The Surprising History of Tarot Cards

The history of tarot cards began in fifteenth-century Italy as a luxury trick-taking game for the aristocracy rather than a tool for mysticism. These original "triumph" decks utilized Renaissance allegories and courtly imagery to facilitate play and display political status among noble families. It was not until 1781 in Paris that the myth of an ancient Egyptian origin was fabricated, transforming a recreational pastime into a vessel for occult symbolism and divination. This shift eventually led to the creation of the Rider–Waite–Smith deck, which popularized the illustrative scenes used by modern readers for self-reflection. Ultimately, the cards persist not because they po...