The interpretations given here are not meant to be definitive. As you grow your intuition and imagination, you will develop your own understanding of the essences of Symbolism. Real understanding comes from inner reflection, thought, meditation and experience.
In greek mythology, the Olympian goddess of the hunt, Artemis (known as Satis in Roman Mythology) is associated with childbirth and nature, “was known to take revenge on those who fell in love with her or tried to take advantage of her femininity. She would let her dogs loose on such men after turning them into stags. So they’d be torn to pieces” [1].
Psalm 42 (41): “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God.” The stag (or deer) represents the loving soul [2]. Buddhists, Celtics India and Chinese all have a stag or a deer in which the narrative hails the merits of compassion, empathy and karma [3].
Many tarot cards depict either a stag behaving like a human or a human with a crown made from antlers. For example, Celtic mythological stories tell us that the stag “is a mystical Spirit Animal who can transform into the likeness of a human.” [4]
This may be attributed to the “Egyptian Goddess Stais of war, hunting and fertility, as a war goddess, killing the enemies of the pharaoh with her sharp arrows. As a fertility goddess, she was thought to grant the wishes of those who sought love usually pictured as a woman with antelope horns” [5]. Although a different species than stags, antelopes are even toed hoofed and ruminant animals – “many of which are of great dietary, economic, and cultural importance to humans.” [6]
Consider the Stag Rider playing card dated 1450-1460. A number of authors have interpreted the card, hand-painted on parchment, as ‘Temperance’. “This card represents an iconographical challenge: no directly comparable figure exists in any other early set, Italian or German. Its androgynous-looking rider which, along with most of the literature, we shall for the moment regard as female has tentatively been identified as ‘Temperance‘, because of the gesture of emptying the cup.” [7]
Interesting how the character is being wasteful dumping the contents of the cup compared to today’s ‘Temperance’ tarot card. Also note is how the character is riding, they can’t see where they’re heading.
The Stag as a symbol could sometimes symbolize lust and lack of restraint, or time running away. Stags might also represent cuckoldry, a consequence of (female) lust” [8]
In Western traditions, cuckolds have sometimes been described as ‘wearing the horns of a cuckold’ or just ‘wearing the horns’. This is an allusion to the mating habits of stags, who forfeit their mates when they are defeated by another male. [9] There are many more examples of “horns” representing a man who’s wife is cheating. Cuckolding is also raising another man’s child, with the husband’s knowledge or not. It could be argued to consider this when interpreting cards with the stag imagery. Female lust, lack of self control, over run by emotion and self-indulgence without thought of consequence.
These meanings are further enforced when we consider the Greek mythology associated with Artemis. “She is the goddess of hunting, wild animals and the wilderness. Became also known as the goddess of the moon. She is also known as the queen of Olympus and of all living things. Her symbol is widely known as a bow and arrow.” [10] The goddess of the moon which rules emotions and the female reproductive cycle. The bow and arrow harks back to Satis.
“The Stuttgart Cards, an early-15th-century deck … had a hunting theme, with falcons, ducks, hounds and stags as the suits, which were segregated by sex … the queen, an upper dame and an under dame, belonged to the hounds and stags.” [11]
For reasons mentioned above, this card supports the idea that she may be a women romantically tempted by someone other than her husband. The curtain behind her, adds to the mystery and the possibilities of things being hidden.
When you see images of stags in tarot cards or the ‘Temperance‘ shows up in a reading, there may be another point of view to consider. A person confronted with passion, hiding a secret that has far reaching consequences, selfish desires that need to be balanced, reckless behaviour or husband raising another man’s child.
Subscribe
Subscribe to get our the latest stories in your inbox.
References:
[1] Meditations-on-the-Tarot, Element Classic, Anonymous
[2] http://www.earthwitchery.com/tarot-corr.html
[3] The Golden Tarot, Mary Packard, 2013
[4] The Subtle Body, Cyndi Dale, 2009
[5] atarotcards.com
[6] http://www.archangels-and-angels.com/misc/seven_angels.html
[7] https://en.wikipedia.org/
[8] http://www.walkingkabbalah.com/hebrew-alphabet-letter-meanings/
[9] http://www.soul-guidance.com/houseofthesun/treeoflifeletters.htm
[10] https://norse-mythology.org/gods-and-creatures/the-aesir-gods-and-goddesses/loki/
[11] https://guidetoiceland.is/connect-with-locals/katrinsif/nordic-mythology-gods-and-goddesses
[12] A Guide to The Yggdrasil, Haukur Halladorsson, 2019
[13] http://blog.yogispeaks.co.in
[14] http://www.tarotteachings.com/tarot-and-crystal-meanings.html
[15] Dictionary of the Tarot, Bill Butler, 1975
[16] The Crystal Bible, Judy Hall, 2003
[17] Crystal Basics, Brenda Rosen, 2009
[18] The Encyclopedia of Crystals, Judy Hall, 2013
[19] http://www.arcane-alchemy.com/blog/2018/2/6/uncovering-the-secrets-of-the-fool-card
[20] https://www.corax.com/tarot/cards/fool.html
[21] https://divination.com/iching/lookup/63-2/
[22] https://esotericlibrary.weebly.com/uploads/5/0/7/7/5077636/thecompleteguidetothetarot_bygray.pdf
[23] thetarotguide.com
[24] https://www.biddytarot.com/tarot-card-meanings/minor-arcana/suit-of-wands/
[25] https://www.astrology.com/tarot/card-meanings/suit-of-wands
[26] Jung, A Journey of Transformation, Vivianne Crowley, 1999
[27] https://www.tarotingie.com/tarot-card-meanings/minor-arcana-wands/
[28] https://tarotelements.com/tarot-card-meanings/suit-of-wands/ace-of-wands/
[29] https://zalbarath666.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/gerd-ziegler-tarot-mirror-of-the-soul-handbook-for-the-aleister-crowley-tarot_1986_scan-ocr.pdf
[30] rainbowtherapy-uk.com
[31] Rider Waite Tarot Deck, 1991, US Games System
[32] The Complete Guide to The Tarot, Eden Gray, 1970
[33] The Secret of the Ages, Manly P. Hall, 1928, Global Gray Publishing
[34] The Major Arcana, Mark Passio, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1J7P8PN9nY
[34] https://www.ancient-origins.net/artifacts-other-artifacts/significance-sacred-seal-solomon-and-its-symbols-005401
[35] divinationandfortunetelling.com
[36] General Book of the Tarot, A.E. Thierens, 1930
[37] Liz Dean. “The Ultimate Guide to Tarot.” Apple Books.
[38] Holistic Aromatherapy Colour-Coded Table, Colour Energy, 2015
[39] The Runes, Horik Svensson, 1997
[40] http://www.thelemapedia.org/index.php
[41] The Golden Dawn Tarot, Robert Wang, US Games Systems, Inc. 1978
[42] http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?t=213385
[43] The 2-hour Tarot Tutor, Wilma Carroll, 2005
[44] Pictorial Key to the Tarot, A.E. Waite, 1910
[45] Meditations on the Tarot, Anonymous
[46] The Fountain Tarot, Jonathan Saiz, Roost Books, 2017
[47] Absolute Key to Occult Science, The Tarot of the Bohemians by Papus. Global Grey 2015
[48] John Bauer Tarot, Lo Scarabeo, 2018
[49] Aquarian Tarot By David Palladini, US Games Systems, Inc.1970, 2006
[50] The Little Book of Witchcraft, Judith Hurrell, 2022
[51] The Crystal Experience, Judy Hall, 2010
[52] Tarot & Divination Cards, A visual Archive, Laetitia Barbier, 1990
[53] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQwTi50oYwM
[53] https://www.learnreligions.com/elemental-symbols-4122788
[54] http://angelsarchangelsascendedmasters.blogspot.com/2015/01/archangel-daniel.html
[55] https://my.astrofame.com/clairvoyance/article-sitael-guardian-angel
[56] https://www.drstandley.com/angels_paschar.shtml
[57] http://www.archangels-and-angels.com/misc/72_gods_angels.htm
[58] https://angelorum.co/topics/angelic-tarot/shemhamphorash-tarot-correspondences/
[59] The Tarot of Curious Creatures, ©2021 Chris-Anne Inc., Hay House Inc.
[60] Yarn Tarot, ©2021 Sixth&Spring Books, SOHO Publishing, LLC.
[61] Cancer, Sally Kirkman, 2018
images: https://www.pinterest.ca/fibibishop/stags-tarot/, http://www.academia.edu/7722673/The_Stag_Rider_from_the_So-called_Tarot_of_Alessandro_Sforza_at_the_Museo_Civico_di_Castello_Ursino_of_Catania,
#tarotcards #fibibishoptarot #playingcards #divination #cartomancy #tarotreading #stags