Card 59 • swords

Ten of Swords

Brief Description

The Ten of Swords depicts total defeat and intense suffering, represented by a helpless figure pierced by ten swords. Upright, it signifies extreme pain, a terrible crisis, violent attack, victimhood, and a tragic ending that emphasizes mortality. Reversed, it can indicate surviving trauma, temporary salvation, and doing the best you can in the aftermath of catastrophe. The card calls for acknowledgment of ending and pain while suggesting the possibility of endurance, growth, and recovery.

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Description

Imprisoned by pain, a helpless citizen cries out for help that will never come. Ten mighty swords penetrate his coffin, pinning his wretched soul to everlasting misery and torture.

Upright Meaning

Extreme pain or unbearable emotional torment. A terrible crisis. A violent attack. An unyielding curse. Victimhood. A tragic ending. Mortality.

Reversed Meaning

Surviving a traumatic event. Temporary salvation. Dealing with a catastrophe the best you can. May indicate the need to grow stronger in order to endure a tragedy.

Visual Description

An upright wooden coffin stands planted in the earth, its lid ajar and a hinged hatch open near the top. Ten swords protrude from the coffin's sides and top, their blades tipped with dripping blood and some puncturing a visible red heart through a slatted window. A yellow, anguished face peers from the upper opening, one sword driven through its head, while a crescent moon and small stars hang in the pale sky above the Roman numeral X.

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✍️ Deck author(s): Patrick Valenza

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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].