Bēhance: Trumplust Deck of Cards by Yanko Tsvetkov

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Bēhance: Trumplust Deck of Cards by Yanko Tsvetkov

07 Mar

“I’ve been dreaming of designing my own set of playing cards for a lot of time. The idea first came in 2007 when I was working on my Theogony project. For a brief time I was even considering turning the whole project into a tarot deck. Last year [2011] I finally started making drafts for the more widely used French deck and that’s how my Trumplust Deck of Cards began to take shape.

Although it was no longer a part of Theogony, I decided to follow a similar concept which can be described as re-interpreted depictions of ancient mythological figures and deities. The main difference is these interpretations now follow the organization of the standard playing card deck and to achieve that, I had to assemble groups of deities under common “houses” that correspond to the four suits of Spades, Hearts, Diamonds and Clubs.

The end result is a divine pastiche of gods and goddesses from Norse to Hindu mythology. The symbolism of the suits was also re-imagined and so were some of the cartomancy concepts as you will see in the explanations below. Like the rest of my projects, the Trumplust Deck of Cards is far from finished, so I will gradually expand it further. For example, the association of each suit with a cardinal geographic direction is not accidental and it’s going to be one of the ideas I will definitely spend some time on.” ~ Yanko Tsvetkov

You can read more here.

The House of Spades

Symbolism: War, violence, challenge, sacrifice, death, afterlife
Direction: North
Caste: Warrior

King of Spades: Osiris

The card symbolizes the cycle of life and death through pain and sacrifice. Osiris was one of the most revered Egyptian gods, ruler of the underworld and a symbol of life at the same time.

Queen of Spades: Kali

The card symbolizes the brute force of nature and evolution, devoid of human categories like justice, compassion and mercy. Kali is the Hindu goddess of rage, annihilation and destruction and symbolizes the moment of death and letting go of one’s ego.

Jack of Spades: Belus

The card symbolizes civilization and conquest through war and technology. Belus is a Babylonian god of war.

The House of Hearts

Symbolism: Love, romance, emotion, spirituality, magic
Direction: South
Caste: Poet

King of Hearts: Anteros

The card symbolizes the union of hearts and the triumph of love over individualism. Anteros is the lesser known brother of the Ancient Greek god Eros. He’s the god of fulfilled, requited love.

Queen of Hearts: Astarte

The card symbolizes the yearning for love. Astarte is an ancient Eastern Mediterranean goddess of sex, love and fertility.

Jack of Hearts: Kamadeva

The card symbolizes sexual desire and passion. Kamadeva is a Hindu god of physical love.

The House of Clubs

Symbolism: Birth, fertility, desire, sex
Direction: East
Caste: Peasant

King of Clubs: Chronos

The card symbolizes the passage of time. In Ancient Greek mythology, Chronos is the personification of time.

Queen of Clubs: Rhea

The card symbolizes birth and the instinct for procreation. In Ancient Greek mythology, Rhea is the mother of many Olympian gods, among which Zeus, Hades, Demeter, Poseidon and Hera.

Jack of Clubs: Min

The card symbolizes fertility and the primal sexual desire. Min is an Egyptian god of nature, reproduction and male sexual potency.

The House of Diamonds

Symbolism: Luck, wealth, greed, rationality, materialism
Direction: West
Caste: Merchant

King of Diamonds: Jörmungandr

The card symbolizes possession and obsession with power. Jörmungandr, also known as Midgard, is a mythical ancient sea serpent in Norse mythology, one that holds all the waters of the world in his embrace.

Queen of Diamonds: Lakshmi

The card symbolizes wealth and material prosperity. Lakshmi is a Hindu goddess of wealth and fortune, closely associate with money, which are considered one of her many manifestations.

Jack of Diamonds: Mammon

The card symbolizes greed and the speculative accumulation of wealth. Mammon wasn’t originally a deity but a Biblical term used to refer to unjust material gain and gluttony. Later, it was personified as a false god and as one of the seven princes of Hell in Christian demonology.