Welcome back to White Rose of Avalon my Darlings.   Today’s Tarot Tuesday post is an examination of why the Empress in Tarot is often depicted with Red Hair.   It is probably well known to those of us who collect Tarot decks that certain features often appear in certain cards.  One of those major features of the Empress card is that she either has Blonde or Red Hair, but I notice her with Red Hair a bit more often!   This could be because I have deep auburn hair, meaning that I myself have an active MC1R gene (more on that below).   This also means that although I am a natural Redhead, due to the darkness of the color, many people do not notice unless they see my hair in natural sunlight.   But alas, getting off of my side tangent and back to the point, being a Redhead I may naturally notice figures with Red hair more often!

I was easily able to think of five different Tarot decks that I personally own and use regularly that feature Redheads as the Empress card.   The Sacred Circle and The Llewellyn Tarot both feature Empresses with reddish blonde or reddish brown hair, but the red tones are still very recognizable.   Tarot of the Hidden Realm, The Joie de Vivre Tarot, and The Arthurian Tarot (by John and Caitlin Matthews) all feature Empresses with vividly Red Hair!    I do want to note that there are also variations of the coloration of the Rider Waite Smith deck that feature the blonde-haired Empress with a much redder tone.

Now, why is it that it is so easy for us to find Empress cards that feature the Empress with Red Hair?   Red Hair has long been associated with the Fair Folk, given that we have so many species of Faeries tied to the U.K. and Ireland, where there is a large population of Redheads, plus red itself is a very Faery color.    Beyond that, Red Hair has been tied to sexuality, temptation, and fertility.   When we dig into the reasoning behind this association with Redheads being Sexual Sirens, we find a very interesting link to genetics.   It all begins with the MC1R gene, which governs Red Hair, natural Redheads have an active gene and have parents who either have active or inactive MC1R genes themselves.   This gene also relates to having fair and sensitive skin, hence why many of us Redheads have such pale complexions!   Beyond that the MC1R gene also is linked to having much stronger bones, a much higher pain tolerance for pain associated with pressure (stabbing, pinching, cutting, etc), and a higher sensitivity to temperature-related pain (hot and cold).  

To bring this into perspective, I have never broken a bone, even when a bad sprain probably should have led to a bone breaking, and piercings and tattoos are very easy to tolerate for me (even something I would describe as an interesting feeling rather than pain)!   This link to strong bones and pain tolerance meant that centuries ago women with Red Hair were more likely to survive childbirth than others.   This was especially true during times of famine or other diseases or nutritional deficiencies that would make women without the MC1R gene possibly break bones (like their pelvis) and die during childbirth if they could conceive at all!   This knowledge of Redheads easily having more children would trickle down the centuries culminating in this idea of Redheads being sexually voracious and giving us the Redhead temptress archetype we know today.

So, the link between Red Hair and fertility and abundance means that depicting the Empress of the Tarot as a Redhead makes perfect sense.   The Redhead Empress is ideally aligned with the traditional meanings of the Empress card!   I hope you have enjoyed this little deep dive into why the Empress is often a Redhead.   What is your favorite Red Haired Empress card?   Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!     

Note on Image: The image at the top of the post is the Guinevere card from The Arthurian Tarot  (the Empress card in that deck).   I found the image on https://www.pinterest.fr/pin/101260691608350883/.     

LINK TO AVALONIAN ROSE FAERY MYSTERIES PATREON: https://patreon.com/AvalonianRoseFaeryMysteries?utm_medium=unknown&utm_source=join_link&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=copyLink

Tarot Note: I have a page offering tarot and oracle readings for those interested in these services!    I am very happy to be offering these readings to my treasured readers at White Rose of Avalon!  Link to page: https://whiteroseofavalon.life/tarot-and-oracle-readings/ 

Further Reading

• The Only Tarot Book You’ll Ever Need by Skye Alexander
• Red: A History of the Redhead by Jacky Colliss Harvey
• The Roots of Desire: The Myth, Meaning, and Sexual Power of Red Hair by Marion Roach