Want a good, medieval mystery to read? The Song of the Nightingale by Alys Clare, sent this blogger, C. LaVielle, on a journey into the real life mystery of the origins of Tarot. As she notes, a Cathar origin is not really feasible, but its origins among “progressive Catholics who used existing Christian Apocalyptic art” is. This is an excellent summary of that perspective. The photo above is a 15th century fresco on the side of a Confraternity Chapel in Clusone, Italy. It depicts both a Dance of Death and a Triumph of Death and includes several figures that appear in the Tarot. Read the article at C. LaVielle’s Book Jacket Blog.
(Thanks to Mel Parsons for turning me on to the book and blog post.)
Mary K. Greer has made tarot her life work. Check here for reports of goings-on in the world of tarot and cartomancy, articles on the history and practice of tarot, and materials on other cartomancy decks. Sorry, I no longer write reviews. Contact me
Mary K. Greer's Tarot Blog 
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September 24, 2013 at 4:58 pm
magicianhealer
That is really cool! I was in Italy recently myself and took photos of frescoes that reminded me of tarot cards too – in particular, I found one in Bellagio of a Pope- holding chains with a Devil on the end! It was both the Heirophant and the Devil card! I also saw the Justice card in a painting on the ceiling of the Vatican. I loved finding them! There were also sculptures that were like tarot cards. It was really fantastic to see them larger than life, in places where other people laid their eyes on them all the time. Fun! Thanks for letting us know about this book and blog.
September 24, 2013 at 5:19 pm
mkg
I’ve been on two Tarot Tours of Italy and, yes, the Tarot images are everywhere – especially from the late 14th through early 15th centuries. It’s wonderful seeing how much they were a normal part of the culture.
October 10, 2014 at 6:00 am
graytarot
I might just look into that.