Cult of Tarot Forum

I notice that I'm quite often drawn to decks with fairy tale character. I have some fairy tale decks, WANT to have many more, and often wish that some of the illustrators I love had painted a tarot deck.

Maybe it's because I was lucky enough to have beautifully illustrated fairy tale collections when I was a child. An old book with illustrations by Paul Hey and the cutely-too-cute Felicitas Kuhn, Marlene Reidel and later, when my children were young, magical Lisbeth Zwerger...

Oh, I looked for pictures to add to this post, and I find I have to write something about each of them, and will maybe remember more!

Paul Hey - his pictures were collected eagerly by the generation of my parents, if they had parents that smoked. My mother remembers that her father was a heavy smoker, and she and her siblings were eager for the fairy tale cards in each pack of cigarettes he bought. They bought the book and filled it, and it's a beautiful book in spite of its lowly origin.


Paul Hey, illustration for the Seven Swans


Hey was a respected commercial artist with a solid academic training. He worked in gouache in a neo-Biedermeier style that suited the fairy tales very well. He was active in the 1920s and 1930s.


Paul Hey, illustration for the Princess on the Pea


Austrian illustrator Felicitas Kuhn was everywhere in my childhood, and many of her picture books are stereotypically cute - like this one.


Felicitas Kuhn, illustration for Litte Brother, Little Sister


It's too tight, too linear, the picture too full for my adult taste.


But in the early 1960s, she illustrated a collection of fairy tales (Grimm, Bechstein, Andersen and lesser known authors) that was much better, in a more open, sketchy style. And that's the book I read hundreds of times, and was in love with the illustrations.


Felicitas Kuhn, illustration for Rumpelstiltskin



Felicitas Kuhn, illustration for Snow White


Beautiful, airy, expressive water colour work. Just look at that queen's dress. It rustles with pride and vanity.



When my children were young, I decorated their rooms with posters by Marlene Reidel - what a pity they're no longer available.


Marlene Reidel


Totally different from Reidel's clear, didactic, static compositions is the art of Lisbeth Zwerger - I probably fell in love with the Dreaming Way Tarot because I love Zwerger so much, and I see a resemblance.

Lisbeth Zwerger, Little Red Cap


Okay, so I love good fairy tale illustrations, and there are many, many more! I love fairy tales and have a book shelf full of of fairy tales from all over the world. And I can't resist a tarot deck with a fairy tale topic.

I'm still waiting for Arun publications for a new edition of Lisa Hunt's Fairy Tale Tarot - they even answered me when I asked them when it would be available, and they said 2018, well, that's over soon, but now the [ur=http://www.arun-verlag.de/index.php/art ... hunt.htmll]website [/url]says, winter 2018! Let's hope it's true!


I have the Inner Child Cards - an interesting deck that my daughter used to LOVE when she was a child.

Inner Child Cards, Cinderella/Moon


The deck creators found good solutions for "difficult cards" that make it possible to use the deck with children without frightening or confusing them.

Inner Child Cards, Three Little Pigs/Judgement


And my daughter absolutely loved especially this card:

Inner Child Cards, The World


The book is a bit of a disappointment - everything is cushioned in so much positive thinking that the very interesting decisions behind the deck get lost a bit. I'm not a fan of the overly busy and colourful illustrations - they're okay but I would have liked them to leave some air to breathe.


Sulamith Wülfing is another illustraotr from my youth, and I'm glad I have her little oracle although I never use it - the texts are too cheesy and trite... but the pictures are still lovely and dreamy.


I just ordered John Bauer's deck - so I can't say anything about it yet - and I have always been sorry that there is no Carl Larsson deck, so maybe John Bauer compensates for that loss? And also that there is no Alan Lee Tarot... although I have his daughter's Lenormand which is quite dreamy... Oh, and I have the Fairytale Lenormand but never read with it either. The cards are very pretty but as reading deck, for a Lenormand, they're over-determined, they're over-significant... I think about the fairy tales, not my life, when I see the images. Still, I'm glad I have it, and if I was a better Lenormand reader, I could read with them, too.


I'm fascinated by Duck Soup's Rackham deck and the 1001 Nights is high on my list. What a pity that so much space was wasted on borders and frames... but still, it's a wish deck.

What other fairy tale inspired or -influenced decks are there? There's a list on AT but it seems incomplete to me - there must be more

Great news about a reprint of Lisa Hunt's Fairy Tale!

There's the Warwick Oracle, a lovely little poker-size indie deck. Also the Lo Scarabeo Fairy Oracle, which, like the Rackham Oracle, features art by Arthur Rackham.

There was also the Baba Studio Fairytale Tarot.

The forthcoming Forest of Enchantment Tarot by Lunaea Weatherstone and Meraylah Allwood has quite a few fairy tale themes.

Would you be able to share the Arun Verlag link again, Nemia? It's not working for me and I'd really love to see the info about Lisa Hunt's Fairy Tale!

http://www.arun-verlag.de/index.php/art ... _hunt.html

They say "winter 2018" which should be pretty soon.... but they changed the announcement a number of times. I think a German version will be great, and it might dampen the price hysteria for the oop English version... which is going 2nd hand for crazy sums.

Ooooh, Warwick Oracle, isn't that great? Baba Studio is out of my league but that's beautiful, too! Thank you for the links! Off too drool


ETA: There is also the beautiful Rackham Tarot for pre-order. (I wonder whether Lo Scarabeo know the Duck Soup deck?) And shouldn't we include Brian Froude's Faerie Oracle here, too?

My mother will never forget the weekend she left me alone (supervised loosely by my aunt) and left me a sum of money to buy food - which all went to the bookstore to buy Alan Lee and Brian Froud's book about faeries. I must have been 12 or 13 but I still have the book... and my mother the memory!

The John Bauer deck has arrived and it was my deck of the week. I must say this is a wonderful deck.



I discovered this week that this is a deck that speaks strongly to my inner child. The colour scale and the proportions (big and small figures) make it easy to feel like a child again when looking at the images. It's like a dream that throws me back to my childhood and inner life then.

I didn't know John Bauer's art before although I have quite an interest in Scandinavian culture and fairy tales. But now that I have this wonderful deck, I think I'll use it for shadow work and to connect with my inner child.

Love the John Buaer Tarot! That goes on my wish list.

I would also say that the Tarot of Celtic Faeries falls into this category. A bit on the dark side but still, based on legends and fairytales.

I was just thinking about this thread...does anyone know if the German reprint of Lisa Hunt's Fairy Tale is available yet? I tried going to the page again, but it's tough for me to figure anything out since I don't speak a lick of German https://www.arun-verlag.de/index.php/ar ... _hunt.html

No, it isn't. I mailed them last year to ask when the promised edition would be on the market and even had a nice answer - according to which it should have been available already

I don't know what's happening over there.

How strange! Well I guess we'll just have to continue to wait then...thanks for looking into it, Nemia!

You can be sure that I'll let you all know when the German Fairy Tale deck is available again! I'm always tempted to buy the Spanish version but since I don't know Spanish while German is my mother tongue... I guess I'll wait until the people over at Arun Verlag get their act together

The enchanted tarot isn't quite fairy tale but it does have that vibe



And there's this Fairytale (and gods and mythological figures around the world) Tarot by Yoshi Yoshitani. Linked her website to image. It's not done yet, but seems close.



I was looking for a fairy tale tarot too and didn't quite find what I wanted. The Whimsical tarot is cute too, but a little childish, and more mother goose-y. I think I do like it though. I think the Enchanted aka Zerner Farber comes closest in style to what I like personally.

Just wanted these mentioned I guess haha

Not much into fairy tale decks, but that Enchanted Tarot takes the cake, AstralPasta. I looked at some video reviews and I'm hooked. It has a lush Arabian/European vibe going on, and I also like the presentation - the box, bag, book, etc. I especially like how big the cards are as I'm a huge fan of large decks.

Yes, it's very beautifully and there's a lot of love that went into the creation. I'm glad I helped you find a match. I'm not sure if I'm going to get it, but I'm considering it. I think the Shadowscapes is kinda filling that role for me in my collection at the moment and I wouldn't want to detract from that relationship, but maybe I'm worrying too much.

It is very large. There's also a bridge sort of size that is cute too, but I hate when the titles conceal some of the image. I've heard great reviews from people who own and love that version though, so maybe it's fine as is. It is borderless too. I think I like the anniversary editions borders too, especially the lacey sort of print.

Arun Verlag promises now that the German version of the Fairytale Tarot by Lisa Hunt will be "available soon" --- in Winter 2018! Probably it comes in a parcel with a time travel button!

I'll let you know if anything changes! I'm still waiting for this deck.

I own 2 very charming decks in this genre......maybe 3 if you count the Shadowscapes, not sure about how to categorize that one.

Paulina Tarot
Joie de Vivre Tarot......both by Paula Cassidy.

I used to own Lo Scarabeo's, Tarot of the Thousand and One Nights, the illustrations by Léon Carré are of course breathtaking.
Unfortunately, it's always hit and miss when publishers try to adapt original/period artworks and turn them into a cohesive Tarot deck.

I think much of that problem stems from attempting to use the illustrations and translate them into RWS-type scenic pips.

It really would be much better if they would simply choose images that best suited the Majors and Court cards, and then employ an artist to design illustrated/non-scenic pips.

Unfortunately, a deck like that probably wouldn't sell very well.

I totally agree. I have the John Bauer Tarot which is very beautiful - John Bauer was an amazing artist. But this tarot deck.... I've seen people on Youtube who simply cut off the titles and turned it into a much more powerful oracle deck. I think many mainstream publishers cater to a market which is dominated by very specific, formulaic RWS interpretations and just try to squeeze anything into the RWS system. That's a pity, and in the John Bauer, it doesn't really work. I don't regret owning this deck and don't think I'll trim it so drastically... at least not yet.... but I suspect it's a similar story with the 1001 Nights. Which looks like a breathtaking deck. But maybe more of an oracle deck?

The Enchanted is beautiful and it's on my loooong list

Did I mention the Inner Child cards? I think I did. That's a deck where the fairytale archetypes work very well for me. The Big Bad Wolf as Devil - that's uplifting and funny but has a very real core. In a reading, you can do quite a lot with these cards.

I'm always drawn to fairytales.

Nemia wrote: ↑21 Mar 2020, 05:50 in the John Bauer, it doesn't really work. I don't regret owning this deck and don't think I'll trim it so drastically... at least not yet.... but I suspect it's a similar story with the 1001 Nights. Which looks like a breathtaking deck. But maybe more of an oracle deck?

I'm always drawn to fairytales.

I suspect fairytale decks and decks featuring that "return to innocence" type of style can be very alluring because of the "comfort" factor, nothing wrong with that.

I recently purchased " Le Tarot de L'Ange Liberté : Des ténèbres à la lumière" - d'après le poème de Victor Hugo
Myrrha Djian-Gutenberg - Samuel Djian-Gutenberg
Éditions Michel Jonasz

https://www.latelierdemyrrha.com/jeux-t ... ert%C3%A9/

Stunningly beautiful feel-good art.
A gorgeous, compact boxed set that houses an equally sumptuous book and the cards.
Other publishers should do as well with their books/booklets.
It's a Majors only deck (but with interesting variations based on 23 cards) and the book is only "en Français". I swear I miss out on so much because I can't read French.

Wow, that's gorgeous! If the Roots of Asia and the Star Tarot had a love child, this would be it! I studied French at school for many years but when I learned Hebrew, it simply erased French from my brain. I can understand some but hardly speak it anymore

What a lovely deck. I haven't seen it anywhere else before.

I agree about the innocence factor. I did and do much of my shadow work with the Silhouette Tarot. It's so non-frightening and whimsy, and yet so spot on. It's ideal for childhood readings because it turns even the difficult memories into focused images that I can deal with. It has become my favorite deck for "dark" readings.

I can't understand how anyone can do a shadow reading with a dark deck like the Night Sun or Dark Grimoire. I'd be frightened out of my wits That would be too much darkness for me. If you want to climb into a dark cave, you take a torch. If you want to explore the shadows of your mind and past, you'd better take a reasonably bright deck. That's my rule of thumb.

Nemia wrote: ↑21 Mar 2020, 09:36 I studied French at school for many years but when I learned Hebrew, it simply erased French from my brain. I can understand some but hardly speak it anymore

French and Hebrew have different linguistic roots, is that not so, or am I mistaken? (as I so often am)

Nemia wrote: ↑21 Mar 2020, 09:36 What a lovely deck. I haven't seen it anywhere else before.

Well, that's what comes from sneaking peeks at other members list of decks in their collections. LMAO!
I was playing around in my mind with a joke about conjugating the verb for "enable" in French, but there are too many possibilities and I can't distinguish the correct verb.

Nemia wrote: ↑21 Mar 2020, 09:36
I agree about the innocence factor. I did and do much of my shadow work with the Silhouette Tarot. It's so non-frightening and whimsy, and yet so spot on. It's ideal for childhood readings because it turns even the difficult memories into focused images that I can deal with. It has become my favorite deck for "dark" readings.

I can't understand how anyone can do a shadow reading with a dark deck like the Night Sun or Dark Grimoire. I'd be frightened out of my wits That would be too much darkness for me. If you want to climb into a dark cave, you take a torch. If you want to explore the shadows of your mind and past, you'd better take a reasonably bright deck. That's my rule of thumb.

The shadows of my mind and past.....Oh Mon Dieu, let's NOT go there, thank you very much aaaaaaack
although I suspect I'm not the only person who doesn't like to go spelunking around down there.......at least not for too long, you do have to come up for air occasionally.

and I'll be really honest, I have no idea what people mean when they talk about "shadow work"......and I don't like the sound of "dark readings".

when I read for myself, I simply "read" without intent, I simply clear my mind, meditate through the quiet shuffling of the cards and let the cards reveal themselves as they may.

Regarding the Night Sun deck, I've been so involved with my Marseille decks, I haven't given Night Sun any thought for a long time now.

Has the Baba Studios Fairytale deck been mentioned? It’s OOP but considering the Fantastic Menagerie reprint, might be a wishlist deck.

I actually got this deck luckily through a trade on this forum, though without the guidebook. For a while my partner and I read fairytales to each other over the phone after I picked it out from the deck (went in order of majors at first). I think I want to do that again, though with a physical compendium of Hans Christian Anderson stories and 1001 Arabian Nights (we have Brothers Grimm). The ability to google the stories is very convenient, and even charming with the 90s-style webpages , but of course there’s nothing quite like a book, especially for bedtime fairytales. (Also cripes, the light!)