Deck created by Kalervo Aaltonen
Illustrated by Taina Pailos
© 1996 U.S. Games Systems, Inc.

This Tarot deck is based on the Kalevala, a Finnish national epic of 65,000 poems and songs collected and published between 1830 and 1840.  The Kalevala collection describes the tales and adventures of the Kalevala heroes and wisemen in their struggles against the tribe of Pohjola.  They also speak of the creation of the world, agriculture, the forces that form our lives, and human development.

Kalevala tells of a fight for survival in a mythological presentation, and a strength of this epic is that the Kalevala people should actually be easy for modern people to identify with.  Mythical characters portray the personalities of the cards, and because of their human failings, weaknesses, strengths, hopes, joys, and victories, the essence of this structure can have a Universal appeal.  Individually, we will often have similar experiences as the characters in the Kalevala Tarot.  And whether one considers his life to be ordinary or grand, the Kalevala is meant to show us how extraordinary our lives really are.

I bought this deck many years ago -- even had it listed as a deck choice at one point for the readings that I do on my Tarot website.  It wasn't a popular deck at all, and maybe it won't be now, but there is something about this deck that I have always liked.  It's different; it's interesting.  It doesn't rank among my favorites, but I still like it.  This deck is also out of print, and the cards and guidebook can be hard to find for those whose interest might now be piqued by the Kalevala Tarot.  I tend to have a fascination for historical things, and maybe this is what intrigued me when I first saw the Kalevala Tarot online a number of years ago.

The accompanying 222-page guidebook is a good resource to understand the theme of each card and for understanding the meaning of a particular Tarot card.  Although the Kalevala Tarot is not a clone of the traditional Rider-Waite decks, it still follows closely with some of the images presented in the cards, although not all.  You'll get to encounter some new and unique things through the Kalevala Tarot.  I think it's a good deck, but not for a beginner to pick up and try to use -- especially with the changed suit names.  The suit names differ, and that can be a tricky thing until you get used to it, but the renaming of the Tarot suits for this deck fits the theme.  Cups are renamed Dishes, Wands are called Stakes, and Pentacles are known as Loaves.  Swords remain as Swords in this deck.  The court cards are King, Queen, Prince, and Princess which is not an uncommon court card classification among decks of today.  A few of the Major Arcana card names have been changed, but otherwise, it's very similar to traditional Tarot names.  The High Priestess of the Kalevala Tarot is the Popess, the Hierophant is called the Pope, Strength is renamed Force, and the Tower is renamed as the Falling Tower.

This deck is out of print, but if you happen to find a copy, hopefully you will be lucky enough to find the book with the cards.  I feel that the book is an essential resource to work with these cards.  The card meanings are described well, and for the most part, one can identify with the descriptions of the cards as they are not too far off-base from traditional Tarot interpretations.  Reversed meanings are also part of the interpretations in the book.

The artwork is a rustic watercolor with prominent hues of a brown and red mix.  The card borders have this rustic type of coloring as well, with some greens and yellows added in.  The border is done in a geometric kind of design.  Through time, I think this deck kind of "grew" on me, as I wasn't sure what to think of the cards when I first got them years ago.  But after exploring the well-defined cards in the guidebook and reading some of the stories, I grew to like it more and more.

Email Velvet Angel

Number of Cards in Deck: 78

Size of Cards:  2-3/4" x 4-1/2"

Included with deck: A 22-page LWB (little white booklet) and a 222-page guidebook

Major Arcana:
Fool, Magician, Popess, Empress, Emperor, Pope, Lovers, Chariot, Force,
Hermit, Wheel of Fortune, Justice, Hanged Man, Death, Temperance, Devil,
Falling Tower, Star, Moon, Sun, Judgement, World

Suit Names:  Stakes (Wands), Dishes (Cups), Swords, Loaves (Pentacles)

Court Cards:  King, Queen, Prince (Knight), Princess (Page)
 

Back Design of Cards:

KALEVALA TAROT OUT OF PRINT