Who exactly are the Ancient Eight?
Why aren’t Elihu and Mace and Chain mentioned? In real life, they’re part of the Ancient Eight and are both landed. In real life, Manuscript is a very elite society that is not part of the Ancient Eight, but based on the index at the back of the book that seems to not be the case.
What exactly is Dawes trying to do with her thesis?
Her thesis is on Mycenaean cult practices in early tarot iconography. Mycenae Greece predates the more well known Classical Greece (what people call Ancient Greece), dating from 1750-1050BC. Tarot decks originated in 1400s AD as playing cards or flashcards for learning purposes. They weren’t used for divination until late 1700s.
In the 1400s, the only thing people knew of pre-Classical Greece was Homer, which was a combo of likely real Mycenaean war events/locations mixed with Greek Dark Age culture. At that time, people believed the works of Homer to be entirely myth, and did not believe Mycenae or Troy to be real places. It wasn’t until Heinrich Schliemann in 1868 found archaeological evidence of Mycenaean civilization that people knew anything about Mycenaean civilization, and Mycenaean language (Linear B) wasn’t translated until at least the 1950s. How on earth could the Mycenaean civilization have any influence on tarot cards which developed in the 1400s, at all, except very distantly? Unless she’s just referring to more modern decks that developed after more was known on Mycenaean civilization, but those are pretty esoteric, and again, knowledge of the cult practices were still scant, as the field has developed quite a bit in the past century.
In the 1400s, the only thing people knew of pre-Classical Greece was Homer, which was a combo of likely real Mycenaean war events/locations mixed with Greek Dark Age culture. At that time, people believed the works of Homer to be entirely myth, and did not believe Mycenae or Troy to be real places. It wasn’t until Heinrich Schliemann in 1868 found archaeological evidence of Mycenaean civilization that people knew anything about Mycenaean civilization, and Mycenaean language (Linear B) wasn’t translated until at least the 1950s. How on earth could the Mycenaean civilization have any influence on tarot cards which developed in the 1400s, at all, except very distantly? Unless she’s just referring to more modern decks that developed after more was known on Mycenaean civilization, but those are pretty esoteric, and again, knowledge of the cult practices were still scant, as the field has developed quite a bit in the past century.
- Based on chapter titles, she’s looking at the distant route of: Mycenaean Greece to classical Greece to Renaissance, rather than based on recent discoveries:
- Based on her chapter title: From Eleusis to Empoli, Eleusis is where the Eleusinian mysteries supposedly originate, which had origins in a Mycenaean grain cult. Empoli is a town near Florence, and tarot cards originated in Florence as well as several other northern Italian cities in the 1400s AD.
- Her chapter title: Mimesis and the Chariot’s Wheel, refers Platonic concepts. The chariot’s wheel analogy is that a human soul is like a charioteer driving a chariot with two horses: one horse that is good and rational, the other driven by impulses. The Chariot is also a tarot card, usually with two drivers of the chariot. Of course, Plato’s Classical Greece is very distinct from Mycenaean Greece.
- Josephus is a Roman-Jewish historian. She’s probably referring to the Testimonium Flavonium, about Jesus of Nazareth, given it’s “Heretical.” In this passage, Jesus is crucified, and then tricksters are crucified, and some Heretics interpret that Jesus was a trickster (tricksters pretended to perform miracles). The Fool card in modern esoteric tarot is seen as the Protagonist, who participates in the great mysteries of life so maybe she’s referring to Jesus symbology?
However, understanding the chapter titles raises more questions than it answers. We don’t have a ton of detail on Mycenaean cult beliefs to begin with, and whether they were passed onto the Eleusinian mysteries practiced in classical Greece around ~1000 years later is currently under debate. But she’s not just arguing that, she’s making a case for Mycenaean influence at least another ~2000 years in the future, despite no one even remembering the civilization. Plus, she’d have to discuss the culture tarot developed in, in order to discuss why Mycenaean iconography developed specifically. So she has an extremely broad paper that has very tenuous links.
- Given Bardugo’s references to antiquity, she likely is aware just how distinct Mycenaean culture, the culture of Plato, and the culture of Josephus was. Was this intended as a Genius Bonus to emphasize why Dawes is struggling with her thesis, given she’s already worked on it for four years?
- All of the chapter titles could relate (at least distantly) to the Eleusinian mysteries. Plato was in the Eleusinian cult, and the cult’s belief of rebirth could be related to Jesus. However, if she’s just focusing on the Eleusinian mysteries, why isn’t that her paper topic? We have more detail on the Eleusinian beliefs of antiquity than the Mycenaean grain cult. Why title the paper on one specific era of the paper doesn’t even discuss Mycenae that much?
- Why is she translating Linear B? Linear B is the written language of Mycenaeans, so that at least makes sense. But given she’s writing about tarot cards (developed beginning in 1400), most of her paper is going to have to be linking the cult beliefs to modern era. Wouldn’t she just take previously translated passages? Why would she be wasting time slogging through untranslated tablets on the off-chance she finds something new?
- What department is this for?
- History? But it’s so incredibly broad, it’s contribution to historical knowledge can’t be great.
- Religious studies? Hellenic Polytheists may be interested in the linkage of the Eleusinian mysteries to Tarot, but can’t imagine that’s of interest to Yale or very legitimate. Additionally, it seems like she’s interpreting the Fool as participating in the mysteries of life, given the linkage to Jesus. Again, that’s esoteric, and I can’t imagine it would be much interest to Yale.
