Dragons Tarot (English and Spanish Edition)

Lo Scarabeo

ISBN 10: 0738705993 ISBN 13: 9780738705996

Publisher: Llewellyn Publications, 2005

Synopsis

The concept of dragons exists in virtually every culture. This is shown in the Minor Arcana of this deck which uses Asian dragons for Cups, European dragons for Swords, African dragons for Wands and Central and South American dragons for Pentacles. This allows you to better understand the energies of the cards, the cultures, and the Tarot, making this a powerful deck for divination.

The Major Arcana uses famous dragons. The Empress shows Tiamat, "representing primordial chaos, the female force and energy of creation." Death shows St. George who slew the dragon. The Devil is Apep or Apophis, "the dragon that, for the ancient Egyptians, blocked the way to Ra, the sun god, and guarded the regions of death." The Fool, however, is simply "The Hunter of Dragons, representing "mankind's insane thousand-year-old search for the dragon." The images may not be traditional, but the intent is there.

Because of its worldwide focus, this is a unique deck unlike any other. It's a virtual collection of world art for collectors. It shows how the power and symbolism of the Tarot can be universalized into virtually any tradition. And it will give you an incredible visual entry into the clout and majesty of the dragons of the world.

The Deluxe version of this comes with a beautiful, embroidered bag to hold your deck. The Mini Deck is small enough for pocket or purse and easy to carry anywhere. If you like dragons and the Tarot, this is a deck you simply must have!

The companion booklets for most Lo Scarabeo decks are in five languages: English, Spanish, French, Italian, and German.

About this title

About the Author:

Lo Scarabeo's Tarot decks have been acclaimed all over the world for originality and quality. With the best Italian and international artists, each Lo Scarabeo deck is an exceptional artistic value.

Commited to developing innovative new decks while preserving the rich tradition of Tarot, Lo Scarabeo continues to be a favorite among collectors and readers.

Llewellyn is the exclusive distributor of Lo Scarabeo products in North America.

Review:

Summary: 

A great deck for people who read the cards through memorization of their meanings. If you’re interested in dragons from around the world, this deck is more than worth the time put into studying the symbols (some of which are subtly hidden) to have such a wonderful Tarot. It’s also good for Tarot art collectors. 

In-Depth Review:

The easiest way to describe this deck is in three short sentences: Do you like dragons? Do you like the Tarot? You’re going to like this deck. 

It is very clear that creator Manfredi Toraldo and artist Severino Baraldi put a great deal of thought into the creation of this deck and the meaning of each card. The LWB (Little White Book), which has an unusual landscape presentation, exemplifies this thought by spending more space describing the cards than giving their meanings. After all, the meanings of Tarot cards are available on the internet, in books, and can be intuited from the symbology of the cards, but the specific images here are unique. 

The Major Arcana cards, for example, tend to show some famous dragons or dragons that are appropriate to the card’s meaning. The Empress shows Tiamat, "representing primordial chaos, the female force and energy of creation." Death shows St. George who slew the dragon. The Devil is Apep or Apophis, "the dragon that, for the ancient Egyptians, blocked the way to Ra, the sun god, and guarded the regions of death. The Fool is "The Hunter of Dragons, representing "mankind’s insane thousand-year-old search for the dragon." The images on the cards are not those of RWS, but the intent and meanings are there. 

The Chalices (Cups) have images from China. There are people of Asian appearance and dress, combined with pagodas and the designs of the ornate dragon. The Swords have images from western and northern Europe, with scenes of knights and Vikings. The nine of Swords, meaning "cruelty," has an image that is somewhat grisly, showing a dragon fascinated by nine bodies hanging from a tree. The Wands have scenes from Africa, showing images from the pomp of Egypt to people of remote tribes. Finally, the Pentacles have images of the people and winged serpent of Central and South America. There is some female nudity and images of licentiousness. 

The LWB, besides having brief descriptions of the cards, also explains a simple, three-card reading called the "Quest" reading. 

The images on the cards are more focused toward the RWS meanings rather than the RWS symbols, and is therefore a fine deck for general readings. If you rely on the RWS symbols you may need to refer to the LWB to get ideas about the imagery, especially when learning to use this deck. 

This is also a great deck for people who read the cards through memorization of their meanings. If you’re interested in dragons from around the world, this deck is more than worth the time put into studying the symbols (some of which is subtly hidden) to have such a wonderful Tarot. It’s also good for Tarot art collectors. 

Name of deck: Dragons Tarot
Publisher: Lo Scarabeo 
ISBN: 9780738705996
Creator’s name: Manfredi Toraldo 
Artist’s name: Severino Baraldi 
Name of accompanying booklet: Dragons Tarot
Number of pages of booklet: 64 (14 in English), landscape orientation 
Available in a boxed kit?: Yes. The set includes the deck and an oversized (it can hold two standard Tarot decks) lined velvet drawstring bag. The lining is red satin and the exterior is black velvet. The bag is embroidered in red with the outline of a medieval heraldic dragon. 
Reading Uses: General readings 
Ethnic Focus: multicultural 
Artistic Style: Modern graphic 
Theme: Multicultural dragons 
Does it follow Rider-Waite-Smith Standard?: In name and structure, yes. The symbols are quite different from those on the RWS deck. 
Does it have extra cards?: No 
Does it have alternate names for Major Arcana cards?: No. 
Does it have alternate names for Minor Arcana?: Cups are called Chalices. The court cards are called Infanta, Knight, Queen and King. 
Why was deck created?: According to the box, this is "A multiethnic perspective [that] explores the symbol in the form of the dragon in the myths of four continents and presents a fascinating and coherent image in complete harmony with the traditional iconography of the Tarot." 

About this edition

• Publisher: Llewellyn Publications
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 0738705993
• ISBN 13: 9780738705996
• Binding: Cards