Looking at the Lord of Grails he holds a head high in his hand, the head has snakes for hair however the face is non-descript of any of the other characters. The only other character with snakes for hair 'medusa' style is the enchantress in the Seven of Grails.
Could the head in the Lord's hand belonging to a character who he has clearly beheaded be representative of the enchantress in the Seven?
I am wondering what the head represents? I'm thinking some kind of statement of emotional balance maybe or a sign of emotional maturity in an aspect of the Lord. Has he done away with indecision as an aspect of himself. Maybe the head signifies self awareness and congruence in himself and being fully functioning and autonomous. Holding the snake hair head up could be a kind of 'I know what I feel and I trust my feelings and myself.
These two cards always make me think of Medusa in mythology. It is an interesting myth because it has so many facets and aspects. Medusa is not just evil but also represents power and what I find particularly interesting is that she actually only gets her powers after she is beheaded.
In words of J. Harrison "..her potency only begins when her head is severed, and that potency resides in the head".
The corals were said to have been formed of Medusa's blood spilled onto seaweed when Perseus laid down the petrifying head. Her head is full of creative potential.
The book (Phantasmagoria by Ian Daniels) seems to make no connection between these two cards which is strange since they are obviously connected. The books says the woman is a snake headed siren and that´s all. The Lord of Grails has stolen her head, her power, and if one looks at the myth the Lord could be either the hero Perseus or the king to whom the head is later given. The books says "The severed snake-haired head he holds as a trophy symbolises his power to steal the energies of his enemies and use it as his own....[the head] energizes his masculine libido."
Not sure I like this king very much.
I´m not a fan of any of the kings in this deck in fact since they feel so impersonal and cold and distant. The tarot King of Cups/Grails is usually the warm and caring father and gentle artist -but that would be hard to guess from this deck.
Oh, thank you Ian. It´s truly an honour to have you comment in our threads!
Oh wow, thankyou for your response to our musings. Really interesting to hear your thoughts and to know we were on the right track with the card symbolism. Happy New year.
It seems like an interesting project, I just backed it up, and I always wanted to have the High Priestess on my wall .
The Lord is the end. Death, punishment or the turning point of one's mission. The 7 is the start. A ritual, a bite from a snake, a spell of blood, justice or revenge. In the middle, for me stands 3 of Skulls. The demonic wheel, the net of time and destiny, reminding us that fate is not written, there are just lines, planes and possibilities.
And guys, i'm a romanian speaking, so don't decode things in my english mistakes.