Tarot Mythology: Ancient Symbols in Modern Readings

By Nicole, Founder of Mystic Ryst

When you pull The Fool card, you're not just seeing a medieval jester—you're tapping into the archetype of the Divine Innocent that appears in myths across cultures. The Tower isn't just a crumbling building; it's the Tower of Babel, the fall of Icarus, every story of hubris meeting divine correction.

Tarot is a visual mythology, a collection of universal symbols that speak the language of the soul. While the cards themselves were created in Renaissance Italy, the symbols they contain are far older—drawn from Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Hebrew, Christian, and alchemical traditions.

Understanding these mythological roots doesn't just make you a better reader. It unlocks layers of meaning that transform tarot from fortune-telling into a profound tool for psychological and spiritual insight.

Why Mythology Matters in Tarot

Myths aren't just old stories—they're the operating system of human consciousness. They encode universal human experiences: birth, death, transformation, love, loss, power, surrender. Every culture has creation myths, hero's journeys, trickster tales, and stories of divine intervention.

Tarot works because it speaks this mythological language. When you see The Empress, your unconscious recognizes the Great Mother—Demeter, Isis, Gaia, the Virgin Mary. You don't need to consciously know these myths; they're already embedded in your psyche through the collective unconscious.

This is why tarot readings feel so uncannily accurate. The cards aren't predicting your future—they're reflecting archetypal patterns that your unconscious already knows.

The Major Arcana: A Mythological Journey

The 22 Major Arcana cards form a complete mythological narrative—the Fool's Journey from innocence to enlightenment. Let's explore the mythological roots of key cards.

The Fool (0) - The Divine Innocent

Mythological Parallels:

• Parsifal (Arthurian legend): The pure fool who succeeds where wise knights fail
• The Holy Fool (Christian mysticism): One who appears foolish but possesses divine wisdom
• Dionysus (Greek): God of ecstasy, breaking boundaries, divine madness
• The Trickster (Universal): Coyote, Loki, Anansi—figures who operate outside normal rules

Deeper Meaning: The Fool represents the state before knowledge, before ego, before fear. It's the willingness to step off the cliff trusting that the universe will catch you. In readings, The Fool asks: Where do you need to embrace beginner's mind? What leap of faith is calling you?

The Magician (I) - The Divine Creator

Mythological Parallels:

• Hermes/Mercury (Greco-Roman): Messenger of gods, master of communication and magic
• Thoth (Egyptian): God of wisdom, writing, and magic
• Prometheus (Greek): Bringer of fire (divine knowledge) to humanity
• The Alchemist (Medieval): One who transforms base metals into gold

Deeper Meaning: The Magician has all four elements (suits) on his table—he has the tools. He points one hand to heaven, one to earth—"As above, so below." He's the channel between divine will and earthly manifestation. In readings: What resources do you already possess? How can you channel divine energy into material reality?

The High Priestess (II) - The Divine Feminine Mystery

Mythological Parallels:

• Isis (Egyptian): Goddess of magic, wisdom, and hidden knowledge
• Persephone (Greek): Queen of the Underworld, keeper of mysteries
• The Oracle of Delphi (Greek): Priestess who channeled divine prophecy
• Sophia (Gnostic): Divine feminine wisdom
• The Virgin Mary (Christian): Pure vessel of divine mystery

Deeper Meaning: She sits between two pillars (duality) with a veil behind her (hidden knowledge). She holds the Torah (divine law) and wears the crown of Isis. She is intuition, the unconscious, the mysteries that cannot be spoken but must be experienced. In readings: What does your intuition know that your mind doesn't? What mystery is unfolding?

The Empress (III) - The Great Mother

Mythological Parallels:

• Demeter (Greek): Goddess of harvest, fertility, and nurturing
• Isis (Egyptian): Mother goddess, protector, nurturer
• Gaia (Greek): Earth mother, source of all life
• Venus/Aphrodite (Roman/Greek): Goddess of love, beauty, and creation
• Freya (Norse): Goddess of fertility, love, and abundance

Deeper Meaning: The Empress is nature's abundance, creative fertility, sensual pleasure, and nurturing love. She's pregnant with possibility, surrounded by grain and flowing water. In readings: Where do you need to nurture yourself or others? What are you birthing into being?

The Emperor (IV) - The Divine Masculine Authority

Mythological Parallels:

• Zeus/Jupiter (Greek/Roman): King of gods, ultimate authority
• Odin (Norse): All-father, wise ruler
• Ra (Egyptian): Sun god, supreme authority
• King Arthur (Celtic): Rightful king, just ruler

Deeper Meaning: The Emperor is structure, order, authority, and protection. He sits on a throne of stone (stability) with ram heads (Aries, leadership). He's the father archetype—providing, protecting, establishing boundaries. In readings: Where do you need structure? How can you step into your authority?

The Hierophant (V) - The Divine Teacher

Mythological Parallels:

• Chiron (Greek): The wounded healer, teacher of heroes
• The Buddha: Enlightened teacher, spiritual guide
• Moses (Hebrew): Lawgiver, intermediary between divine and human
• The Pope (Christian): Spiritual authority, keeper of tradition

Deeper Meaning: The Hierophant is spiritual tradition, formal education, and established wisdom. He's the bridge between heaven and earth through institution and ritual. In readings: What tradition or teaching do you need? Who is your spiritual teacher?

The Lovers (VI) - The Divine Union

Mythological Parallels:

• Adam and Eve (Judeo-Christian): Original union, choice, and consequence
• Eros and Psyche (Greek): Divine love overcoming trials
• Shiva and Shakti (Hindu): Divine masculine and feminine in union
• The Alchemical Marriage: Union of opposites creating transformation

Deeper Meaning: The Lovers isn't just about romance—it's about choice, values, and the union of opposites. The angel Raphael (healing) blesses the union. The tree of knowledge stands behind Eve. In readings: What choice are you facing? What needs to come into union?

The Chariot (VII) - The Divine Warrior

Mythological Parallels:

• Apollo (Greek): God of the sun, driving his chariot across the sky
• Thor (Norse): Warrior god, master of his chariot
• Arjuna (Hindu): Warrior prince in the Bhagavad Gita
• The Hero's Journey: The moment of triumph and forward movement

Deeper Meaning: The Chariot is willpower, determination, and controlled power. Two sphinxes (opposing forces) pull the chariot, but the charioteer controls them through will, not reins. In readings: Where do you need to assert your will? What opposing forces must you master?

Strength (VIII) - The Divine Courage

Mythological Parallels:

• Hercules and the Nemean Lion (Greek): Strength through courage, not force
• Daniel in the Lion's Den (Biblical): Faith overcoming fear
• Durga (Hindu): Goddess who defeats demons through divine strength
• Beauty and the Beast: Love taming the wild

Deeper Meaning: A woman gently closes a lion's mouth—strength through gentleness, courage through compassion. The infinity symbol above her head shows this is divine, not human strength. In readings: Where do you need gentle strength? What wild part of yourself needs integration, not domination?

The Hermit (IX) - The Divine Seeker

Mythological Parallels:

• Diogenes (Greek philosopher): Living simply, seeking truth
• The Buddha's retreat: Withdrawal to find enlightenment
• Moses on Mount Sinai (Biblical): Ascending to receive divine wisdom
• Merlin (Celtic): Wise hermit, keeper of ancient knowledge

Deeper Meaning: The Hermit withdraws from the world to find inner light. He holds a lantern (inner wisdom) and a staff (support). He's the wise old man archetype, the guide who has walked the path. In readings: Where do you need solitude? What inner wisdom are you seeking?

The Wheel of Fortune (X) - The Divine Cycle

Mythological Parallels:

• The Fates (Greek): Clotho, Lachesis, Atropos—spinning, measuring, cutting the thread of life
• Fortuna (Roman): Goddess of luck and fate
• Karma (Hindu/Buddhist): The wheel of cause and effect
• The Ouroboros: Snake eating its tail, eternal cycle

Deeper Meaning: The wheel turns—what goes up must come down, what goes down will rise again. Sphinx sits on top (wisdom), Anubis descends (death), serpent ascends (rebirth). In readings: What cycle are you in? What is beyond your control?

Justice (XI) - The Divine Balance

Mythological Parallels:

• Ma'at (Egyptian): Goddess of truth, justice, and cosmic order
• Themis (Greek): Goddess of divine law and order
• The Scales of Anubis (Egyptian): Weighing the heart against the feather of truth
• Karma (Universal): Cosmic justice, cause and effect

Deeper Meaning: Justice holds scales (balance) and sword (truth). She sees clearly and acts decisively. This is cosmic justice, not human judgment. In readings: What needs to be balanced? What truth must be faced?

The Hanged Man (XII) - The Divine Sacrifice

Mythological Parallels:

• Odin (Norse): Hung on Yggdrasil for nine days to gain wisdom
• Christ on the cross (Christian): Willing sacrifice for greater good
• Prometheus (Greek): Bound and punished for bringing fire to humanity
• The Shaman's initiation: Symbolic death and rebirth

Deeper Meaning: The Hanged Man is suspended, not suffering. He's chosen this position. His halo shows enlightenment comes through surrender. In readings: What do you need to release? What perspective shift is required?

Death (XIII) - The Divine Transformation

Mythological Parallels:

• Persephone's descent (Greek): Death and rebirth, seasonal cycles
• The Phoenix (Universal): Death by fire, rebirth from ashes
• Kali (Hindu): Goddess of destruction and transformation
• The Alchemical Nigredo: The blackening, necessary death before rebirth

Deeper Meaning: Death rarely means physical death—it's transformation, endings that make space for new beginnings. The skeleton rides a white horse (purity), carrying a black flag with a white rose (beauty in darkness). In readings: What needs to end? What transformation is occurring?

Temperance (XIV) - The Divine Alchemy

Mythological Parallels:

• Iris (Greek): Goddess of the rainbow, messenger between gods and humans
• The Alchemical process: Mixing opposites to create gold
• The Middle Way (Buddhist): Balance between extremes
• Archangel Michael (Christian): Balancing justice and mercy

Deeper Meaning: An angel pours water between two cups—mixing, balancing, tempering. One foot on land, one in water (conscious and unconscious). The path behind leads to the sun (enlightenment). In readings: What needs to be balanced? How can you find the middle way?

The Devil (XV) - The Divine Shadow

Mythological Parallels:

• Pan (Greek): God of wild nature, sexuality, instinct
• Baphomet (Occult): Symbol of duality and material world
• The Shadow (Jungian): Repressed aspects of self
• Mara (Buddhist): Tempter, keeper of illusions

Deeper Meaning: The Devil isn't evil—it's attachment, addiction, and self-imposed bondage. The chains around the figures' necks are loose; they can remove them anytime. In readings: What are you enslaved to? What illusion keeps you bound?

The Tower (XVI) - The Divine Destruction

Mythological Parallels:

• The Tower of Babel (Biblical): Pride meeting divine correction
• The Fall of Icarus (Greek): Flying too close to the sun
• Shiva's dance of destruction (Hindu): Necessary destruction before creation
• Lightning bolt of Zeus (Greek): Divine intervention, sudden change

Deeper Meaning: The Tower is sudden upheaval, structures crumbling, illusions shattered. But lightning comes from above—this is divine intervention removing what was built on false foundations. In readings: What false structure is crumbling? What truth is being revealed?

The Star (XVII) - The Divine Hope

Mythological Parallels:

• Aquarius (Zodiac): Water bearer, bringer of life
• Nut (Egyptian): Sky goddess, mother of stars
• The Star of Bethlehem (Christian): Guiding light, divine promise
• Pandora's Box (Greek): After all evils escape, hope remains

Deeper Meaning: After the Tower's destruction, The Star brings hope and healing. A naked woman pours water onto land and into water—returning to source, renewal. Eight stars shine (cosmic order restored). In readings: What hope is emerging? How are you being renewed?

The Moon (XVIII) - The Divine Mystery

Mythological Parallels:

• Hecate (Greek): Goddess of crossroads, magic, and the moon
• Artemis/Diana (Greek/Roman): Moon goddess, wild feminine
• The Underworld journey: Descent into the unconscious
• The Night Sea Journey (Jungian): Navigating the unconscious

Deeper Meaning: The Moon is illusion, intuition, the unconscious, and the path through darkness. A dog and wolf howl (tamed and wild nature), a crayfish emerges from water (unconscious rising). In readings: What illusion must you see through? What is your intuition telling you?

The Sun (XIX) - The Divine Joy

Mythological Parallels:

• Apollo (Greek): Sun god, bringer of light and truth
• Ra (Egyptian): Sun god, source of life
• The Child archetype (Universal): Innocence, joy, new beginning
• Enlightenment (Universal): Illumination, clarity, truth revealed

Deeper Meaning: After the Moon's confusion, The Sun brings clarity, joy, and vitality. A naked child rides a white horse—innocent power, natural confidence. Sunflowers face the sun (turning toward light). In readings: What is being illuminated? Where is joy emerging?

Judgment (XX) - The Divine Awakening

Mythological Parallels:

• The Last Judgment (Christian): Resurrection, final reckoning
• The Phoenix rising (Universal): Rebirth from ashes
• Spiritual awakening (Universal): Hearing the call, responding
• Archangel Gabriel (Christian): Messenger, announcer of divine will

Deeper Meaning: Angel Gabriel blows his trumpet—the call to awakening. Figures rise from coffins—resurrection, rebirth, answering a higher calling. In readings: What are you being called to? What is being resurrected in your life?

The World (XXI) - The Divine Completion

Mythological Parallels:

• The Cosmic Dancer (Hindu): Shiva's dance of creation and destruction
• The Ouroboros (Universal): Completion of the cycle
• The Four Elements (Universal): All forces in harmony
• Enlightenment (Universal): Integration, wholeness, completion

Deeper Meaning: A dancing figure in a laurel wreath (victory), surrounded by the four fixed signs of the zodiac (stability). The Fool's journey is complete—innocence has become wisdom. In readings: What cycle is completing? What have you mastered?

The Minor Arcana: Elemental Mythology

The four suits correspond to the four classical elements, each with its own mythological tradition:

Cups (Water) - Emotional Mythology

Mythological roots: The Holy Grail, Chalice of Dionysus, Cup of Jamshid (Persian), Cauldron of Cerridwen (Celtic)

Themes: Love, emotions, relationships, intuition, the unconscious

Wands (Fire) - Creative Mythology

Mythological roots: Staff of Moses, Wand of Hermes, Prometheus's torch, Gandalf's staff

Themes: Passion, creativity, willpower, inspiration, action

Swords (Air) - Mental Mythology

Mythological roots: Excalibur, Sword of Damocles, Flaming sword of the Archangel, Athena's wisdom

Themes: Thought, conflict, truth, clarity, communication

Pentacles (Earth) - Material Mythology

Mythological roots: Philosopher's Stone, Golden Fleece, Midas's touch, Cornucopia

Themes: Material world, money, body, manifestation, security

Using Mythology in Your Readings

1. Let the Stories Speak

When you pull a card, ask: What myth does this remind me of? What story is being told? The narrative that emerges often holds the key to the reading.

2. Look for Archetypal Patterns

Is this a hero's journey? A descent into the underworld? A divine union? Recognizing the archetypal pattern helps you understand the deeper meaning.

3. Connect to Your Own Mythology

What myths resonate with you personally? Your cultural background, spiritual path, and personal experiences all create your unique mythological lens.

4. Trust the Collective Unconscious

You don't need to consciously know every myth. The symbols speak to your unconscious, which already knows these stories.

The Living Mythology

Tarot isn't a dead collection of ancient symbols—it's a living mythology that continues to evolve. Every reading adds to its meaning. Every reader brings their own mythological understanding.

When you work with tarot, you're not just reading cards—you're participating in humanity's oldest tradition: storytelling. You're accessing the same archetypal patterns that shamans, priests, and mystics have used for millennia to make sense of human experience.

The myths aren't in the past. They're happening right now, in your life, in your readings, in the eternal present where all stories are always unfolding.

What mythological connections have you discovered in your tarot practice? I'd love to hear which myths speak most powerfully to you.