The Norse Tarot: Gods, Sagas and Runes from the Lives of the Viking/Book and Cards [Paperback]

The Book is strong in linking the major arcana to the stories of the Noremen, but does a disservice to the reader not familiar with Norse Mythology. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is already familiar with one or two versions of the standard tarot deck AND already has some familiarity with Norse mythology. The instruction is insightful, well articulated and comprehensive (I only wish it had been longer with an expanded section for runes... but you can't have it all). The cards are well drawn and detailed. Best of all, one does not have to memorize the meanings of the cards; the meaning is easily deducible from the pictures. Right on and about time!

After owning over 30 different tarot decks this is my favorite everyday deck because I find the cards so easy to read. The Norse deck has soft colors and clear, graceful drawings but the perspective and action of the pictures of these cards are compelling and have really added life to the Tarot for me. Study the minor arcana and it filmic-ly tells a story without already knowing the traditional meaning of the cards. The court cards don't describe physical attributes of a person as much as they describe a more accurate description of their emotional maturity and personality traits. * The bonus is that the book and major arcana introduced me to Norse mythology and thus served as an introduction for learning the Runes.

22 years after its publication, I finally obtained a copy of this long OOP deck at a local thrift store at well below the publishers retail price. I guess it finally wanted my attention after my endless hunting for it. The cards are in mint condition! It is the final rare collector deck on my list.

Long before the days of the "deck of the month" was produced, there appeared from the UK publisher Aquarian Press these themed decks that captured the tarot world's attention. Clive Barret gave us the Egyptian Tarot and this Norse inspired deck. They were never best sellers and vanished by the mid 1990s. They left behind a legacy that is nothing short of phenomenal. Why? They went down a road never taken before, inspiring a neo pagan revival that crossed cultures and raised eyebrows.

The Norse Tarot is second behind the Greenwood Tarot in its demand and rarity. Compared to decks that followed from other publishers, this one is visually uninspired. However the theme is groundbreaking! This is the first and only deck to introduce the runes and Norse mythology into the Tarot. The runes used here are not the traditional modern ones that are accepted by the modern schools. Clive Barrett uses his own enigmatic and encryptic set of runes and assigns then to each of the 22 major arcana. The results are nothing short of revolutionary!

Yes, using Mr Barrett's major trumps, you can consult the runes and the tarot together. It is also a crash course in Aesir and Vanir mythology. The fire was lit, and very few of us could run with it. Indeed, this deck has become as enigmatic as the runes themselves...