Ten of Swords
The Ten of Swords warns of betrayal, backstabbing, and reaching a painful rock bottom. It evokes the myth of Sedna, whose father pushes her from his kayak and chops off her fingers, after which she sinks to the ocean floor and becomes consumed with wrath, embodying themes of vengeance and severing ties. Upright, it signals bitterness, martyrdom, and the finality of a destructive ending; reversed, it points to surviving disaster, recovery, and regeneration. The card calls for recognizing pain, releasing toxic connections, and allowing space for healing and inevitable transformation.
Keywords
Character
SEDNA
Origin
CANADA, Inuit Mythology
Description
The Ten of Swords represents backstabbing and betrayal. Sedna's father pushes her from his kayak and chops off her fingers when she tries to cling to his boat. She sinks to the bottom of the ocean and becomes consumed with wrath, eventually seeking revenge.
Upright
Bitterness, betrayal, rock bottom, martyrdom, severing ties
Reverse
Surviving disaster, recovery, regeneration, the inevitable
Visual Description
A dark, swirling body of water streaked with red is pierced by ten white, jagged sword-like spikes that angle downward into the surface. Two bare hands emerge from the water, palms and fingers spread as if grasping or drowning, while a fur-clad figure leans over the wooden gunwale of a boat holding a bloodied cloth. The bottom margin bears the printed title "Ten of Swords" and the artist signature "yoshiyoshitani".
Tarot of the Divine
💜 Please support creators. Buy official decks.
ℹ️ Disclaimer
All card images and descriptions are taken from public sources. They are used for review purposes only. All rights to these images and descriptions belong to their creators. If you believe there is a copyright infringement, please contact us at [email protected].