Death (tarot)

Death is a tarot card associated with endings, transformation, and transition. In most decks it is numbered XIII and depicts a symbolic death rather than a literal prediction.

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Memento mori: An artistic or literary reminder that all people must die. The card uses mortality as a prompt to recognize change and impermanence.
Tarot: A deck of illustrated cards used for games and divination, typically comprising 78 cards. Death is one card within tarot’s larger system of images and meanings.
Tarot de Marseille: A traditional style of tarot deck that developed in Europe and became prominent in France. Its Death card helped establish the familiar skeletal figure and scythe.
The Tower (tarot): A Major Arcana tarot card depicting sudden collapse, disruption, and revelation. The Tower emphasizes abrupt upheaval, while Death more often signals transition and closure.
Transformation: A process in which something changes substantially in form, character, or function. Tarot readings often interpret the card’s ending as the beginning of profound change.
Major Arcana: The 22-card section of a tarot deck associated with major themes and archetypal experiences. Death belongs to this sequence of numbered cards.
Etteilla: The pseudonym of Jean-Baptiste Alliette, an eighteenth-century French occultist and tarot author. His divinatory system helped shape tarot’s occult interpretation.
The Hanged Man (tarot): A Major Arcana tarot card depicting a suspended figure and associated with surrender or changed perspective. Its pause and altered viewpoint differ from Death’s emphasis on endings.
Rebirth: A return to life or renewal after death, decline, or a period of change. The card’s symbolism often pairs an ending with renewal.
Tarot reading: An interpretive practice in which tarot cards are drawn and read for insight or divination. Its meaning changes with the question, surrounding cards, and reader’s method.