Tarot of the Pirates [Cards]

"Thanks to literature and cinema, pirates have become a symbol of courage and audacity, the emblem of freedom and adventure. This romantic and legendary idea, rather than their true history, rich in cruelty and notoriety, was the inspiration for the Pirate Tarot cards." - From the L(ittle) W(hite) B(ook)

Buxom maidens and shirtless buccaneers, overflowing treasure chests and hearty carousing--between the open sea and salty wind sail the rough characters of the Tarot of the Pirates. Envisioned by Bepi Vigna, with Michele Benevento providing the art and Arturro Picca the bright coloring, the Tarot of the Pirates pays homage to the lawless seafarers of the Caribbean (the real ones, not Johnny Depp and company).

According to the LWB, the Minor Arcana suits are the barrel of rum (Chalices), the oars (Wands), doubloons (Pentacles) and the cutlass (Swords). However, the actual designation printed on the cards is the familiar suit names. Measuring approximately 4  x 2  inches, the cards feature a reversible wave design (reminiscent of paisley) in watery tones with touches of pink and yellow.

Tarot of the Pirates card imagery bristles with menacing stares, sinewy muscles, tattered clothing, and burnished coins while glowing lanterns, glittery stars and a milky moon help light treacherous journeys and guide the pirates to the promise of booty. Liquor flows (most of the Chalice cards), scabbard-bearing women threaten violence (7 and 8 of Swords), a sea monster ensnarls a ship (The Moon) and a determined pirate rides two enormous sea turtles (The Chariot).

An earnest fortuneteller reads the weathered palm of a grizzled man (The High Priestess), and familiar pirate iconography--digging for treasure (8 of Pentacles), eye patches (King of Pentacles et.al.), walking the plank (10 of Swords), a Jolly Roger (Death) and an X marking the sought-after spot on a sepia map (The World). A sky-blue border, an excellent aesthetic choice by the Lo Scarabeo team, frames these shadowy, ominous images.

The rich coloration of Arturro Picca--especially the red, blue and golden hues--deepens the artwork, saving the pen-and-ink drawings Michele Benevento from being too grungy. The LWB doesn't offer much interpretation through a pirate's lens, but offers an interesting way of seeing the court cards: Knaves as friends, Knights as colleagues, Queens as lovers and Kings as parents and relatives.

If stories of swaggering pirates, sunken gold, swilling deck hands, skeletal ghosts, and treacherous high sea escapades hold you captive, you'll want to add Tarot of the Pirates to your collection. Yargggh!

(To see 13 images from the Tarot of the Pirates, visit the Reviews--Decks section at JanetBoyer.com)

Janet Boyer, author of The Back in Time Tarot Book: Picture the Past, Experience the Cards, Understand the Present (coming Fall 2008 from Hampton Roads Publishing)

I got these cards to use for tarot card readings at a pirate event to celebrate the Gasparilla Festival in Tampa, FL. They are very colorful and detailed, full of action, and easy for people to see. The little white book that comes in the box is rather mean-spirited in its descriptions -- even for The Sun card it emphasized the negative duality. So after tossing the LWB aside, I found the cards read easily and powerfully. Also, it's an easy deck to handle because the cards are not too wide or too slick, so they shuffle quickly and well. I also like the swirly blue/green colors on the backs as they encourage people towards a reading rather than scaring them off with too much of the skull and crossbones theme. The Moon card is nautically foreboding with its Kracken monster engulfing a ship, but the scene does play well with traditional meanings for the card. Lots of great expression on the faces in all the cards, and the charcaters are very sinewy. The suits are Swords, oars for Wands, coins or treasure chests for Pentacles, and kegs, goblets, or wine glasses as Chalices/Cups. Ironically, what is usually an uncomfortable card for me in other decks, the 10 of Swords, here is as dramatic as the proverbial 10 swords stuck in someone's back, but it's more dynamic as it is a still living individual walking the plank with sharks in the water below and swords extended from the crew behind. It lends itself to more of the meaning of someone feeling extremely sorry for himself and exaggerating the situation. While this would not be a deck for beginners, it is a fun challenge for the more seasoned reader.

Since real-life pirates are Not Very Nice People, this deck presents an idealized version of the lifestyle. It's clear in a few cards that the artist was heavily influenced by the recent popular pirate movies. What I like most about the deck, besides the opportunity to make bad pirate jokes, is that it is very action-oriented. The Nine of Swords, for example, shows a pirate crew staging a mutiny instead of the classic images of worry and fear. Some of the other cards show pictures so different from the traditional Pamela Coleman Smith images that they force the reader to stretch his/her psychic muscles to interpret them. This is a perfect deck to use if you are reading cards at an event where you expect pirates to show up!

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