Legends about origin of Tarot

[GDA]

Hi,

Just a quick thought- in some legends about the origin of the Tarot, people claim that the cards come from scenes supposedly from the inside of the Great Pyramid. This is pretty easily dismissed because no such scenes have been found. However I also heard that the paintings come from scenes in a chamber below the Sphinx. I was wondering if anyone else has heard about this claim and if there is any truth to a secret chamber beneath the Sphinx. It seems to me that Egypt is so ancient and mysterious that it almost just makes sense that the Tarot would originate from there, but that there is little evidence to corroborate the Egyptial theory. Any thoughts?

GDA

[Theres]

interesting question.
the idea of a secret chamber being under the foot of the Sphinx was, i believe, first put forth by Edgar Cayce. it has become quite popular lately, with the age of the Egyptian sites being challenged. and i think a ground-penetrating radar image did reveal something down there. but apparently the Egyptian government won't allow the site to be excavated.
as for the origins of the tarot, well, that's shrouded in mystery.
the theory that it was born in Egypt was popularized by a Frenchman named Antoine Court de Gebelin at the end of the eighteenth century. this 'history' remained in vogue for along time, being elaborated on by Papus, the Golden Dawn, and others of the late ninteenth-early twentieth centuries.
one idea was that the tarot was a 'book' of knowledge (in 22 or 78 'chapters'), deliberately 'pied' or disguised as a card game so as not to be destroyed by the religious zealots yet to come.
but there is (as yet) no hard evidence of this theory.
another theory is that the tarot came west with the Celtic immigration, possibly from India. but again, no proof.
all we know for sure is that the cards appeared in Europe around the middle of the fifteenth century, probably as a parlor game. the Visconti-Sforza deck may be the oldest known, and is certainly the most complete of the 'ancient' packs, with 76 of the original 78 cards extant.
but there is no evidence of the tarot being used for any esoteric purposes until Court de Gebelin's time.
so maybe this will all have to be re-evaluated if and when the chamber under the old cat's paw is ever excavated.

[GDA]

Very interesting.

Thanks.

[Doctor Oakroot]

No hard evidence here... just speculation:

I wouldn't be surprised if the Tarot came to Europe with the Gypsies - who are called that because they were, falsely, thought to come from Egypt - thus giving rise to various Egyptian origin stories for the Tarot.

The Gypsies are actually from India (pretty well documented) - and the 22 trumps have a definite similarity with Hindu religious art (although hidden by centuries of westernization and Christianization of the images). So maybe that's the origin.

[Mnemosyne]

I have heard so many myths about the origin of Tarot. Dr. Oakroot, I too have heard about the gypsies bringing their ideas from India. An interesting theory that I have heard is that the cards have their roots in Gnosticism; Gnostic ideas are a combination of Indian, Chaldean, Persian, and Egyptian magic with Greek philosophy. If this is the case, no wonder the cards have connections with these great cultures. I guess the origin of the cards are as mysterious as the cards themselves.

[goldenweb]

This is a fascinating thread, the mystery of the origins of the cards makes them all the more compelling. Astrology, sacred texts - all things become imbued with power through mystery, and my feeling is that they are based on knowledge and skills that have have partially lost to us. The idea of the gypsies bringing the tarot to Europe is inspired, and feels like the truth to me. It ties up with the thoughts on Egyptian origin - and the gypsies have ever been skilled at divination. Have you noticed too how the tarot symbols could almost be tied in to differnt Hindu Gods and Goddesses? This subject deserves more thought and study, the threads of similarity that seem to run through legend, myth, and sacred texts, the recently discovered scientific evidence of the Flood (albeit localized) that occurs in so many ancient texts... yes, fascinating.