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I wish I could remember the name of those medieval Italian educational cards. Their history is covered very well in the book Cartomancy by Alessandro Bellinghi.

Basically, it was a very common teaching aid to have cards with various information, like modern flashcards. Every teacher made up his own variations, but all of them included the classes of society, and most had the zodiac signs and planets (basic information at the time for anyone claiming to be educated). After that, additional cards depended on whatever the tutor thought appropriate, but could include plants and animals, famous Biblical and historical figures, countries and cities, etc.

Presumably the tutors and children used these cards to play simple educational games, otherwise why would the information be on cards? And children being children, they probably played non-educational games with them as well. Some of the categories (classes, zodiac signs, planets) would have been numbered.

And at about the same time, the idea of a deck of playing cards was developing separately in various places in Europe, especially Italy and France. The concept seems to have been influenced by the use of numbered slips to substitute for dice, and also by the Indian and Chinese use of flat playing pieces in board games.

So there were a lot of cards of various types floating around medieval Europe, and some would have ended up in the same household. There is a very old Italian card game called tarocco that is played with a Tarot deck, with the Major Arcana serving as trumps.

As soon as you've got anything associated with a number or symbolic image, someone is going to call it lucky or unlucky, good or bad. From there it's only a small step to deliberately drawing a card and telling your fortune, not necessarily entirely seriously. And from there will develop all the more elaborate methods of card divination.

So the concepts of flashcards and playing cards and Tarot cards all emerged out of the same primeval ancestry, and are all intertwined. People still tell fortunes with playing cards, and up until relatively recently played games with Tarot cards.

The early Tarot decks were a bit fluid and didn't all contain the same cards. What we now know as the Tarot of Marseilles was the first "definitive" deck, and seems to be the ancestor of all Tarots since.

Tarot Korea has a wonderful collection of ancient and modern Tarot decks to view. You might want to have a browse if you're thinking of buying any particular deck.

check these out:

http://www.deck777.com

Just got my Carnie tarot today! Yay! I'm a happy bunny!

I've also ordered a pack of Victorian Romantic tarot that look to me to be the most beautiful tarot I've ever seen. They appear to be quite hard to get hold of, so I may be in for a bit of a wait. Check out their evil sister the Bohemian Gothic deck too. Equally stunning and just as elusive.

themagicwand wrote:Just got my Carnie tarot today! Yay! I'm a happy bunny!

I've also ordered a pack of Victorian Romantic tarot that look to me to be the most beautiful tarot I've ever seen. They appear to be quite hard to get hold of, so I may be in for a bit of a wait. Check out their evil sister the Bohemian Gothic deck too. Equally stunning and just as elusive.

you might like these as well

http://www.deviantmoon.com/wordpress/index.php

I think the Carnie Tarot is great. The effort that went into creating all the associated items you get with it is staggering (and, like so many of Outlaw's products, extremely funny).

I think I'd have some reservations about sing these cards for readings, at least at any time other than Halloween (and I can be quite spooky). The pictures are a little disturbing for most people. Excellent for bizarre effects. A real triumph, in my opinion.

if its any help, this backstory is a mix from what i read elsewhere...

most travelling circuses that had fortune tellers used to print their own tarot decks as souvenirs to sell to clients and the curious...

these ones were not that successful and a box of them were recently found for sale..when you see the faces you'll see why not many got sold!

i like the smell of them too - i love these cards...

A story isn't a problem (yours is excellent). It's more that I view a reading as being a supportive thing, rather than something likely to scare the blazes out of the sitter. I think the cards (and box, etc.) are extremely effective, but not one to whip out for your auntie's friends at the Methodist coffee morning!

I'm working at a couple of shut eye ghost hunting events over the weekend, so I will be using the carnie tarot to give readings. I'm also going to let the mediums I work with hold the cards and see what they "pick up". The results may hopefully be very interesting. Will let you know what happens.

The back story I worked out was to go with the midwest carnie story, but to explain the evil clown faces as "doodles" that the carnival fortune teller had added herself while she owned the cards.

Dr. Todd - Aargh! So many decks, so little time. The deviant moon deck seems to be very rare this side of the pond and is demanding high prices - £90 or so!?!

Part-Timer wrote:A story isn't a problem (yours is excellent). It's more that I view a reading as being a supportive thing, rather than something likely to scare the blazes out of the sitter. I think the cards (and box, etc.) are extremely effective, but not one to whip out for your auntie's friends at the Methodist coffee morning!

I agree. I will keep them for use at the ghost hunting nights where folks have come along for a good old fashioned scare. For my nice pink 'n' fluffy weddings it will be a good old pack of Robin Wood or similar. Or Victorian Romantic when they finally arrive. I hate waiting for goodies.

themagicwand wrote:I'm working at a couple of shut eye ghost hunting events over the weekend, so I will be using the carnie tarot to give readings. I'm also going to let the mediums I work with hold the cards and see what they "pick up". The results may hopefully be very interesting. Will let you know what happens.

Excellent. I'd love to hear what happens. I think a ghost hunting evening is the perfect place to use the Carnie Tarot.

Speaking of stunning Tarot decks, check out the Shadowscapes Tarot deck...

http://www.shadowscapes.com/Tarot/cardsmain.php?suit=0

The artwork is breathtaking. Beautiful deck.

Back in the 30's and 40's carnivals were mysterious dark and sometimes frightening places.

The Carnie Tarot is a gritty custom hand aged deck designed to reflect a time long gone, when the true traveling carnival, complete with fortune tellers, side shows and freak shows came into town.

Carnie is not a "glamor" deck. It is not a gorgeous deck, its not supposed to be.

It is designed and aged to look like exactly what it is, a deck that came from someone back in the 30's, who printed them up and distributed them to rather unscrupulous fortune tellers to use to their "advantage".

themagicwand wrote:I'm working at a couple of shut eye ghost hunting events over the weekend, so I will be using the carnie tarot to give readings. I'm also going to let the mediums I work with hold the cards and see what they "pick up". The results may hopefully be very interesting. Will let you know what happens.

The back story I worked out was to go with the midwest carnie story, but to explain the evil clown faces as "doodles" that the carnival fortune teller had added herself while she owned the cards.

Dr. Todd - Aargh! So many decks, so little time. The deviant moon deck seems to be very rare this side of the pond and is demanding high prices - £90 or so!?!

You can get the Deviant Moon much cheaper from www.tarotchest.co.uk (£19.99)...I think the listing on Amazon is an error

DrTodd wrote:
You can get the Deviant Moon much cheaper from www.tarotchest.co.uk (£19.99)...I think the listing on Amazon is an error

Ah, thank you good doctor.

themagicwand wrote:

DrTodd wrote:
You can get the Deviant Moon much cheaper from www.tarotchest.co.uk (£19.99)...I think the listing on Amazon is an error

Ah, thank you good doctor.

de nada muchacho..