The Emperor



After the Empress comes her male counterpart, The Emperor. While The Empress is Gaia, The Emperor is Zeus, Odin, Jupiter and Cernunnos. He is the All Father and the Godhead.

1 The first symbol we see is the symbol of masculinity held as a scepter in The Emperor's right hand. This symbol compliments the feminine symbol on The Empress Card which is also on the right side. Since the right hand symbolizes power this simply indicates that masculinity and femininity are the predominant traits. He is the ultimate father, brother, and husband.

2 Place on four major points on his throne we see rams. Generally when we think of rams we think of two of them butting heads in a battle for dominance. The stubborn and war-making tendencies of these creatures are all part of The Emperor's personality.

Throughout mythology the head of a ram has been used to represent major Gods including Cernunnos. The ram represents The Emperor's fearlessness, virility, strong spirit, and protective nature. It also further symbolizes his role as a patriarchal figure.

3 The throne upon which The Emperor sits is straight backed and stone. This represents the firm structure of his life as well as his authority.

4 Now we come to the Emperor himself and his attire. Once again somewhat mirroring The Empress we see red, but for The Emperor it merely represents his confidence and worldly power. Paired with the red robes we see armored boots and a golden crown. the crown represents his wealth and the boots are obvious symbols of is strength.

5 In the background behind his throne we see a mountain range rising high above a small stream. The mountains represent stability but also something more. In the mountains we see that The Emperor is cut off. He is a man who rules with his head and not his heart. This is shown by the mountains clear dominance over the stream. The water represents his emotion and passion while mountains represent reason and intelligence. This can make him cold at times and hard to reach emotionally.

Key Words: Masculinity, Father, Brother, Husband, Stubborn, War-making tendencies, Fearlessness, Virility, Strong spirited, Protective, Patriarchal figure, Structure, Authority, Confidence, Worldly power, Wealth, Strength, Stability, Dominance of intelligence over emotions.

When using reverse meanings: When encountering an inverse Emperor we see someone who should be a man but still acts like a boy. He is The Fool on The Emperor's throne. He is immature, weak-willed, and indecisive. He is also unable to control emotions that should be kept in check.