Reading literature from the past can certainly tell us much about the present, but what about the future? For his final project, Nathan Rollins has created a set of stunning tarot cards with each card representing a figure from one of the four literary periods covered in 2201. The set includes some distinguished characters: the early medieval hero(?), Beowulf; the mystic and visionary author, Julian of Norwich; the seventeenth-century philosopher and poet of the natural world, Margaret Cavendish; and the formerly enslaved memoirist and abolitionist, Olaudah Equiano.
Not only do these cards showcase Nathan’s artistic skill, but he has also created these literary representations with the meaning of each tarot card in mind, as he explains below!
Cards and Commentary
For the first card I chose to draw Beowulf holding the head of Grendel post-defeat. I altered Beowulf’s face to appear skull-like, and dubbed it the “death” card. The death card does not pertain strictly to the concept of dying, but when drawn in the upright orientation, it represents new beginnings, such as when Beowulf takes over as the new king.
The second card is the “hermit” card, which in the upward orientation represents contemplation and inner guidance. In the downward orientation, it represents loneliness and isolation. All of these characteristics are ones I would attribute to Julian of Norwich, who is featured in the second card.
For the third card I illustrated Margaret Cavendish as the “magician.” The magician represents willpower, creation, and manifestation in the upward orientation, and trickery or illusion in the downward orientation. I thought these words described The Blazing World quite well, in addition to Cavendish’s writing style.
The fourth and final card depicts Olaudah Equiano as a representative of the “sun.” The sun, in it’s upward position, represents joy, success, and celebration, but downward represents negativity, depression, and sadness. I think that the sun card adequately represents what we learned about Equiano’s life, as it encapsulates both incredibly depressing times and success despite all odds.
A bio for Nathan Rollins is in the works!