Tarot Minor Arcana Matching: Wands

Warning: This post may contain spoilers for Threads that Bind the Tempest and beyond!
Tarot Minor Arcana Matching: Wands

The start of the Minor Arcana suit assignment: the Suit of Wands. The quoted meanings for the below Minor Arcana are taken from The Pictorial Key to the Tarot’s Additional Meanings section. I didn’t follow the core meanings exactly or with how/what they are to be represented with. Some of this is more symbolic alignment than exact Tarot meaning alignment.

Overall, the Minor Arcana were very tricky for me to match up with characters, which is why things sort of loosened up with the meaning alignment. I’m not entirely pleased with how each suit ended up, but it’s my first go. It tried to keep to published/referenced characters only, but I did I expand my pool to include short stories to patch up certain ideas and areas.

But, regardless, here goes the first suit: WANDS! Wands finds ourselves drawn into the world of the Magayak family, Magaya/Spellbinder, and the earlier installments of the series.

King of Wands: Haeihlseth Magayak

Generally favourable may signify a good marriage. Reversed: Advice that should be followed.

He is the God-King of Magic, so why not also Wands? He gave good advice to King. And he had a good marriage to…

Queen of Wands: Nefertari

A good harvest, which may be taken in several senses. Reversed: Goodwill towards the Querent, but without the opportunity to exercise it.

‘Without the opportunity to exercise it’. A life together was stolen for Nefertari and Haeihlseth due to her disappearance.

The ‘good harvest’ good also be Nefertiti herself.

Knight of Wands: Erikael

A bad card; according to some readings, alienation. Reversed: For a woman, marriage, but probably frustrated.

I don’t consider Erikael, Nefertari’s brother, a bad individual, but the alienation and frustration spoke to me of him. He also deserved the Knight spot, following his sister and sister’s mate. After Nefertari’s disappearance, things have become difficult for him and he has a void in his family.

Page of Wands: Katar Wolfeni

Young man of family in search of young lady. Reversed: Bad news.

Katar Wolfeni has a crush on Nefertiti, which also relates to wands. He needed to be aligned with the Magayak family.

Ten of Wands: Fareed

Difficulties and contradictions, if near a good card.

Fareed is the narrator and shapeshifter of Confessions of a Shapeshifter. After reading that…this should be a little self-explanatory. Frustrations and anxiety over one’s self makes anything difficult.

Nine of Wands: Venshara

Generally speaking, a bad card.

Venshara

Venshara is entangled with Spellbinder’s past which relates to the overarching theme for Wands. And, Venshara is ‘villain’ or negative construct for the party. The nine also works with the divinity or lack thereof present with the forces surrounding Venshara’s existence.

Eight of Wands: Hajien/Siran

Domestic disputes for a married person.

Kind of a stretch, but this was one where being placed next to another card was why I chose it. Hajien is the researcher partner of Venshara…and well, getting mutilated can be considered a dispute.

I was thinking of Siran, Chatzu’kuan’s research partner, as well. So this can be considered for either of them or both, since symbolically they are very similar.

Seven of Wands: Zenhu

A dark child.

Zenhu, lounging

I was struggling with this one. It’s kind of an awkward thematic placement for Zenhu, the Demon dancer met in Harmonic Waves, to be in Wands, but she didn’t fit anywhere exactly and this was a vague slot… for this meaning.

The core meaning kind of actually works, though:

A young man on a craggy eminence brandishing a staff; six other staves are raised towards him from below. Divinatory Meanings: It is a card of valour, for, on the surface, six are attacking one, who has, however, the vantage position. On the intellectual plane, it signifies discussion, wordy strife; in business—negotiations, war of trade, barter, competition. It is further a card of success, for the combatant is on the top and his enemies may be unable to reach him. Reversed: Perplexity, embarrassments, anxiety. It is also a caution against indecision.

Since…Zenhu bartered with the Trinity and the One and there was much awkwardness in that ‘trade’.

Six of Wands: Cerberus/Charon

Servants may lose the confidence of their masters; a young lady may be betrayed by a friend. Reversed: Fulfilment of deferred hope.

Cerberus and Charon, servants of Hades, have been through troubling times and worry over their master. Things eventually pick up and: hope, far off once, arrives for the Hades renaissance.

Five of Wands: Djohja

Success in financial speculation. Reversed: Quarrels may be turned to advantage.

Djohja is a Fravier Farrco meets on Magaya. He is mates with a Sawapash, Masku, and they work at their shop together. Djohja makes a certain bet due to Farrco’s words that may or may not prove successful (heh). His relationship with his mate is pretty spicy as well.

Four of Wands: Masku

Unexpected good fortune. Reversed: A married woman will have beautiful children.

Masku in her store

Masku and Djohja together are quite a pair that has created a business and somehow become mildly intertwined with Farrco, a member of the Trinity and the One. They work well together and so…good fortune!

Three of Wands: Ha’szja

A very good card; collaboration will favour enterprise.

Ha’szja’s such a nice character and person, who just…clicked with Farrco. She felt like someone that just represented favor.

Two of Wands: Mauwto

A young lady may expect trivial disappointments.

A bit of a stretch, but Mauwto deserves to be on here…and Spellbinder is a young lady with has experienced ‘trivial disappointments’ with her ‘destiny’ and such. Mauwto seemed representative of it all.

Ace of Wands: Wildfire

Calamities of all kinds. Reversed: A sign of birth.

Wildfire in the Distance

This one was tricky, and yet, very decisive. Wildfire is destructive, but his existence is also representative of Farrco’s birth. He deserved the Ace slot anyway. And this suit really echoes of the early novels to me so even more so. How to Stop Wildfire… WILDFIRE!

Anyway.

And there we go. The Tarot Suit of Wands matched up! Cups is up next.



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