Let’s Talk About Queens

Let’s talk about Queens, shall we? One of the hardest cards for me in the Tarot are the Queens. I get that pages often equal messages. Knights are all about the journey. Kings are about completion. But what about those lovely lovely ladies of the Tarot? What is their role in my Tarot life?

As a woman, I often see the Queens as myself or friends of mine. Depending on where the card falls and my own mood, I may interpret them with a positive or negative slant. That redheaded queen of wands (or swords depending on your deck) could be a sultry hussy celebrating her sexuality. Or she could be a snide, sarcastic wench just waiting to shred someone with her wicked tongue (and not in a good way, y’all.) My relationships with each queen can be from either side of the coin.


In the World Spirit Tarot pictured here, the Sibyl of Wands is the Queen. She is focused on the flaming staff in her hand. Now she is not necessarily a red head is she? One of the things I love about this particular deck is that it is ethnically and mythologically diverse. This Queen makes me think focused and obsessed all at the same time. And isn’t a truly focused person a tiny bit obsessed? It’s all in the balance. A great Sibyl of Wands heroine might be Miss Marple, that fabulous English detective.


Unusual in that she is depicted as an older woman, my Sibyl of Swords sits high on a cliff. She is above all the mundane necessities of life as she teaches her chicks to fly. Her way for me is more of the boot-to-the-ass style of nurturing. She wants you to succeed it’s true. However, she thinks you need to take some chances in life. Some see her as a cold, calculating Air queen and I can agree with that at times. Still, I also see the warmth in her as she empowers those in her realm to think for themselves. I just finished Dagger-Star by Elizabeth Vaughn. Red Gloves is the quintessential Queen of Swords for me.


Isn’t this an amazing card? With the pentacle situated on her throne, I am always given the impression of a wheelchair. This queen may be chair bound but nothing limits her growth. The pyramid in the background brings to mind the wisdom of the ages for me. And the corn is a perfect symbol here because this Earth mother is all about growth and prosperity and fertility. Corn represents the harvest and the seed all in one fell swoop. She is a nurturer on her good days and a caretaker on her bad. A good example of a Queen of Pentacles heroine might be Skye O’Malley from Beatrice Small’s series.


Of course, as a Pisces myself, I am very drawn to the Sibyl of Cups. Perfectly portrayed as a scrying (or is that narcissistic) mermaid, our Queen of Water offers emotional depth to those willing to dive with her. The dolphin in the front, to me, represents the mystical message that she delivers. Of course, her bad side is that she is overly emotional and tends to like to say things like, “Child, it is the way of the world and once you understand why the butterfly has to be a caterpillar you to can grow”. Which makes the practical types just shriek in outrage, right?! One Queen of Cups from literature would be Yasmine Galenorn’s Delilah from “Changeling” in her Sisters Of The Moon trilogy.

So this has been my look at the Queens of the Tarot. I hope you enjoyed my views of these four ladies. Won’t you let me know who your favorite Queen is? Of the Tarot, y’all. Let’s leave Freddie Mercury out of this, shall we? Or maybe a fictional heroine who represents a queen to you?

Author: TarotByArwen

Arwen is the professional Joy Seeker. Her true calling is as a Professional Joy Seeker. She co-creates solutions with her clients to help them find their joy again. "Seek joy, y'all" is her motto. Her decks include The Fairy Tale Lenormand, Secrets of the Mystic Grove, Bianca Niero Tarot, the Elle Qui Oracle, and the Field Guide to Garden Dragons (all published by U.S. Games INC.). She is the author of 33 Days to Finish Your Book.

9 thoughts on “Let’s Talk About Queens”

  1. What a beautiful blog! I have only just begun to get my “handle”on blogs and blogging and with my burgeoning interest in learning the Tarot, your site is quiet a wonderful find for me. The background on all the Queens (lovely deck, by the way) is great. I feel that, despite my Gemini air nature, that The Sybl of Cups is most “me”. Very informative post, all the way around and I love how you’ve been able to find heroines to match each. I’ll be sure to be back!

  2. Hello Lise! 🙂 Isn’t the Sibyl of Cups lovely? I am so drawn to her but then again, I adore Mermaids! If you have any questions let me know! I love Tarot.

  3. In my travels and readings, I have come to generally identify the Queens with sources of wisdom and comfort. All of them but one, that is: the Queen of Swords. That one still makes me uncomfortable, as my deck (as well as the other decks I read from though they do not belong to me) have associated that card with a particular person.

    Now, it’s not that I don’t like Miss Swords–quite the contrary. She’s a totally awesome person. However, the last time she played a major role in my life, it robbed me of my sanity.

  4. I tend to have trouble interpreting all the court cards.

    They don’t seem to “speak to me” on a deeper level. You seem to understand the queen quite well.:-)

    Great blog post

  5. ThePhotoMan I get you! I had an incident with my own Queen of Cups self that made it very difficult for me to embrace her. I finally got through that but not without a great deal of work.

  6. I think this old queen is going to enjoy this excercise immensely. 🙂
    Nice choice of cards.

    xox

  7. This was very helpful – and I love the imagery of this deck. I’m new to Tarot and appreciate the insights on how to interpret these cards. I think I’m going to pull out my new deck (Druidcraft Tarot) and see with fresh eyes.

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