The ultimate Warhammer+ subscription service launches tomorrow with three episodes of the animated anthology show Hammer and Bolter. One of those episodes, Death’s Hand, concerns a dramatic reading of the Emperor’s Tarot, but what is this cryptic practice? We knew you’d ask. The cards told us, you see.
What Is the Emperor’s Tarot?
The Emperor’s Tarot is one of the few accepted methods of divination employed in the superstitious and close-minded Imperium of Mankind. The deck is made up of cards that each have an image and a name – like The Fool and Harbinger.
The most precious (and expensive) decks contain wafers of psychically active material, so many Inquisitors and sanctioned psykers believe that the Emperor uses them to communicate with Humanity cryptically.
Psykers of all stripes* can learn how to become attuned to the cards and interpret the spreads – using them to glean information about future events. This episode of Hammer and Bolter gives us the chance to actually see a reading for the first time.
How Are the Cards Used?
As with modern tarot decks, the Emperor’s Tarot is split into four major arcana. The number of cards, and even their names, can vary between packs.
The images on each card represent a dazzling variety of meanings, from specific beings and places to abstract concepts. As the reader draws the cards and lays them out, their position in relation to the other cards in the spread creates a complex weave of associations and suggestions.
Anyone can draw the Emperor’s Tarot cards, but interpreting the meanings and explaining them to others is another skill entirely. A convincing reading can influence all manner of Imperial policy, from something as mundane as the planning of a celebratory ball to the more dramatic deployment of military forces.
The Emperor’s Tarot in Fiction
The Emperor’s Tarot often appears in the annals of Black Library, though its use remains mysterious. Psykers hint at the tarot with warnings, omens, and prophecies – but rarely do we discover the meanings of individual cards.
Guy Haley explores a rather unusual reading in his novel Avenging Son. Interwoven through this epic introduction to the Indomitus Crusade runs an intimate tale of a lowly Imperial adept on Terra, who inadvertently creates a perfect tarot spread when she knocks her deck to the floor.
This scribe realises the reading is no coincidence and spends the rest of the novel trying to spread news of the omen. Read the book to see how it all turns out.
In the upcoming Hammer and Bolter episode Death’s Hand, the Emperor’s Tarot appears in the story of an Inquisitor’s retinue. We have no skill with the cards ourselves, so you’ll just have to watch the episode to see what the reading portends – though from this still of the episode, it appears to be bad news.
Tomorrow the cards align, and Warhammer+ launches with the first three episodes of Hammer and Bolter, with plenty more headed your way soon. These Warhammer animations are just one of the fantastic perks of Warhammer+, so subscribe right away to get the most out of this new service.
Check back tomorrow for full launch-day coverage of Warhammer+, including information about signing up, all of the glorious features, and what you can look forward to next.
* As you might expect, charlatans often claim they can interpret the cards. Finding a skilled reader you can trust is crucial.