Product Description

Over a century ago, a young boy left Wales and journeyed to America, where he started a small press, now known as Llewellyn Publications. Llewellyn George's adventurous spirit and Welsh heritage embodies "The Llewellyn Tarot", which also celebrates the publisher's enduring legacy. From the creator of the popular "Legend: The Arthurian Tarot Kit", this lavishly illustrated deck offers universal appeal (based on Rider-Waite) with a Welsh twist. A compelling story unfolds starring Rhiannon as The Empress, Bran the Blessed as The Emperor, The Wild Herdsman as The Horned God (the Devil), Gwydion as The Magician, Llew Llaw Gyffes as the Bringer of Light, and other figures from Welsh mythology. Watercolour imagery beckons us forth into a mystic world of ancient forests, sensuous seascapes, and wondrous waterfalls - gorgeous landscapes brimming with mystery, meaning and magic.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #64932 in Books
• Published on: 2006-09-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 264 pages

About the Author
Anna-Marie Ferguson was born in Hampshire, England, where she became fascinated with the tarot and Celtic legends. She strives to keep this bygone age alive through her art.

Customer Reviews

Enter the powerful world of Welsh mythology. . .

First of all, the title. Many people know Llewellyn as a publishing house specializing in esoteric subjects such as Tarot. What is less well-known is that the man who founded the publishing house about a century ago was Llewellyn George, a Welshman who had emigrated to America and subsequently become a passionate explorer of hermeticism and other matters. This tarot is, in a sense, a tribute to this man. Not by depicting his biography but by plunging us into the culture from whence he came, the powerful, poetic, myth-laden culture of Wales, replete with deities and heroes and strange beasts.

The deck is comprised of the usual 78 Tarot cards, 22 Major Arcana and 56 Minors, the latter of which are divided up into suits of Swords, Wands, Cups and Pentacles. The images are 78 watercolour paintings by Anna-Marie Ferguson who has also written the handsome and very helpful companion book.

The Minors are very reminiscent of the Rider-Waite system as far as imagery goes; the superb and highly atmospheric Majors are less so, yet still remain true to the symbolic meanings. Whilst the Minors depict daily life, the Majors introduce us to the deities and heroes of Welsh mythology. Peredur is The Fool, Gwydion, The Magician, Llew Llaw Gyffes, The Sun. And so on. There is no sense of contrivance : Ferguson understands both the Tarot and the mythology very well, and has married them together beautifully.

How are these cards for reading ? Excellent. Anyone with a background in Rider-Waite will have little trouble. And I believe anyone fascinated with mythology would be delighted to work with them. I suspect I shall also use the Majors in particular for meditation and dreamwork.

Mention must also be made of the book. Each of the Major Arcana has a detailed three or four pages devoted to it, and the appropriate myth in full.

If you are new to Anna-Marie Ferguson's work, you may like to get her earlier Tarot LEGEND, based on the Arthurian mythos. She is also the illustrator of a new-ish edition of LE MORTE D'ARTHUR. Her misty, mossy, medieval landscapes really are second to none.

Lovely Welsh Deck
I bought this deck because I an Welsh and seeing Bala Lake (which has many personal memories for me) used for The Tower card I felt I must have it. That said it is a gorgeous deck, It is watercoloured and so therefore avoids the computer generated pictures, where everyone looks like someone specific, when you need a general look for divination. It also is happily deviod of the cartoony appearance and nudity which seem so prevelent in many modern decks. I find the images moving and inspiring and I am happy to use it when reading for anyone of any age, especially my own granddaughters. It is also a way to pass on the Welsh Legends which I personally like. One tiny critisism and this is purely me, I miss the dogs and crayfish on the Moon card!. Never mind I still have my Marseilles for that.

the mabinogion
is the body of welsh myth that this deck is based on. Ferguson's work is very well done and romantic, & the way that the deck was packaged, complete with book and tarot bag, was lovely. However, I have to say that i think the subject matter of the Mabinogion was dealt with rather strangely. The Mabinogi 'wonder tales' are a straightforward progression, the first tale, Pwyll Prince of Dyfed, sets the scene for many of the later happenings in the cycle. However, this deck starts with the story of Peredur, generally accepted to come from a later body of myth. So while I love the deck itself, I think it's not very well researched. On a magical level, it would not be possible to 'progress' through the tarot, and thus, meditation and ritual would be limited too. Also the stories don't all come from the Mabinogi but from other welsh wonder tales and stories. It is a good starting point if you are interested in the welsh story cycle,but if one wanted to make a deeper study of these themes, one would have be better off with the work of Caitlin Matthews. Having said that, I'd like to see A M Fergusons King Arthur deck but I probably wouldn't buy it.