'Significantly, Waite had the Christian imagery of older tarot decks' cards toned down-the "Pope" card became the "Hierophant," the "Popess" became the "High Priestess."' - This change predates Waite. The earliest decks were very different from even the later Marselleis family designs, and Waite's deck was a radical departure from those decks.Ģ. 'The subjects remain close to the earliest decks, but usually have added details.' - I'm unsure what exactly is meant by subject. Some factual errors I noticed in the Rider-Waite article:ġ. A new WP talk page record? - 5.65.87.152 ( talk) 19:04, 20 March 2016 (UTC) Errors in the Rider-Waite article 68.0.100.180 ( talk) 09:49, 31 January 2016 (UTC) Almost ten years between the original post and the reply. Occult associations were not grafted onto the playing card deck until the 19th century, some five hundred years after the cards were invented. Italian fashions in allegorical symbolism in secular art contributed the striking emblematic design of the trumps. Dice, dominoes and even mah jong tiles have been used in the same way. It was through association with gambling as a game of chance that tarot came to be used as a method for assessing an individual's luck or fortune. There is no historical basis for an Egyptian origin for the tarot, which emerged in Italy as a playing card game, most likely inspired by similar games known to the Ottoman Turks. You are correct in titling your remark an uninformed comment. and that there are conections vith the hebrew alphabet: 22 major arcans - 22 leters in hebrew alphabet and it looks like it is very well documented as being given to humanity by hermes trismegistus.