The Emperor (IV) is the fourth trump or Major Arcana card in traditional tarot decks. It is used in game playing as well as in divination.
The Emperor (IV) is the fourth trump or Major Arcana card in traditional tarot decks. It is used in game playing as well as in divination.
The Emperor sits on a ram-adorned throne, a symbol of Mars. Another ram head can be seen on his cloak. His long white beard bears the symbol of "wisdom".[1] He holds an Ankh scepter in his right hand, and a globe, symbol of domination, in his left. The Emperor sits atop a stark, barren mountain, a sign of "sterility of regulation, and unyielding power."[2] He symbolizes the top of the secular hierarchy, the ultimate male ego. The Emperor is the absolute ruler of the world.
In Astrology, the Emperor is associated with the masculine, cardinal-fire sign of Aries, the domicile sign of Mars which is symbolized by the ram.[3]
The essential features of the design for The Emperor card have changed very little through the centuries. The Emperor sometimes got caught up in the censorship placed on the Popess (The High Priestess) and the Pope (The Hierophant), as when the Bolognese card makers replaced the Popess (High Priestess), Pope (Hierophant), Empress, and Emperor with four Moors or Turks. In the Minchiate, the first of the two Emperors are assigned number III because of the removal of the Popess (High Priestess) from the deck.
According to A.E. Waite's 1910 book Pictorial Key to the Tarot, the Emperor card carries several divinatory associations:
The Emperor Keywords
UPRIGHT: Authority, establishment, structure, a father figure
REVERSED: Domination, excessive control, lack of discipline, inflexibility[4]
In the manga JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Stardust Crusaders, characters' powers (also known as 'Stands') are named after tarot cards. The Emperor 'stand' belongs to Hol Horse, a minor antagonist.
Alternative decks include:[5]
