The Correct Correspondence between the
Major Arcana and Egyptian Hieroglyphs
September 12, 2020
G.D.O'Bradovich III
Over many years, we attempted to determine which the placement of glyphs in the International Phonetic Alphabet, but our efforts were always hindered by the fact that technical description of all Egyptian phonemes were not to be found, i.e. voiceless pharyngeal fricative 𓎛.
We are aware that the Egyptian transcriptions are valid only for Middle Egyptian and not the earlier language or later developments. However, our proposed table of correspondences between the International Phonetic Alphabet and Egyptian hieroglyphs would be a useful reference, as the majority of texts one will encounter are Middle Egyptian, otherwise said, Early Egyptian and Late Egyptian are specialized fields.
Fortunately, in July, 2018, Apprentice RJ was able to locate the technical IPA terms for all of the Egyptian unilateral glyphs and created the following table:
We are aware that the Egyptian transcriptions are valid only for Middle Egyptian and not the earlier language or later developments. However, our proposed table of correspondences between the International Phonetic Alphabet and Egyptian hieroglyphs would be a useful reference, as the majority of texts one will encounter are Middle Egyptian, otherwise said, Early Egyptian and Late Egyptian are specialized fields.
Fortunately, in July, 2018, Apprentice RJ was able to locate the technical IPA terms for all of the Egyptian unilateral glyphs and created the following table:
For several weeks over the summer, Apprentice Hunter and Yours Truly were engaged in a common pursuit that included much free time. As Nature hates a vacuum, so we detest silence, especially when it can be overflowing with our erudite babbling. Of course, we took many questions from Apprentice Hunter which were, if not insightful, amusing. [Gentle Reader, the ancient Egyptians did not speak ancient English.]
Eventually, the topic of the Tarot and Egyptian hieroglyphs was duly discussed. At that time, we had not paired all glyphs with their corresponding Tarot card, as a few correspondences remained uncertain. Specifically, we were unable to determine the correct glyphs for Emperor and for the Hierophant. Despite these obstacles, we always remained confident that the Egyptian hieroglyphs were the proper method of study and understanding of the Tarot, not the Hebrew alphabet.
Eventually, the topic of the Tarot and Egyptian hieroglyphs was duly discussed. At that time, we had not paired all glyphs with their corresponding Tarot card, as a few correspondences remained uncertain. Specifically, we were unable to determine the correct glyphs for Emperor and for the Hierophant. Despite these obstacles, we always remained confident that the Egyptian hieroglyphs were the proper method of study and understanding of the Tarot, not the Hebrew alphabet.
I have also not adopted the prevailing attribution of the cards to the Hebrew alphabet--firstly, because it would serve no purpose in an elementary handbook; secondly, because nearly every attribution is wrong.’ A.E. Waite, ‘Pictorial Key to the Tarot’
After we wrote the glyphs on note paper, Apprentice Hunter noticed that the glyphs fall naturally into five categories:
Snakes [2]
Birds [3] Human body [4] Nature [5] Household [8] |
horned viper 𓆑 , cobra𓆓
quail chick 𓅱 , vulture 𓄿 , owl 𓅓 arm 𓂝,mouth 𓂋 , leg 𓃀 , hand 𓂧 reed 𓇋 , animal belly and tail 𓄡 , pool of water𓈙 , hill𓈎 , water𓈖 door bolt 𓊃 , jar stand 𓎼 , bread loaf 𓏏 , folded cloth 𓋴 , twisted wick 𓎛 , basket 𓎡 , mat 𓊪 , sieve 𓐍 or placenta |
Interestingly, the total number of Household and Birds is equal to the total number of Snakes, Human Body, and Nature [8+3=2+4+5], that is eleven. In other words, the five categories are balanced, as there are twenty two cards in the Major Arcana. We believe this coincidence is an indication that our preliminary analysis is correct.
There are twenty five glyphs in Egyptian that represent twenty five phonemes and all but three of them combine with one or more sounds that is depicted by a different glyph. The three that do not produce a distinct glyph are the double reed𓇌, reed shelter𓉔, and tethering rope𓍿. Therefore, the remaining twenty two cards can be allocated to the Major Arcana.
Finally, the sieve 𓐍 [or placenta] is placed under Household so the total is eight items and we know that a placenta should be placed under Nature, not Household, however, placing the placenta under Nature increased the number of items to six and this no longer allows two groupings of eleven each. Therefore, we conclude that 𓐍 is a sieve and placed it under the heading of Household.
The Tarot cards with the proposed hieroglyph:
There are twenty five glyphs in Egyptian that represent twenty five phonemes and all but three of them combine with one or more sounds that is depicted by a different glyph. The three that do not produce a distinct glyph are the double reed𓇌, reed shelter𓉔, and tethering rope𓍿. Therefore, the remaining twenty two cards can be allocated to the Major Arcana.
Finally, the sieve 𓐍 [or placenta] is placed under Household so the total is eight items and we know that a placenta should be placed under Nature, not Household, however, placing the placenta under Nature increased the number of items to six and this no longer allows two groupings of eleven each. Therefore, we conclude that 𓐍 is a sieve and placed it under the heading of Household.
The Tarot cards with the proposed hieroglyph:
Fool
Magician High priestess Empress |
quail chick
horned viper reed𓇋 leg𓃀 |
𓅱
𓆑 𓇋 𓃀 |
Emperor
Hierophant Lovers Chariot Strength |
bread loaf?, hill?
bread loaf?, hill? vulture cobra mouth |
𓏏 𓈎
𓏏 𓈎 𓄿 𓆓 𓂋 |
Hermit
Wheel of Fortune Justice Hanged Man |
jar stand
pool of water owl mat |
𓎼
𓈙 𓅓 𓊪 |
Death
Temperance Devil Tower Star |
sieve
hand arm folded cloth door bolt |
𓐍
𓂧 𓂝 𓋴 𓊃 |
Moon
Sun Judgment World |
animal belly with tail
water basket twisted wick |
𓄡
𓈖 𓎡 𓎛 |
The above with the five discovered categories:
Fool
quail chick 𓅱 Magician horned viper 𓆑 High priestess reed𓇋 Empress leg 𓃀 |
Bird |
Snake |
Nature |
Man |
Emperor bread loaf𓏏?, hill𓈎?
Hierophant bread loaf𓏏?, hill𓈎? Lovers eagle 𓄿 Chariot cobra 𓆓 Strength mouth 𓂋 |
Bird |
Snake |
Nature? Nature? |
Man |
Household? Household? |
Hermit
jar stand 𓎼 Wheel of Fortune pool of water 𓈙 Justice owl 𓅓 Hanged Man mat 𓊪 |
Bird |
Nature |
Household Household |
Death
sieve 𓐍 Temperance hand 𓂧 Devil arm𓂝 Tower bolt of cloth 𓋴 Star door bolt 𓊃 |
Man Man |
Household Household Household |
Moon
animal body with tail 𓄡 Sun water 𓈖 Judgment basket 𓎡 World twisted wick 𓎛 |
Nature Nature |
Household Household |
After untold hours of studying Faulkner’s concise dictionary and Budge’s two volume dictionary in our initial research, even within the subjective limits of our research, we could not be certain which glyphs correspond to the Emperor or to the Hierophant. However, with Apprentice Hunter’s insight, it is now possible to determine which glyph is correct.
The first four cards are unquestionably categorized as Bird, Snake, Nature, and Man.
The first four cards are unquestionably categorized as Bird, Snake, Nature, and Man.
Fool
quail chick 𓅱 Magician horned viper 𓆑 High priestess reed 𓇋 Empress leg 𓃀 Emperor loaf of bread𓏏?, hill𓈎? |
Bird |
Snake |
Nature Nature? |
Man |
Household? |
Since Apprentice Hunter noted the five distinct categories, we conclude that the Emperor must correspond to the bread loaf, or Household, as Nature is already represented by the reed, or High Priestess. Our corrected correspondence is:
0 Fool
1 Magician 2 High priestess 3 Empress 4 Emperor 5 Hierophant 6 Lovers 7 Chariot 8 Strength 9 Hermit 10 Wheel of Fortune 11 Justice 12 Hanged Man 13 Death 14 Temperance 15 Devil 16 Tower 17 Star 18 Moon 19 Sun 20 Judgment 21 World |
quail chick
horned viper reed leg bread loaf hill 𓈎 vulture cobra mouth jar stand pool of water owl mat sieve hand arm folded cloth door bolt animal body with tail water basket twisted wick |
𓅱
𓆑 𓇋 𓃀 𓏏 𓈎 𓄿 𓆓 𓂋 𓎼 𓈙 𓅓 𓊪 𓐍 𓂧 𓂝 𓋴 𓊃 𓄡 𓈖 𓎡 𓎛 |
Bird
Snake Nature Man Household Nature Bird Snake Man Household Nature Bird Household Household Man Man Household Household Nature Nature Household Household |
Select Observations
Bird always precedes Snake- quail chick [0], horned viper [1], and eagle [6], cobra [7]
Total: 4 cards
Man precedes Household on two occasions-leg [3], hill [4]; and mouth [8], jar stand [9]
Total: 4 cards
Nature precedes Bird on one occasion- pool of water [10] and owl [11]
Total: 2 cards
Although the pool of water is rectangular and suggests that it is man made, it must be attributed to Nature, as a natural pool of water, and not to Household. Otherwise these correspondences do not manifest. Additionally, it is difficult to conceive of a pool of water as being placed under Household.
Also, without Waite’s exchange of Strength [originally number 11] for Justice [originally number 8], our proposal is inoperable, as the mouth [Strength] is Man and owl [Justice] is Bird.
Total: 4 cards
Man precedes Household on two occasions-leg [3], hill [4]; and mouth [8], jar stand [9]
Total: 4 cards
Nature precedes Bird on one occasion- pool of water [10] and owl [11]
Total: 2 cards
Although the pool of water is rectangular and suggests that it is man made, it must be attributed to Nature, as a natural pool of water, and not to Household. Otherwise these correspondences do not manifest. Additionally, it is difficult to conceive of a pool of water as being placed under Household.
Also, without Waite’s exchange of Strength [originally number 11] for Justice [originally number 8], our proposal is inoperable, as the mouth [Strength] is Man and owl [Justice] is Bird.
For reasons which satisfy myself, this card [Strength] has been interchanged with that of justice... As the variation carries nothing with it which will signify to the reader, there is no cause for explanation.
A.E. Waite, ‘Pictorial Key to the Tarot’
Household follows household on three occasions- mat [12], sieve [13]; folded cloth [16], door bolt [17]; basket [20], twisted wick [21]
Total: 6 cards
Man follows Man on one occasion- hand [14], arm [15]
Total: 2 cards
Nature follows Nature on once occasion- animal belly and tail [18], water [19]
Total: 2 cards
Twenty cards are accounted, leaving the High Priestess and the Hierophant as the remaining Nature glyphs, reed and hill respectively. Although these are logically paired by their respective titles, the cards are numbered 2 and 5 and their numerical separation is to be understood as a veil for the unwary researcher.
Total: 6 cards
Man follows Man on one occasion- hand [14], arm [15]
Total: 2 cards
Nature follows Nature on once occasion- animal belly and tail [18], water [19]
Total: 2 cards
Twenty cards are accounted, leaving the High Priestess and the Hierophant as the remaining Nature glyphs, reed and hill respectively. Although these are logically paired by their respective titles, the cards are numbered 2 and 5 and their numerical separation is to be understood as a veil for the unwary researcher.
Voiceless
Mat, bread loaf, bolt of cloth, basket, twisted wick pool, animal body with tail, hill Vulture Viper NA |
Household Nature Bird Snake Man |
Voiced
door bolt, jar stand water, reed owl, quail chick cobra hand, mouth arm, leg |
The totals for voiceless and voiced phonemes are eleven.
Labial
Coronal Dorsal Radical Laryngeal |
Voiceless
2 3 2 1 1 |
Voiced
3 4 2 1 NA |
Total
5 7 7 2 1 |
No combination of either the categories or the phonemes, either voiceless or voiced, total eleven.
Plosive Nasal Trill Fricative Approximate |
Voiceless
5 NA NA 6 NA |
Voiced
4 2 1 2 2 |
Total
9 2 1 8 2 |
The total for plosives and nasal phonemes is eleven. The total for trills, fricatives, and approximates is eleven.
Plosive Nasal Trill Fricative Approximate |
Household
4 4 |
Man
2 1 1 |
Snake
1 1 |
Nature
1 1 2 1 |
Bird
1 1 1 |
Total
9 2 1 8 2 |
The total of Plosive and Nasal is equal to the total of Trill, Fricative, and Approximate. The total of Plosive and Approximate is equal to the total of Nasal, Trill, and Fricative. Once again, the total of Household and Bird is eleven, as is Man, Snake, and Nature.
Finally, I have not attempted to rectify the position of the cards in their relation to one another; the Zero therefore appears after No. 20, but I have taken care not to number the World or Universe otherwise than as 21. Wherever it ought to be put, the Zero is an unnumbered card.
A.E. Waite, ‘Pictorial Key to the Tarot’
Placing the Fool before the World breaks the pairing between Judgment 20 and the World 21, since both are categorized as Household.
[In] later times the cards have been attributed to the letters of the Hebrew alphabet, and there has been apparently some difficulty about allocating the zero symbol satisfactorily in a sequence of letters all of which signify numbers. In the present reference of the card to the letter Shin, which corresponds to 200, the difficulty or the unreason remains. The truth is that the real arrangement of the cards has never transpired. A.E. Waite, ‘Pictorial Key to the Tarot’
Discussion
Although the initial impulse is to declare that the Tarot was originally based on the twenty two Egyptian phonemes, we can not make this statement. We can only state that Waite’s modifications of the cards, for example, more details in the Major Arcana, can be justified upon the perusal of Budge’s and Faulkner’s dictionaries, published in 1920 and 1962, respectively. Waite’s version of the Tarot deck was published in 1909 and there is no doubt that he had access to at least one early Egyptian dictionary.
We have not attempted to study the earliest Tarot decks from the 15th century. The Tower was named ‘The House of God’. However, it is a tower destroyed by lighting. Waite added the point of an arrow in his version of the ‘Tower’.
From Faulkner’s Dictionary, page 217:
We have not attempted to study the earliest Tarot decks from the 15th century. The Tower was named ‘The House of God’. However, it is a tower destroyed by lighting. Waite added the point of an arrow in his version of the ‘Tower’.
From Faulkner’s Dictionary, page 217:
swnt ‘arrow’
swn ‘perish’ swn ‘affliction’ swnw ‘tower’ |
From Budge’s Dictionary, page 650:
swn ‘to suffer pain...destruction’ [the determinant is an arrow]
|
page 651:
swhn ‘to overthrow’
swh ‘to overthrow’ |
page 652:
swka ‘destruction, ruin’
swst ‘ruin, destruction’ |
It is clear from the ‘The House of God’ and Faulkner’s Dictionary that the ‘Tower’ card should be assigned to the glyph 𓋴. We understand Waite’s modification of the lighting bolt to an arrowhead as a confirmation both of our proposed interpretation and to the Gentle Researcher who has an opened Egyptian Dictionary.
When Waite disputes a conclusion, the Gentle Reader can be certain that the interpretation is, in fact, incorrect. However, if Waite marginalizes, maligns, and disparages a certain thought on multiple occasions, then the statement is closer to the truth than Waite can relate in writing.
The deception and self-deception regarding their origin in Egypt... put a lying spirit into the mouths of the first expositors, and the later occult writers have done little more than reproduce the first false testimony in the good faith of an intelligence unawakened to the issues of research.
We have now seen that there is no particle of evidence for the Egyptian origin of Tarot cards.
A.E. Waite, ‘Pictorial Key to the Tarot’