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The Emperor
MAJOR ARCANA · IV
The Emperor is card IV of the major arcana. With rocky mountains behind him, a king sits upright on a stone throne. Upright, he stands for stability, responsibility and order; reversed, for domination, stubbornness and self-righteousness.
Name and number
| English | The Emperor |
|---|---|
| Old Italian name | L'Imperatore |
| Old French name | L'Empereur |
| Number | 4 (IV) |
Upright meaning
Keywords: stability, responsibility, order, leadership, strength of will
If the Empress is the power that grows the harvest, the Emperor is the power that protects it and gives it structure. Where the Empress sits in wheat fields, the Emperor has dry rock at his back.
The upright Emperor stands for solid ground and the responsibility that holds it up: setting rules and plans, organizing people, carrying decisions through. It is the strength to move things forward by reason rather than by feeling. At work it is a dependable card for questions of position and trust, independence or starting a business, and leading others. It can also stand for a protective figure such as a father or a boss.
Reversed meaning
Keywords: domination, stubbornness, self-righteousness, clinging to power
Reversed, the Emperor's strength is read as having grown too hard.
Pushing ahead without listening, tying people down with rules, clinging to position and power. It can also show the opposite: running from responsibility, or failing to decide so that the ground shakes. Drawn for someone around you, it can point to an overbearing boss or a controlling family member. It is a card for rethinking how power is used.
What the picture shows
- The ram-headed throne: the sign of Aries, standing for the force of beginnings and fighting spirit.
- The ankh scepter and the orb: the ankh is the ancient Egyptian sign of life; the orb shows that the world is in his hand.
- Armor under the robe: beneath the calm face, he is always ready to fight.
- The barren mountains: hard, unyielding land. Building order there is the Emperor's task.
- The white beard: experience, and wisdom gained over long years.
History
The Emperor card depicted a real emperor from the start.
In the fifteenth-century Italian Visconti–Sforza deck, an emperor wearing a hat with the eagle of the Holy Roman Empire sits holding an orb and scepter. For the dukes of Milan, the emperor who granted them their title was a figure of special importance.
In the seventeenth- and eighteenth-century Tarot of Marseille, the Emperor is shown in profile, seated with his legs crossed and an eagle shield beside him. He and the Empress face each other as a pair.
Nineteenth-century esoteric writers reread the Emperor as a symbol of earthly power. After the Golden Dawn linked him with Aries, the Rider–Waite–Smith deck carved rams' heads into his throne, dressed him in armor and set him against rocky mountains. The court emperor was redrawn as a symbol of will and order.
Correspondences
| Hebrew letter | Astrology / element |
|---|---|
| Heh (ה) | Aries |
Previous and next cards
- Previous: 3 The Empress
- Next: 5 The Hierophant
- The major arcana