Swords in Tarot: Meaning, Symbolism and Reading of the 14 Cards

The suit of the mind

Swords are one of the four suits of the Minor Arcana. A sword cuts, separates, slices: in the tarot, this image gave the suit of thought, analysis, words and decision. Its cards are often judged “difficult”, because they show conflicts, doubts and truths one would rather not see. This is a reading, not a verdict: a sword also serves to defend, to clarify and to deliver justice (Justice, a Major Arcanum, holds one).

These cards therefore call for a gentle eye: they often say what is going on in the head rather than in reality. A thought may be true or false.

The journey from Ace to Ten

The thread suggested by tradition:

• Ace: the clear idea, the truth that pierces. See the Aces.
• Two and Three: the dilemma, then the grief that finds expression.
• Four: the necessary rest.
• Five and Six: the conflict in which one wins or loses, then the crossing towards a calmer place.
• Seven and Eight: strategy and cunning, then the feeling of being bound.
• Nine and Ten: the anguish of sleepless nights, then the end of a cycle: what dies and what can be reborn.

Each of these stages has its own page: for example the Twos, the Eights or the Tens.

The court cards

In Swords, the Page is lively curiosity, the Knight the charge of ideas and arguments, the Queen clarity tempered by experience, the King law and a just mind. These are symbolic types, not portraits. For reading the figures and the difference between the English “Page” and the French “valet”, see the court cards.

Traditional correspondences

The Golden Dawn links Swords to air: breath, speech, ideas. It is the most common grid.

Some commentators also see in Swords the warrior nobility of the Middle Ages, Cups the clergy, Pentacles the merchants and Wands the peasants: an appealing social reading, but with no established historical rule. Other authors, within the Marseille school, assign the elements differently: a grid cited by Wikipedia even makes Swords fire.

Swords and playing cards

The Latin-based suit name “espadas” (swords) gave the Italian word “spade”, whence the spades of our playing cards, by resemblance of shape and function. This is the usual correspondence, but here too it does not run in a straight line, since the French suits have a history of their own. Keep it as a mnemonic aid.

Marseille or Rider-Waite-Smith?

In the Tarot de Marseille, the numbered Swords are pip cards: the Five of Swords is made of five interlaced blades with their ornament, without a figure. In the Rider-Waite-Smith (1909), the same card shows a man gathering swords while two others walk away with heads bowed: a scene of conflict in which one may wonder what has really been gained. The Three of Swords of the Rider-Waite-Smith is famous: a heart pierced by three swords under a rainy sky. In the Marseille, you simply find three blades. Both readings are legitimate.

Reading Swords gently

If many Swords come up in a spread, do not think “bad omen”. Ask yourself: what am I telling myself? Which thoughts go round in a loop? Which decision have I put off? A card such as the Ten of Swords, spectacular, can say both the end of a cycle and the possibility of starting again.

Beginner's mistakes: reading all Swords as misfortunes; confusing “feeling” (Cups) with “thinking” (Swords); forgetting that clarity also does good. The tarot is a tool for reflection: it predicts neither accidents nor break-ups. To practise, see the three-card spread.

Frequently asked questions

Also read

The meanings mentioned belong to tradition and symbolism. They are neither promises of results nor medical advice. Back to Guide to the Minor Arcana.