About

Tarot cards are historic playing cards that emerged from the 15th Century. Online, the major 'arcana' that appear in the original deck are often drawn by artists in their own style. In fandoms, characters are often attributed to the major arcana that befits their roles and personalities.

Origin

Tarot cards (more formally known as the tarot,) are a pack of playing cards that originated from 15th Century Europe. Initially they were used merely as playing cards for gambling, but by the 18th century until the present they have become a means of fortune telling as well as a map of mental and spiritual pathways^[1]. The earliest known instance of characters being attributed to arcana of the tarot are in the credits of the Cartoon Network show The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy which begun airing in 2003. The credits show the main characters of the show, Billy, Mandy, and Grim, replicating the arcana fool, empress, and death, respectively^[3].

Spread

While Tarot cards have been around for centuries, the attribution of characters to the major arcana of the tarot is popularized by the video game series Shin Megami Tensei: Persona, which utilizes the numerous arcana of the tarot in its gameplay and characters. Moreover, the usage of the tarot itself in pop culture most likely emerged from the anime and manga JoJo's Bizarre Adventure. The tag 'Tarot' in Deviantart yields 74,563 results as of December 14, 2014^[2].

Notable Examples

Search Interests

External References

^[1] Wikipedia – Tarot

^[2] Deviantart – Tarot

^[3] Wikia – The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy