Western Tarot symbolism
Queen of Swords
The Queen raises her weapon vertically with its hilt resting on her chair and extends the other hand. The source explicitly denies that the image chiefly represents mercy or power, despite the sword. The main meanings include widowhood, mourning and separation. The supplementary list again assigns a widow upright and a hostile woman reversed, repeating its period's gendered moral categories.
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In the sources
The card account
LiteraryThe Queen raises her weapon vertically with its hilt resting on her chair and extends the other hand. The source explicitly denies that the image chiefly represents mercy or power, despite the sword.
Comparing the lists
LiteraryThe main meanings include widowhood, mourning and separation. The supplementary list again assigns a widow upright and a hostile woman reversed, repeating its period's gendered moral categories.
Context & interpretation
The active library scan carries L. W. de Laurence’s name and reproduces material associated with A. E. Waite’s Tarot exposition. This entry follows that supplied edition’s card prose and supplementary lists. Historical divinatory assignments and period character labels are distinguished from the pictured symbolism and from independently supported judgements about people or future events.
Original passages
Source 1
The Illustrated Key to the Tarot: The Veil of Divination
her countenance is severe but chastened; it suggests famiharity with sorrow. It does not represent mercy, and, her sword notwithstanding, she is scarcely a symbol ofOpen this page in the book
Passage & edition details
Location recorded at citation review: The Illustrated Key to the Tarot, supplied de Laurence edition; card description, active reader leaf 121
Exact supplied-edition extracted passage actually read; whitespace-normalised quotation anchor and original-leaf mapping checked. Image descriptions attributed to printed prose; no new full-plate visual inspection asserted.
- Edition
- IMJ-0149-E001
- Reader page
- IMJ-0149-E001-P0121
- Original scan leaf
- 127
- Recorded leaf number
- 127
- Current Reader position
- 121
- Reader verification
- Matches the reviewed Reader
Source 2
The Illustrated Key to the Tarot: The Veil of Divination
Queen.—A widow. Reversed: A bad woman, with ill-will towards the Querent. Knight.—A soldier, man of arms, satellite, stipendiary; heroic action predicted for soldier. Reversed: Dispute withOpen this page in the book
Passage & edition details
Location recorded at citation review: The Illustrated Key to the Tarot, supplied de Laurence edition; additional meanings, active reader leaf 151
Exact supplied-edition extracted passage actually read; whitespace-normalised quotation anchor and original-leaf mapping checked. Image descriptions attributed to printed prose; no new full-plate visual inspection asserted.
- Edition
- IMJ-0149-E001
- Reader page
- IMJ-0149-E001-P0151
- Original scan leaf
- 157
- Recorded leaf number
- 157
- Current Reader position
- 151
- Reader verification
- Matches the reviewed Reader
Illustrations
Continue exploring
Ace of Cups
A cloud-borne cup, water and a descending sacramental emblem give this Ace several symbolic layers.
Shared source pageEight of Cups
A departing figure gives the Eight an image of leaving an earlier concern behind.
Shared source pageEight of Swords
A bound figure surrounded by swords is expressly described as temporarily confined.
Shared source pageFive of Cups
Three fallen cups and two remaining upright make loss and remainder part of one composition.