Hero of Swords

Air of Air ~ Master of Debate ~ The Philosopher

Personality. The hero of swords is someone who has mastered the demands of logic, abstraction, and reason. The victory is not just one of cleverness, being able to out-argue an opponent. Rather, it is a true understanding that comes from rising above one's own thoughts and seeing them as arbitrary mental constructs. From that vantage point, one can debate without prejudice, and see the implications of every proposition. His goal is to illuminate and elucidate the structure of things, including the structure of thought itself.

The hero of swords lives in a world of abstractions. He can deal with practical, emotional, or spiritual matters, but needs to have an acceptable intellectual model of them before he can begin. This makes him seem remote, perhaps disconnected. He can become an "absent-minded professor" long before receiving tenure! However uninvolved he may seem, he is scrupulously fair and objective. He tends to be introverted, more comfortable with the written word than with conversation.

The hero of swords is a good communicator, but his ideas are often complex, subtle, and abstract, which means that people often have difficulty learning what he has to teach. He is frustrated when others misinterpret or oversimplify. His theories are so sweeping that they often encompass things he has never experienced himself. This is one of his weaknesses, but it serves a positive purpose: the hero of swords can map the territory before he gets there.

The hero of swords has achieved true balance and equilibrium in the mental world. Unfortunately, being air of air, he is thoroughly mental, to the exclusion of all other pursuits. He may be a complete novice in other areas of life. He has attained a kind of enlightenment, but it is an enlightenment that is only apparent when his environment is one of ideas and theories.

Role. The hero of swords is a philosopher, a scientist, a teacher. He may be an intellectual, or just someone with objectivity and good thinking skills. He is a synthesizer, and integrator, a bringer together of diverse ideas. When referring to oneself, the card indicates that one is being placed in a role where intellectual acumen, teaching, and communication are called for. It can also indicates fairness, and rising above one's emotions and prejudices.

Return to Tarot entry page

Return to Telperion Productions entry page

Copyright © 1998 Tom Tadfor Little