Ronald Decker, Thierry Depaulis and Michael Dummett's scholarly study, published by St Martin's Press, establishing that the occult reading of tarot cards as a system of esoteric wisdom originated in eighteenth century France, with figures such as Court de Gebelin and Etteilla, rather than in the fifteenth century Italian cards themselves. Dummett's standing as the leading historian of playing cards and the rigorous documentary method place this at this atlas's top tier. It is the strongest available source for correcting the popular assumption that occult tarot is as old as the cards themselves. It documents this history without commenting on the divinatory validity of tarot as practiced today.
Facts
Citation
AuthorRonald Decker, Thierry Depaulis and Michael Dummett
PublisherSt Martin's Press
Publication Year1996
URLhttps://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/003162050
Source TypeScholarly work
Assessment
Reliability Tier1
A scholarly study from an academic press establishing that the occult reading of tarot cards originated in eighteenth century France rather than in the fifteenth century Italian cards themselves, from the leading historian of playing cards. NotesTraces the occult reading of tarot to eighteenth-century France (Court de Gebelin, Etteilla) rather than to the fifteenth-century Italian cards.
Connections
Associated With
This source names France directly: "originated in eighteenth century France, with figures such as Court de Gebelin and Etteilla, rather than in the fifteenth century Italian cards themselves."
Source A Wicked Pack of Cards: The Origins of the Occult TarotRonald Decker, Thierry Depaulis and Michael Dummett
Claims Backed By This Source (322 claims)
This source backs 322 claims across the atlas. As facts: 185 well-attested, 1 popular myth - corrected. As cited relationships: 31 holds. Plus 105 entities citing it as a general reference with no single fact or relationship attached.
Disposition By Topic
- Lenormand Cards, 72 claims: 36 well-attested, 36 general references.
- Articles, 62 claims: 59 well-attested, 3 general references.
- Tree of Life Paths, 44 claims: 22 well-attested, 22 general references.
- Tarot, 43 claims: 22 well-attested, 21 general references.
- Disciplines, 30 claims: 4 well-attested, 25 holds, 1 general references.
- Tarot Spreads, 19 claims: 13 well-attested, 6 general references.
- Historical Figures, 9 claims: 6 well-attested, 2 holds, 1 general references.
- Sources, 9 claims: 8 well-attested, 1 holds.
- Categories, 8 claims: 5 well-attested, 3 general references.
- Rituals, 8 claims: 4 well-attested, 2 holds, 2 general references.
- Open Questions, 5 claims: 4 well-attested, 1 general references.
- Subcategories, 4 claims: 2 well-attested, 2 general references.
- Tarot Suits, 4 claims: 4 general references.
- Tarot Decks, 3 claims: 1 popular myth - corrected, 2 general references.
- Years, 2 claims: 1 holds, 1 general references.
Well-attested
185Showing 51 to 100 of 149 entities carrying this claim.
Popular myth - corrected
1General References
105Showing 1 to 50 of 104 entities carrying this claim.
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