When we think of tarot cards, our first thoughts range from casual fortune telling to tools of the occult. A deck of cards with medieval art showing unfamiliar symbolism that takes lots of study to understand seems just plain weird. It might surprise you to learn that the occult trappings of the tarot deck are a fairly recent phenomena. The tarot deck originated in Europe, perhaps as early as the 14th century, as a regular card game. The cards came in four suits, which were later simplified into hearts, clubs, diamonds, and spades to make them easier to use. The original tarot cards were lavishly illustrated and gradually expanded to make the game more difficult.
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So why did the elaborate tarot deck survive after the standard deck of cards we play with today was developed? And how did they become fortune telling cards? That has to do with the beautiful Italian Renaissance artwork on them that no one could bear to throw away, and the medieval symbolism that fewer and fewer people understood over time. Read the origins of the tarot deck and why it became what it is today at The Guardian. -via Metafilter
Source: neatorama