Welcome back to White Rose of Avalon, my Darlings. Today’s Tarot Tuesday post is about how we can align the Queens of Tarot with actual historical Queens. For the purposes of this post, I have decided to focus on York and Tudor-era Queens of England and Scotland, but this can be applied to other places and time periods as well! Without further ado, let’s look at the Tarot Queens and their historical counterparts.
QUEEN OF CUPS & ELIZABETH WOODVILLE
~Elizabeth Woodville was the wife and Queen of King Edward IV, the first York King of England! I put her as the Queen of Cups because it is commonly stated that Elizabeth Woodville was descended from Melusine because of her mother’s bloodline, being from Luxembourg’s nobility. She is also believed to have practiced magick and prophecy and been very fertile, which makes the ideal Queen of Cups energy! Elizabeth Woodville embodies the psychic and prophetic side of Queen of Cups, as well as the emotional side of this energy. Her whirlwind romance with the King shows just how emotionally significant she was, coming out of seemingly nowhere to become a Queen. Edward’s rule was cemented through marriage and, more importantly, children and by a woman descended from a Faery Queen, which is very much in line with the Queen of Cups’ fertile and magickal energies.
QUEEN OF WANDS & ANNE BOLEYN
~Anne Boleyn was the second wife of Henry VIII and mother to Elizabeth I. I put her as the Queen of Wands because she was known to draw people to her like moths to the flame. She is also often accused of having been a witch, and the Queen of Wands is known as the witch archetype of the Tarot, making for an ideal alignment! Anne Boleyn had both the warm and gregarious nature of the Queen of Wands, as well as the passionate and fiery energy. Anne Boleyn’s personality was well-honed at European Courts, and she was taught how to play the game of Courtly Love to her advantage. She could beguile and bewitch with her personality, fashion, intelligence, and flirtatious nature, making her truly the life of the party. And that is exactly the energy of the Queen of Wands!
QUEEN OF SWORDS & ELIZABETH I
~Elizabeth I was the iconic Queen who reigned alone for over four decades! Elizabeth I balanced her regality with an iron will, which is very Queen of Swords energy. Elizabeth could easily craft an image for herself using fashion and artwork, along with a keen understanding of history. Her intellect and ability to create a cult of personality about herself to inspire her people lends to the imaginative inspiration of the Queen of Swords! Not to mention that she presented herself as a Warrior Queen before the Spanish Armada to rally her troops, which is a bold move that definitely speaks to the Queen of Swords’ energy.
QUEEN OF PENTACLES & MARY STUART
~Mary Stuart was the cousin of Elizabeth I and Queen of Scotland from just six days old! Mary Queen of Scots was also the Queen Consort of France for a time. Mary Stuart stood in stark contrast to Elizabeth, as she was the Queen willing to play the political game as it had always been done. Her willingness to marry and give birth to a son and heir aligns well with the Queen of Pentacles’s earthy, maternal, and prosperous energy! Mary’s having been a Queen since she was just a baby shows that, like a Faery Queen making a marriage on behalf of the land, she was blessing her husbands with great power, which is also something that aligns with the Queen of Pentacles energy.
~I hope you have enjoyed this short breakdown of Tarot Queens and their historical counterparts. What other Queens do you think fit the archetypes of these Tarot Queens? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!
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Further Reading
- Elizabeth Woodville by David MacGibbon
- The Life and Death of Anne Boleyn by Eric Ives
- The Life of Elizabeth I by Alison Weir
- Mary Queen of Scots by Antonia Fraser