I’ve had a sudden realization about Tarot. I think we might owe its existence to women!
We often talk about Pamela Colman-Smith, who painted the Rider-Waite-Smith deck, or Frieda Harris, who created the Thoth Tarot. Interestingly, these women were (Harris, especially) more committed to the process than their male partners, Waite and Crowley.
But let’s look further back: 15th-century Italy.
At that time, various “proto-tarot” decks existed, but the first real Tarot deck was created as a wedding gift for Francesco Sforza and Bianca Visconti. It was probably painted by Bonifacio Bembo. The cards show symbols of their families. For example, the Lovers card depicts their wedding.
The most intriguing card is The Popess. It represents Bianca’s cousin, Maifreda da Provano. She was a mystic who practiced an alternative, feminized version of Christianity. Mainfreda was burned at the stake for heresy. Bianca was a huge fan of hers and her teachings.
My thought is this: Either someone wanted to please Bianca by including things she loved, or she designed the deck (or some parts) herself! I just think that women are naturally more interested in mystical and artistic things, so this theory - Tarot was a woman’s invention - makes sense for me.