [Fr. suppositions--results?]. But you can hold on, strength returns sweetly and those who laugh are not always turned to the same side. This card predicts an impending but light illness as a result of imprudences. Beside no. 16, it designates an impossible love. Near no. 60, it announces that one of your relatives or friends takes too great a risk on a distant journey.

This wording brings the predictions back into the everyday and offers hope of escaping without moral blemish. The shipwreck has wisely become more general, the reprehensible love, now associated with 16 rather than 70, firmly impossible.

The 1865, rewritten for the Etteilla III, emphasizes the positive even more.

Quote:

The interpretation of this tarot has been made in various manners. It demands the greatest attention on the part of the consultant; but if it comes upright, and is accompanied by no. 12 [Prudence], you need fear nothing, because its sense is completely changed by its good neighborhood. Reversed, it announces that you have resisted the demon, and reason is stronger in you than prejudice. Near no. 78 [Fool], it indicates that you will presently attend some very nice parties in the city or in the country.

That last is something of an anti-climax, considering Orsini’s dire predictions. One would have thought that Devil plus Fool would equal disaster. But not for Etteilla III; the Devil, under the Fool’s influence, is a party animal.

In the other booklet tradition, that of the c. 1910, likely written 1826, we have language reminiscent of the c. 1838 Orsini. The title of the card is now “Eve.”

Quote:

Step back when in front of this formidable [Fr. redoutable] card. Upright, it announces that you will make a mistake with dreadful [funestes] results. If you are a woman, this mistake will put you at the discretion of an indelicate man who will use violence with you, so as to dishonor you as a result and inundate you with tears. If you are a man, fear that this mistake will send you to prison. Reversed, the card of Eve announces an abduction. Man, you will abduct a married woman; you will soon have cutting [cuisants] regrets from it. Woman, you will abduct yourself; after a seven months’ sojourn with your lover, you will return with nothing [dépouillée] to the house of your husband, who will receive you well enough. Beside no. 70 [8 of Coins: brown-haired girl, usury], this card announces that one will have an amorous liaison that is illegal but profitable.

This is all very colorful. The 1826 author, according to Decker et al (pp. 145-147), was one Gabrielle de Paban, born 1793 in Lyons, writer of a number of books, under the name of “Mme. Gabrielle de P.***,” “Gabrielle Pérenna,” or, in this case, “Aldegonde Pérenna, Polish sibyl.” This last is “not at all plausible as a Polish name,” Decker et al observe.

The modern Grimaud tones down Mme. Gabrielle’s lurid premonitions, but not by much. The title is no longer "Eve."

Quote:

15. EVIL FORCE. Nearly always harmful, this card indicates violence, fruitless efforts, uncontrollable impulses. R [right side up]: You prefer to seek the shadow rather than the substance. U [Upside down]: You or someone near you could be the victim of rape, or an abduction. In any case there is trouble ahead of you...even a slight illness. R: with 24 [Knight of Batons: here Change/Separation]: Serious illness. Surgical operation. With 16: Love that ends in catastrophe. U: Near 60: A journey or voyage full of difficulties.

For the Upside down interpretations, and Upright with 16, the writer has combined the earlier Grimaud with Orsini. In the Uprights otherwise, he has managed to miss what the card is about, at least as the others see it, and as he himself sees it in his opening statement. (I do not know whether the author is male or female, but the publisher is Jean-Marie Simon, male—assuming we are not dealing with yet another pseudonym.)

CARD FIFTEEN

 or card 15, here are: the 1910 Etteilla I from http://a.trionfi.eu/WWPCM/decks03/d01612/d01612.htm; Sumada's Etteilla II, date unknown, http://sumada.multiply.com/photos/album/76; and his De La Rue Etteilla III, also date unknown, http://sumada.multiply.com/photos/album/16.

For the imagery on this card, I can provide Etteilla’s own account in the second Cahier, as I now have a copy, thanks to a reader of this thread. Etteilla wrote three pages on this card, pp. 23-26 (reproduced later in this post). As I understand him, he is contrasting the Marseille version of the card with how he thinks the original card actually looked. So at the end I will put the two cards side by side. I am using the modern Grimaud version of the card here, because one feature he describes is clearest there: Etteilla also refers to the Marseille Page of Swords. So I include it as well.

Here is Etteilla, with my explanatory comments in brackets:

Quote:

In place of Tri-Mercury [the grandfather of Hermes Trismegistus, Etteilla tells us in a chart at the end of the 2nd Cahier], who put together the Book of Thoth, the Cardmakers saw, by the baton that he holds, a traveling gamester [Fr. Joueur de gibeciere]; and recognizing only the number or cipher 1, instead of 15 in Arab numerals that it formerly had, they called this card no. 1, and consequently put it, also badly to the purpose, at the beginning, that which should be near the end [qu’il le seroit en finissant]. This Mercury, then Sovereign of all Egypt and first among the Magi, had indispensably a rod in his right hand (1), the woodcuts reported, indeed understood, it to be in his left fingertips; the left hand held [then] to his chest, the right at present [i.e. in the Marseille] at his pocket [Fr. poche]; they made him a round hat like that of the Valet of Swords reversed, that is to say, [of one] wishing to see and not to be seen: he [actually] had a kind of tiara like that of the Patriarchs, [but] they [the cardmakers] gave him a Gothic getup, such as the Romans’ Captain of the Band [Guard?] had for a time; he [actually] had the vestment of a Magus or Chief Sacrificer; behind him was a T, sign of life, exceeding the height of three on ten, they put nothing on it; on the center of the diametric line, a point was needed. [Footnote]1) The false Magicians imitate this, and in consequence, the Charlatans and finally men of different responsibilities. A rod or stick in the hand is the hieroglyph of the first and greatest honor; and the contrary [au contre] when the personage is felt to be a man of nothing or of a mean state. In front of Mercury was in fact a table; but it was formerly at the height of his chest; in place of the Book of Thoth, which was on top of this table, they [the cardmakers] put a Charlatan’s box; at the other side of the table remained a pot [Fr. vase], but they painted it like a glass, and added an orvietan box [boite d’orvietan]. With the first Egyptians, there was really a pot, but it was of white earthenware [terre blanche], and filled with a celestial-astral liquid, composed of one third wild honey, one part terrestial water and one part celestial water; these three parts formed the number of 4 raised to 12, of which the water of heaven was 5 and that of earth 7. They [the cardmakers] put on this table, one presumes, some roots; there were none. One supposes likewise that they [the cardmakers] wished to put there some jettons or small balls of cork; it was formerly ten rings, arranged 1, 2, 3, 4. They put blades of grass under the table in order to conceal their ignorance; that had naturally to be. This Sage was dressed a little like the ancient Patriarchs, such as Moses is imagined; but the Prophet of the Lord changed some attributes from that of the Magi, ones that had no doubt been inspired by the Eternal, so that the People of God could distinguish Moses and his brother Aaron from the idolatrous Priests, that is to say, from those who, although fearing the Lord, had not received the Law, since his righteous anger at the time of the deluge.

So we see on the table the white pot (bluish on the card), the rings in four rows of one to four each, and a stacl of cards. The sequence, 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 = 10 is the famous Pythagorean Tetrakys, the way in which the first four numbers yielded the Deity. Behind the Magician is indeed a T, painted blue. On the modern Grimaud card, you can see the point above the T in black on the strip separating the dome of the temple from the walls. If it is on the 1890 card (at right below), it is not clear enough to make out; it does seem to be on the original 1789 version, faintly, as reproduced in Decker et al (at left below)

And here are the pages I have attempted to translate.



Finally, I want to say something about the Etteilla II and III image, which is quite different from the one that Etteilla describes.

It seems to me that the card designer was trying to make it clear that it was Hermes Trismegistus on the card and not Aaron, as in the title given to the card in 1826. One of the most famous sections of the Corpus Hermeticum at that time was the end of the Aesclepius, in which the author claims that in Egypt at that time the worshipers of the gods have the power to bring them down into their statues, and that this power will soon be lost forever. Along with this ability, there was the ability to make spirits do one’s own bidding, whether spirits created by the magician or otherwise. The Magus Prospero in Shakespeare’s The Tempest has a apirit Ariel who reluctantly works magic at Prospero’s bidding. But Hermes Trismegistus was reputed to have been able to create a little man, or homunculus (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homunculus), who would perform feats of magic for him. The Florentine Picture Book, 15th century Florence, had a picture of him with his creature, in this way sacreligiously aping the Creator.
 
Now I will proceed to the verbal associations for card 15, starting with the word lists. Again, words that are in either translation of Papus, and also in Orsini, are in regular type. Those in Papus only are in italics; and those in Orsini only in bold.

Quote:

15. [Maladie.] ILLNESS. Illness of body, soul, or spirit. Bad state of health or business. Derangement [given by Stockman], Dolor. Poison. Epidemic. Plague. Gangrene. Infirmity.-Trouble, Sadness, Anguish, Evil, Displeasure.-Harm, Pain, Adversity, Misfortune, Disaster. Reversed: [Maladie.] ILLNESS. Indisposed. Inconvenienced. Headache. Heartache. Wasting Disease, Melancholia. Mental Illness, Head Injury[Stockman has "headache"], Unfortunate Situation, Disgrace, Trouble, Anxiety [Disquiet], Affliction.-Medicine, Remedy, Charlatan, Physician, Empirical, Magician [Fr. Magus, which Stockman translates "Magus"].

Here is Orsini's commentary on the card, c. 1838, with my explanatory comments in brackets.

Quote:

The Magician or The Bateleur. This card announces a great alteration in your intellectual faculties. Your enemies will put up traps for you in which you will not let yourself fall, if this card is found near no. 57 [Hopes/Wise advice]. Followed by no. 78 [Folly], this card, preceded by no. 1, announces that you yourself will be attacked by mental illness; but you should console yourself, not all crazy people are put away. Beside no. 17, it presages a danger that could put an end to your existence, if a person who is your very-devoted does not consent to the greatest sacrifice one can make. If this card is preceded or followed by no. 70, it indicates that you will have liaisons reprouved by the world with a person of a sex different than yours. Reversed and beside no. 65 [Brown-haired woman/Certain harm], this tarot predicts that a brown-haired woman among your relatives will fall gravely ill.

This explication is another one extensively modified in the c. 1853 Orsini, as we can see from the reprinting of it as the Dusserre Etteilla III's French text.

Quote:

The Magician or The Bateleur. This card indicates mental derangement in a person for whom you have affection, but patience, if tarot no. 78 comes after, it is a person you are only acquainted with. If no. 1 follows, take care, it is you that it concerns, but it says in this case that the consultant is bizarre [toqué}. You want to know that madness has its nuances, and bizarreness [toquade, also means “excessive passion”] is just one variety, and not all mad people are in the little houses. If this tarot is near no. 17 [Death], it presages an outing on the water, in which you might be running some danger. After no. 70 [8 of Coins: Brown-haired girl/Usury], it announces that the consultant is a true happy-go-lucky person [sans-souci]. It is the place to modify the meaning if this tarot no. 15 comes in the last position; it indicates then only a small contrariety, such as a failed party, surprised by a rainstorm; in sum, that which you eagerly await, will be something contrary [this last clause omitted from Dusserre’s English translation].

You see how the c. 1853 modifies the meaning: the consultant’s madness is a toquade, an excessive or inappropriate attachment to something or someone. It also can mean “addiction.”

The c. 1838’s odd prediction near 17 is changed to something more practical; and likewise the one with no.. 70 is made more general and so less alarming.

The association of the Bateleur with mental derangement is interesting. Sorcerers were popularly thought to cast spells that would affect a person’s mind: love spells and the like.

Now I will give the 1865 booklet, written for the Etteilla III.

Quote:

The Magician. This card announces an important and unexpected change in your position. The Magician's wand indicates that there must be a little time to see this prediction realized. Beside no. 17 [Death], it warns you of imminent danger to your fortune; and preceded or followed by no. 70 [8 of Coins: Brown-haired girl/usury], it indicates to you dangers caused by annoying acquaintances. If this tarot comes up reversed, and is followed by no. 78 [Folly], it advises that you will commit stupidities, or perhaps only acts of thoughtlessness; but if it is found beside no. 65 [brown-haired woman/Certain harm, Mal Certain], you are warned of disagreeable news, which you expected, however.

The associations with particular other cards are retained, but now less drastic than even the c. 1853, although not always making as good sense in relation to the meanings of the other cards. Neither this version nor the preceding ones say much about the reversed meaning, except in relation to particular other cards. Presumably it retains the meaning of "alteration in your mental faculties." But I notice that this text broadens the reading to include changes in fortune, another area in which sorcerers could affect things.

Now for the c. 1910, probably written 1826:

Quote:

AARON. Upright, no. 15 presages a sickness for which one will spend large amounts of money without results. Finally a charlatan [Fr. Charlatan] will come who, with a light potion, will give you health for a long time. Upside down, the card of Aaron brings a mental illness, of imaginary pains, of vapors, of attacks of nerves, of sorrows. Beside no. 17, it menaces death. If this card no. 15 is found near no. 18 [Traitor], it announces that one will be a victim of betrayal and abandon to which one attaches too much importance. Some unexpected events will ruin part of your fortune and put you in extreme embarrassment. When it is believed that your ruin is accomplished, enormous breaches of contract will be found: your friends, who fear having you in their charge, hasten to break off with you. From all that, the result will be that you will fall a little into hating humanity.

Here the mental illness only comes if the card is reversed. In the uprights, perhaps the "charlatan" really is one, and is the fortune-teller's confederate. The meaning now includes physical illness, another area of expertise for sorcerers. All are included in the list of synonyms and alternative meanings.

Finally, the modern Grimaud. The keywords here are Sorrow/Illness:

Quote:

No. 15. AARON. This card represents physical and moral health. R [Right side up]: Your nervous condition is responsible for irrational behavior. See a doctor. U [Upside down]: Loss of memory. R: With 70, You are guilty of negligence and not caring what you do. With 17: Danger of drowning. U: With 25 [here Originality/News]: Get rid of your morbid thoughts. With 18: A love rupture will lead to a nervous breakdown. With 65: Obstacles.

Well, the pairings are the same as in Orsini, as opposed to the other "Aaron" card, but the interpretations are different. I have no idea what 25 has to do with morbid thoughts. For card 25 the same booklet says, if 15 is near, "This marriage surprises everyone."

I see no particular correlation between the upright and reversed meanings given above and the keywords Sorrow/Illness. For the main Upright (R) interpretation, the author is drawing on Orsini, but without worrying about whether card 1 or 78 is near. For the main Reversed (U), our author has thought of another alteration in one's mental faculties besides those leading to irrational behavior. (Well, going to a fortune-teller might itself be symptomatic of a nervous condition; and hopefully, the Consultant will forget what he or she is told anyway..)