Here we have quite a different Fool from many.
The main image we have is a young man (jester or peasant?) witnessing the death of a swan. An intense way to begin your journey, yes?
Very profound though. The swan falling is likened to the fall from grace. Movement from heaven to Earth, the great descent to start a new journey. Something has to die for it to be reborn etc.
Or it could suggest the spiritual being sacrificed to cleanse the earth, to purify your new beginning. In mythology, heavenly bodies often visit the mortal world in the guise of a swan.
Swan: Symbolises grace and beauty, purity, honesty and righteousness. It is associated with love, music, and poetry. In Roman mythology, the swan was sacred to Venus, the goddess of love.
In this case though, it is more likely to mean purity and innocent blood shed. This is in reference to Percival (Percival later turns up as The Son Of Cups). Percival is a page to the knights of the Grail Quest. He is inspired to become a knight himself and joins the quest in hopes of fulfilling his dreams. He of course is very naive, innocent and has thrown himself in the deep end, Just like an a-typical fool. He would be the knight that, through innocence, discover the Holy Grail.
‘The Temptation Of Percival’ reproduction, Cassell 1907
He is first introduced to the court as a young fool from the forest, who has no understanding of courtly ways. He is brought there for negligently killing a sacred swan. When he is interrogated, he doesn’t know why, what he has done is wrong and is without remorse. Why wouldn’t you kill a bird to eat? He knows nothing of what it symbolises. He is then taken to witness a wounded knight Amfortas (a knight who sustained injury when trying to reclaim the Spear Of Destiny). Percival is again unmoved and does not understand the significance of the killing or suffering of the innocent.
He gets kicked out, sent on his way and after a while finds himself at a magical castle where he is seduced by a seductress most wicked (oh yeah!) Using wily and clever seduction techniques ( referencing his dead mother and her love for him) she pulls him in for a kiss. It as at this moment Percival has a ‘penny drops’ revelation and all falls into place… he feels remorse.
Here’s a quote from the book:
“Parsifal” and Its Significance
Lawrence Gilman
The North American Review
Vol. 178, No. 566 (Jan., 1904), pp. 70-74
“Amfortas!
The Wound!, within my heart it blazes. Ah Woe!…”
“Thy wound, I saw it bleeding, now it bleeds within myself, here!”
“No it is not the wound… here the blaze in my heart!
the yearning the terrible yearning!”
Lawrence Gilman adapts his reference from a translation by Alfred Forman.
This ultimately angers the seductress who tries to kill him using the Spear Of Destiny, it stops before him, like something out of The Matrix. Percival grabs it and makes the sign of the cross, making the whole castle turn to rubble.
Percival’s story is over and over a story of realization, innocence and above all perseverance.
Much like The Fool, through perseverance and spiritual awakening, one will find enlightenment at the end of their journey
‘The Court Jester’ by Thomas Davidson
In this example, Percival is depicted as a jester.
A jester can be a fool, but is also someone who can speak the truth bluntly for the lack of remorse. A Jester is also a sacrifice, communities would shower him with burdens, make him entertain them and sometimes kill him as a sacrifice.
The jester is also known as ‘the Ass’, representing humility. Another aspect of The Fool.
Stone wrapped in Cloth:
This is Earthly material possessions or concerns, worldly attractions/attachments, Matter, the physical. All that is valuable to The Fool, that he thinks he must carry with him or can’t let go of.
This could represent burdens, fears and doubts as well. Some will say that it is actually referencing a certain pair of stones bound within a sack that hold material information, DNA! What young Fool wants to go on an OE without those!
6 Bells:
The six bells could represent the closest 6 planets, that in astrology form the personality. They are called the Governing 6. They effect you personally and are the building blocks of, in essence, who and what you are.
Uranus:
7th planet from the Sun, The traveler – it’s course is on the Outer belt. The circle is spirit, the arrow is action. In mythology, Uranus was the mate of Gaia, a rather horny guy; always wanting to copulate. The two would often come together and create life as we know it, and many, many progeny. He was always too far away; not a close relationship to be had with this dad. He’s kind of the travelling dad that comes home to spend time ‘with’ mum and then leaves again.
Air
The white border around the card symbolizes Air: thought. Swords, both intellect and emptiness.
I’m sure I don’t need to fill you in the many correspondences of Air.
Aquarius:
This is the corresponding sign affiliated to Uranus. Aquarius can inspire our sexual lives or bring us the ability to solve problems in an unorthodox manner.
Wynn:
Haindl pairs Wynn, Wunjo with The Fool, This is the rune of joy!
This rune predicts joy, unbound happiness, celebration of success, bliss, the absence of suffering or sorrow. Powerful forces entering your life. Wisdom learned. Perfection. Winning.
Wunjo is the final letter of the first Aett, so it is the end of the old and the preparation of the next.
To maintain joy one must learn to remain in harmony with the flow of things. Joy is there if you persevere, keep trying to obtain it. You must also know loss and suffering to understand great joy
Aleph :
The symbol on the top left, translates to oxen, yoke, learn, strength, power, leader. It is the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet.
When two oxen are put together (yoked) to plow a field the more experienced one teaches the inexperienced.
This symbol was also used to identify a young King (young bull) a powerful leader who’s symbolic possessions were a sceptre/staff- the tool of a Shepard, and a crown – horns of a bull – authority.
The Face Of Concern:
Why is the Haindl Fool’s face so sad?
Most Fools look happy on their journey. Well, the obvious answer is that he just killed a swan! Or at least is looking at one die. But if we want to go deeper on it, it is because he is experiencing life. Life is not all sugar cakes and cream puffs. Somewhere in there you’ll bite something sour. #6 is about the creation of cycles. Living, giving and receiving. The joy and the suffering. Lets say we go with the Percival story but a version where he finds the swan. He touches the blood, sees the dying animal suffer. He internally feels remorse, empathy but also curiosity; this could be the first interaction with life and death. Much like when a kid finds a dead animal in a field. That experience of new awareness of mortality plants the seed of concern for ones own mortality.
Ultimately though, this is a card of hope. The fool will find more joy than suffering, if he can be true to his path, persevere on his journey and find satisfaction at completion.
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