Cards
TRIVIA:
Some interesting facts (or possibly fiction) about playing cards.
It is said that each of the suits on a deck of cards in a card game represents
the four major pillars of the economy in the Middle Ages: Hearts represented the
Church, Spades represented the military, Clubs represented agriculture, and
Diamonds represented the merchant class.
Each face card in a deck of playing cards is said to represent a great
person from history:
King of Spades - David
King of Hearts - Charles (possibly Charlemagne, or Charles VII, where Rachel
would then be the pseudonym of his mistress, Agnès Sorel)
King of Diamonds - Julius Caesar
King of Clubs - Alexander the Great
Queen of Spades - Pallas
Queen of Hearts - Judith
Queen of Diamonds - Rachel (either biblical, historical (see Charles above), or
ythical as a corruption of the Celtic Ragnel, relating to Lancelot below)
Queen of Clubs - Argine (possibly an anagram of regina, which is Latin for
queen, or perhaps Argea, wife of Polybus and mother of Argus)
Knave (Jack) of Spades - Ogier the Dane/Holger Danske (a knight of Charlemagne)
Knave (Jack) of Hearts - La Hire (comrade-in-arms to Joan of Arc, and member of
Charles VII's court)
Knave (Jack) of Diamonds - Hector
Knave (Jack) of Clubs - Judas Maccabeus, or Lancelot
The King of Hearts is the only king without a mustache and is the only king with
a sword through his head, otherwise known as the "Suicide King".
The Face Cards (King, Queen & Jack) are referred to as the "Court".
52 cards represents the 52 weeks in a year
4 suits represents the 4 seasons
13 cards in each suit represents the 13 weeks in each season
12 Royals represent the 12 months
2 red and 2 black suits represent the 4 different solstices
The 4 suits also represent the four natural elements
Hearts = Water
Clubs = Fire
Diamonds = Earth
Spades = Air
An interesting fact about playing cards is that specially-constructed decks were
sent to American soldiers who were being held in German camps during World War II.
The United States Playing Card Company collaborated with the government in the
production of these cards. What made these cards so unique was, once they became
wet, they peeled apart. Inside, the prisoners found parts of maps that would lead
them to freedom.