Western Tarot symbolism
Ten of Swords
The description places all ten swords in a prostrate figure and lists affliction and sadness. It then explicitly says this is not especially a card of violent death, a qualification central to this entry. The main reversed meanings include temporary advantage. The supplementary list makes imprisonment depend on following Ace and King, and separately gives a soldier's victory reversed.
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In the sources
The card account
LiteraryThe description places all ten swords in a prostrate figure and lists affliction and sadness. It then explicitly says this is not especially a card of violent death, a qualification central to this entry.
Comparing the lists
LiteraryThe main reversed meanings include temporary advantage. The supplementary list makes imprisonment depend on following Ace and King, and separately gives a soldier's victory reversed.
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
It is not especially a card of violent death. Reversed: Advantage, profit, success, favor, but none of these are permanent ; also power and authority.Open 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 124
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-P0124
- Original scan leaf
- 130
- Recorded leaf number
- 130
- Current Reader position
- 124
- Reader verification
- Matches the reviewed Reader
Source 2
The Illustrated Key to the Tarot: The Veil of Divination
Ten.—Followed by Ace and King, imprisonment ; for girl or wife, treason on the part of friends. Reversed: Victory and con- sequent fortune for a soldierOpen 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.