Page of Swords

What it is

The Page of Swords is one of the court cards of the sword suit in Latin-suited packs, the family of decks that includes tarot. Depending on the pack it is labelled page, jack or knave, and tarot readers count it among the Minor Arcana. The picture shows a young man with his sword lifted, head turned away from the direction he travels, hair blown by the wind under heavy clouds. In one sense the card is a simple game piece: across much of Europe such packs are dealt for tarot card games. In English-speaking countries, where those games never became familiar, the same cards are used chiefly for fortune-telling.

Where it comes from

The card belongs to the Latin-suited family of playing cards, a grouping that takes in the Spanish and Italian deck patterns, and it appears in the suit of swords wherever that family is dealt. Within tarot it sits among the Minor Arcana. A split runs through its recorded use: across much of Europe, tarot decks stayed with their card games, while in English-speaking countries the games never became familiar and the decks came to be taken up chiefly for telling fortunes.

Tools and materials

The card speaks through its picture. The page faces forward and swings his sword the same way, yet turns his head back the other way, a pose taken for curiosity about the things around him rather than only the path ahead. He wears a light robe instead of heavy armor, so nothing weighs down his movement. A strong breeze lifts his hair, and clouds gather behind him, lending the scene a brisk, energetic feel. The sword itself marks the suit to which the card belongs.

What it is for

In fortune-telling the card is drawn as a sign about the person or matter in hand. Readers give it a bright, active sense first: curiosity about the world beyond the obvious path, and the drive and energy that the wind and clouds of the picture suggest. A second, less friendly set of interpretations is also current, covering a mischievous character, malicious intent, a ruined reputation, a gossip or chatterbox, idleness, or someone who stirs up drama and rumour. Both families of meaning are listed for the card.

Who does it

Two kinds of people handle the card. In much of Europe it is dealt by card players, for whom tarot packs exist chiefly as game equipment. In English-speaking countries it is drawn by tarot readers, who lay out the pack and interpret the cards that fall; there, the games being largely unfamiliar, divination is the main use. The card is the same printed piece in both settings; only the use changes.

Peoples and places

The card travels with the Latin-suited family of decks, which takes in the Spanish and Italian patterns. Tarot as a whole is played across much of Europe, and English-speaking countries know the cards mainly through fortune-telling, the games never having become familiar there. The same card thus carries two lives: a jack on a game table, and an omen on a reader's.

Compare and confuse

One card, three names: page, jack and knave of swords all refer to the same figure. It belongs to the Latin-suited family of playing cards, which counts the Spanish and Italian deck patterns among its members, and within tarot it is grouped in the Minor Arcana.

Questions people ask about Page of Swords

Good reading and sources

• Page of Swords on WikipediaEncyclopedia
• Wikidata recordOpen data