Tarot and Egyptomania
Edited book (chapter)
Chapter Title | Tarot and Egyptomania |
---|---|
Book Chapter Category | Edited book (chapter) |
Book Title | Tarot in culture |
Authors | |
Author | Farley, Helen S. |
Editors | Auger, Emily E. |
Volume | 1 |
Page Range | 57-91 |
Chapter Number | 3 |
Number of Pages | 35 |
Year | 2014 |
Publisher | Valleyhome Books |
Place of Publication | Clifford, ON. Canada |
ISBN | 9780993694431 |
9780993694400 | |
Web Address (URL) | http://emilyeauger.weebly.com/tarot-in-culture.html |
Abstract | The most enduring association of Tarot is with the mystical land of Egypt. This paper explores the nature of this erroneous connection; investigating its origins during the eighteenth and nineteenth century French occult revival with authors of esotericism including Antoine Court de Gebelin and Etteilla. This was a time of rampant Egyptomania in Revolutionary and post-Revolutionary France. Napoleon had taken teams of archaeologists with him as he conquered this ancient and exotic land, and they ensured a steady stream of mysterious artifacts found their way back to France to fan the collective post-Enlightenment imaginations of a people deprived of the spiritual comforts of the Catholic Church. Closely aligned with these theories of Tarot origins was the association of the gypsies with Egypt – many believing that 'gypsy' was in fact an abbreviation of 'Egyptian'. A little later, England was also in the grips of this fascination with Egypt and this tendency was similarly reflected in the writings of that country's writers on the occult: the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn and its members were the most influential perpetrators of the Egypt-tarot link. |
Keywords | tarot; Egypt; French Occult Revival; new age; religious studies; religion and society |
ANZSRC Field of Research 2020 | 500316. Philosophy of religion |
440107. Social and cultural anthropology | |
500405. Religion, society and culture | |
Public Notes | Files associated with this item cannot be displayed due to copyright restrictions. |
Byline Affiliations | Australian Digital Futures Institute |
Institution of Origin | University of Southern Queensland |
https://research.usq.edu.au/item/q258v/tarot-and-egyptomania
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