The Hierophant in 7 decks
The same card as 7 decks draw it, five and a half centuries apart. What stays the same is the card’s core; what changes is where a reading can find something new. The meanings are written for the Rider–Waite–Smith picture; the descriptions here are of each deck’s own.
Side by side
Choose any two decks and read the pictures against each other.
Pamela Colman Smith, 1909
A robed pontiff in a triple crown sits between two grey pillars, right hand raised in blessing and left holding a triple cross. Two tonsured monks kneel before him, one in a robe of roses and one of lilies, and two crossed keys lie at his feet. He speaks and they listen.
Lequart, Paris, 19th century
Numbered V and titled JVPITER, a naked bearded man with grey hair stands with a long striped scarf of red, yellow and green looping around his body. He grips a bundle of thunderbolts in each hand, one raised high. A yellow eagle spreads its wings beneath his feet among red clouds. In place of a pope, the card shows this god.
Rider–Waite–Smith
Pamela Colman Smith, 1909
A robed pontiff in a triple crown sits between two grey pillars, right hand raised in blessing and left holding a triple cross. Two tonsured monks kneel before him, one in a robe of roses and one of lilies, and two crossed keys lie at his feet. He speaks and they listen.
Tarot de Marseille
Lequart, Paris, 19th century
Numbered V and titled JVPITER, a naked bearded man with grey hair stands with a long striped scarf of red, yellow and green looping around his body. He grips a bundle of thunderbolts in each hand, one raised high. A yellow eagle spreads its wings beneath his feet among red clouds. In place of a pope, the card shows this god.
Tarot de Viéville
Jacques Viéville, c. 1650
Numbered V, a bearded figure in a pointed mitre stands between two columns with carved figures, holding a crozier in his left hand. Two curly-haired figures with round red patches on their backs kneel before him, one raising a hand towards his.
Visconti-Sforza
Bonifacio Bembo, c. 1450
A white-bearded man in a triple crown raises his right hand in blessing and holds a tall staff in his left. He wears a white alb under a cope of gold and dark cloth patterned with blue interlace, lined in green. He sits on a hexagonal pale step against tooled gold.
In the Visconti-Sforza deck the number cards show only their suit symbols, and the trumps are unnamed and unnumbered.
Sola Busca
c. 1491
A man crowned with laurel, in a purple robe, looks down at a small rod from which tiny weights hang. A red banner with a spiral curl rises on a pole behind him, a red helmet hangs at his side and a pale blue shield rests against him. The name CATVLO is at the top and V at the lower left.
Sola Busca trumps are named figures matched to the standard trumps by number only.
Oswald Wirth
Oswald Wirth, 1889
A white-bearded pope in a gold triple tiara sits between two pillars with crown-like tops, raising two fingers and holding a staff with three crossbars and a blue knob. He wears a red cope over blue and green. Two tonsured figures in grey and red kneel before him, one with hands joined. Below are the number 5, LE PAPE and the Hebrew letter he.
Soimoi
Mike Koz, 2025
An elderly bald monk with a white beard sits in dark robes and prayer beads, raising two fingers of his right hand and holding an open scroll of handwritten characters. Two figures kneel before him with their backs to us, among lit candles. Incense smoke curls around them, a small fox lies at his side, and a stone lantern stands behind.