Tarot Cards

It is conclusively settled today that the Tarot game originated in Italy in the early fifteenth century. The oldest decks, now stored in various Museums and University Libraries, date back to that period and bear the heraldic symbols and mottoes of Este family of Ferrara and the Visconti family of Milan. Further documents shows that Tarot was conceived as a princely pastime and became a gambling game that spread throughout Italy and to France, Germany, and Austria during the sixteenth century.

In short, Court de Gebelin made a colossal blunder and, in fact, someone pointed out of the mistake. As it often happens, however, dark mistery prevailed over the light of reason. The most heeded of all the opinions was that of Jean Baptiste François Alliette, konw by the pen name of Etteilla. He held that the Tarot was conceived in 2170 B.C. during a conference of Egyptian magicians presided by Hermes Trismegistus and that afterwards, in the course of centuries, they lost their original characteristics. Thus, Etteilla thought it wise to restore the primitive form and gave the new deck a name more suited to its alleged origins: Book of Thoth, or Game of 78 Egyptian Tarot Cards.