Lenpio wears a blue tunique, a colour unique in the trumps. The man looks a little bit ashamed and is hiding his left eye behind his left hand. His neck seems to be covered. (Taurus – Venus)
In his right hand he holds wheat as he is going to feed the birds. The round platter shows on the outside a stylish dark blue drawing of two Swans surrounding a + . The platter seems to be filled or is colored Mars red on the inside. It looks like the red spear is going right through the heart of Lenpio and rests between his right feet and the platter on the ground.
Who is Lenpio?
Andrea Vitali identifies Lenpio in the attached book of the Sola Busca Museum kit as M. Lenius Strabo. It seems that in the thousand years of Rome there is no one with the name Lenpio or Lenpius. In Roman times Strabo was a nickname for those who had a visual impairment. The gesture of covering the eye alludes to the figure Strabimus.
Lenius Strabo was the first to use averies in which different species of birds were kept. Strabo was the first one who caged birds. Birds which we easily compare with our individual freedom were caged by this man. The platter should be used as avery for the birds.
What is in a name? Lenpio Le Pino; Lenpio In Lepus
No one with the name of Lenpio, which feels for me as such a common name. According to his eye problems Strabo match with the person's symbolism on the card. Just one part of the symbolism.
Symbolism with words containing Lenpio's possibly may shed light on some more associations.
LENPIO / LE PINO and the pine of Cybele and Venus
LE=The / PINO means pine.
Pino is a short name for Filippino (From Filippo) what attach Lenpio with several cards in the SB.
Le Pino, The Pine. A tree which is evergreen and can resist cold, snow, wind and drought.
The Pine tree was very symbolic to the religious of ancient Rome and was the sacred tree of the Mithras cult.
On the March 22nd, followers of Cybele cut a pine tree down and bring it into the sanctuary in honor of her consort Attis, who died underneath, and was said to have been turned into a pine tree.
Roman mythology associated Pine cones with Venus., Goddess of love and fertility.
The design of a pinecone forms a perfect Fibonacci sequence.
LENPIUS / IN LEPUS
LEPUS = The constellation Lepus, a small constellation at the foot of Orion (The hare is persued by Orion)
Lepus means Hare, an animal which is sacred for Venus.
Eratosthenes tells us that Hermes placed the hare in the sky because of its swiftness. Both Eratosthenes and Hyginus referred to the remarkable fertility of hares, as attested to by Aristotle in his Historia Animalium (History of Animals): ‘Hares breed and bear at all seasons, superfoetate (i.e. conceive again) during pregnancy and bear young every month.’ Very Empress..
The Evil Eye for the Romans
Lenpio,Strabo had an visual impairment and is hiding one eye. He is hiding his 'ugly' eye. People with visual impairments were called strabo. As eye problems were directly linked with the evil eye and people who were supposed to posses this eye was avoided by the ancients.
Believe in the evil eye is from all times, from around the world and still very alive in our modern time among all savage nations. But also in civilized countries it is still alive. Ask nowadays on the Italian streets for Pio Nono, called a Jettatore (possessed by the evil eye), they will answer that everything Pop Nono blessed made fiasco.
The Evil eye was adopted by the Fathers of the Church, Medieval physicians and all writers of occult science. The origin of the belief in the evil eye is unknown and is lost in the obscurity of the prehistoric ages. The enlightened people call it superstition but the believe in the Evil Eye must be set down as one of the hereditary and instinctive convictions of mankind.
The Greeks had a special word to express this power: 'βασκανία' from the Latin word 'fascinatio'. Cicero discussed this word and did explain it as 'invidere' (invidia – envy- evil eye), the instigator of deadly sins. A vice connected with hatred, malice and so on.
This believe in the Evil Eye was so universal that is was common when a person was ill without an clear cause the people cried: 'Mantis te vidit' Some fascinator has looked on thee.
Combat against the Evil Eye an example
To combat against the evil eye people used all sorts of implements and animals for protection.
A very nice example in the below Roman era mosaic fro Antiochia (Antioch): The house of the evil eye.
The evil eye in the mosaic is being attacked by a multitude of amulets and implements that were relevant in the Greco – Roman world.
The evil eye is pierced by a trident and a Sword , pecked by a raven and barked by the dog (how foolish.. 0-Mato). The evil eye is strong so more opponents are needed, so the eye is attacked by a centipede, scorpion a cat and a snake. Take no risks with the evil eye involved is the credo as a horned dwarf, (a Cacodaemon/ harmfull spirit) with an enormous fallus crossing two stick together, is also attacking the eye. The Evil eye clearly needs a kind of overkill!
Alternatively the figure may represent the Agathos Daemon (Good Spirit) vanquishing the power of the evil eye. The Greek annotation 'Kai Su' means 'and you (too)
Very strong protection against the evil eye for Romans was the Fallus which we find back on Mario.
Connection Lenpio with Venus – The Empress
Looking at Lenpio the Empress seems to be far away. A closer look at the symbolism or titels opens really new doors.
– The platter on Card III shows a stylish dark blue drawing of two Swans surrounding a +-marking.
For the Venus glyph; The 0 on top is missing. The skirt of Lenpio is also decorated with + signs.
– Lenpio is the only person in the Triumphs who wears a blue tuniq. Goddess Venus arrivied at shore after her birth, when she had emerged from the sea fully-grown which connects with the colour blue. (Venus was born from seafoam)
-Lenpio as anagram Le Pino / Pinus / Pineapple. The pineapple was associated with Venus by the Romans. Venus is connected with the Empress.
-The pine of Cebele points also to the Empress
-Lenpio – Lenpius is an anagram for Lepus in. Lepus is the constallation hare. The hare is an animal sacred for Venus.
-The wheat carried by Lenpio: Wheat is symbolic of birth, a sign of hope and the future.
The ear of wheat is an emblem of spring, of nature that is awakening,