Tarot cards have been used for centuries as a tool for understanding, reflection and spiritual guidance. Although tarot originated in Europe, the images and themes found in the cards often reflect much older myths from various ancient cultures. Many of these myths include universal themes, such as heroism, quests and rewards, with each part of the journey mapped by the maps of the Major Arcana. Understanding these mythical connections can help us understand Tarot cards.

1. The Fool’s Journey

In tarot, The Fool represents a journey of self-discovery, which mirrors the classic hero’s journey found in many ancient myths. The Fool’s journey through the tarot deck, from innocence to wisdom, can be compared to the journeys of mythical heroes like Odysseus or Perseus. Both in the symbolism of the card and in the myth of Odysseus and Perseus, the hero begins as naive and inexperienced, but becomes stronger, wiser and more aware as he faces challenges. In fact, it is an archetype found in most legends. To reap the fruits of your power, you must first undertake the mortifying test of a leap of faith.

2. The magician

The Magician card represents mastery, ingenuity and creativity. This archetype resembles characters like Hermes from Greek mythology or Thoth from Egyptian mythology, both gods of wisdom and language. The magician, like these ancient gods, uses tools and knowledge to shape his environment and manifest his desires. In tarot, this card tells us to harness our own inner resources, because they exist, even if we think the situation we find ourselves in is helpless, just as the lesson of all the world’s legends is the same quaint idea : Magic exists, but to find it we must first look inside ourselves.

3. The Empress and the High Priestess

The Empress and the High Priestess represent different aspects of wisdom. The Empress, who symbolizes fertility, education and abundance, reflects ancient earth goddesses like Demeter and Gaia. The High Priestess, on the other hand, represents intuition, mystery and spiritual knowledge, similar to the goddess Isis in Egyptian mythology or Persephone in Greek myths.

4. Death and the Tower

Both Death and the Tower symbolize sudden and often difficult changes. Death does not mean literal death but rather the end of one phase and the beginning of another, like the cycles of nature and the seasons. The Tower represents upheaval and reflects myths that powerful change is necessary to bring about growth. Does this remind you of anything? Yes of course, this must remind you of the myth of the phoenix, reborn from its ashes. Both cards emphasize the mythic theme that destruction often leads to rebirth and that sometimes death is necessary to orchestrate any meaningful change.
Ancient myths and tarot share common archetypes and themes that help us reflect on our own lives. By connecting tarot cards to mythology, we can better understand these cards. By the time these cards became popular, they had after all been modeled after a story. And all the narrative structures follow the same principles, which makes it so close to real life. These timeless stories remind us that life’s challenges and transformations are part of a shared human experience, as symbolized in the tarot deck.