In the Minchiate, this card is titled "Love", as it is in all the original Italian tarot traditions, the title "Lovers" being an invention of the French makers of the Tarot de Marseille. The titles and ordering of cards in the old tarot decks suggest that the original designers may have intended to contrast the virtues (Temperance, Justice, and Fortitude) with cards representing temptations or gifts of fate (Love, the Triumphal Chariot, and the Wheel of Fortune). When Love, Victory, or Luck enter our lives, we can easily abandon our common sense and humility, which the virtues struggle to restore.

The Minchiate Love card makes no attempt to show a symmetry between the two lovers. In fact, they hardly seem to be lovers at all. The young man is down on bended knee; the woman is standing, placing a crown upon his head. Cupid hovers above at close range, his arrow trained on the man alone. The crowning ceremony brings to mind stories of knights courageously suffering impossible ordeals to win their lady's praise and recognition. The institutions of chivalry offered no opportunity for symmetric treatment of the sexes. The lady's duty was to remain chaste and aloof, beautiful and unmoved. The man, on the other hand, was required to be brave and noble, slaughtering opponents on the battlefield but somehow displaying impeccable etiquette on his return.

In the Minchiate Etruria deck, Cupid's arrow is pointed directly downward at the man's head, with the crown almost serving to mark the bull's eye. In Williams's version, this is softened a bit, with Cupid taking aim more from the side. In fact, it looks like his arrow might clink off the crown and go flying in a random direction if he released it! Also, the young man seems less composed, his hands raised in a gesture of gratitude, pleading, or excitement. The lady is poised and statuesque, although she betrays some affection in her expression and pose.

For me, this card emphasizes Love as a divine gift, rather than Love as a relationship between two people. Cupid's arrow pierces your mind, and the gates of life are flung open. Love is capricious, unpredictable, overwhelming. Like the brave knight, we may go out and turn our world upside down for the sake of love, only to find the noble lady as remote and unattainable as ever. Yet when love appears, it crowns us with euphoria, joy, and a sense of passionate commitment to our goals and ideals. It repairs the broken world.

As such, this card can stand for feelings other than romantic love. It can be whatever makes you come alive, whatever detaches you from your common sense and gives the day new meaning. In Greek philosophy, Eros was not just sexual passion, but also the creative force behind human invention and the flowering cosmos itself. Whenever we take a dip into the distilled life-force, emerging giddy, ambitious, ecstatic, and ready to fly, we are victims of Love. The young man in the card is surrendering himself, kneeling at the feet of Venus, and receiving Cupid's arrow with no helmet to protect him. He is the helpless hero, trusting in the gods to glorify him through the gift of Love.

Tom Tadfor Little
tlittle@telp.com

Tarot at Telperion Productions
http://www.telp.com/excursions/tarot/

The Hermitage: A Tarot History Site
http://www.crosswinds.net/members/~hermit/