The Devil
The Devil card relates a Slavic legend of a magical fern flower that grants knowledge and power but is fiercely guarded, symbolizing dangerous temptation. It warns that consuming passions, burning desires, pride, and vanity entangle the mind like a network, overshadowing vision and leading to destruction. These inner demons—ambition, greed, lust, and negative thinking—are depicted as forces that can kill the soul unless resisted. Liberation is possible through reason, internal strength, and the rejection of dependence and illusions, pointing to overcoming temptations and reclaiming freedom.
Keywords
Title
The Devil
Keyword
CAPTIVITY
Description
According to an old Slavic legend, on the night of the marriage of the Water and the Sun, the one who finds the magic flower of the fern will be granted full knowledge of everything in the world. He will be able to see the treasures underground, to read the thoughts of other people, and will gain power over evil spirits. But this magical flower is guarded by an evil force, and the one who tries to abduct it from the forest awaits a terrible trial. Enraged spirits will drive him mad and will send horrible visions that can kill if the brave man turns around to look at them. This card tells us that our souls are killed by consuming passions, burning desires, pride, and a self-destructive desire to achieve at all costs. They are like evil spirits that haunt us. Ambition and vanity, base instincts, the desire to become better than others are entangled as if by a network of your mind, which overshadows your vision and leads to destruction. In order to free yourself from this trap, listen to the voice of reason and you will be saved from the captivity of your passions.
Upright
Materiality, limitation, cruelty, vanity, personal demons, primitive desires, greed, negative thinking, lust, sensual passion, perversion
Reverse
Internal strength, liberation, the daunting of fear, getting rid of illusions, ambition, rejecting dependence, overcoming temptations
Visual Description
A pale, blue-tinged figure with white hair sits behind a bed of ferns and a single prominent rose, framed by tall, hornlike yellow flames rising behind him. He holds a dagger in his right hand while his left hovers protectively above the flower. Behind the flames the background is a textured blue with shell-like shapes and wave patterns. At the bottom of the card the caption reads "XV. Дьявол" and a small shop watermark is visible in the corner.
Golden Wheel tarot
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