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The Fantod Tarot Deck
- By Edward Gorey -
[Edited together and put into PDF format by Arcanaeum: 2003]
Before we get to the actual deck, you will want to read the following enlightening
information regarding the deck.This is by a Brandi Weed, from her website which I
found on the internet while researching. It will shed some light on the deck:
This deck is a bit of an oddity, as it's not really so much an actual cartomancy deck as a
spoof of same.
Edward Gorey is probably known to most people for the animations on the title sequence
of Mystery!, but he's quite an accomplished illustrator and artist in his own right, with a
morbid yet strangely appealing sense of humor (one of his more famous pieces is a little
alphabet called "The Gashlycrumb Tinies," about 26 children and the untimely ends they
come to).
The Fantod Pack comes with a booklet by one "Madame Groeda Wyrde" (anagrams are
another Gorey favorite), giving instructions for how to read with the deck. The booklet itself
is quite funny, with instructions such as the following:
"Interpretation must always depend on the character and circumstances of the person
consulting the pack. What might portend a wipe-out for a teenage hotdogger from
Yokohama, might warn an octogenarian spinster in Minot, North Dakota, of a fall in the
bathtub, though, of course, the results might come to much the same thing."
The artwork on the cards and the cover of the booklet are the classic Gorey style of finely
detailed pen-and-ink work. The card backs and the booklet feature a strange little creature
known as a 'Figbash'.
The 20 cards themselves feature symbols that I would consider peculiar to Gorey's
artwork and style, such as The Urn, The Child (a skeleton!), The Waltzing Mouse, and an
untitled card of an armless black doll. The meanings for each, as given in the booklet, are
that sinister yet funny mix characteristic of Gorey, predicting such things as a forged letter,
green sickness, loss of saliva(!), and other such unwholesome matters. Each card also
represents a day or month which, as the booklet notes, "should prove particularly
calamitous." The exception is the Black Doll which has only the particularly grim warning
of "What most you fear / Is coming near".
The stock the cards are on is thick and glossy, with unrounded corners, and would shuffle
nicely if you wanted to do so. They are moderately large but not unwieldy, measuring
about 2-1/2 by 4-3/4 inches.
While you couldn't really do a reading with these cards (I hope!), Edward Gorey fans will
probably want to grab it as soon as possible, and even serious cartomancers might be
amused by the spoofery.
Note: according to the booklet in my deck, this was issued as a limited edition of 776(!), so
it may not be in print anymore. The place to contact to find it, though, is the Gotham Book
Mart in New York, who are the primary source of Goreyana. (Alas, they're not online!)
The History
The Awful Vista of the Year.
Now that you have learned of all the dreadful things that have overtaken your friends and
relations during the past year as scribbled on the inside of their Chirstmas card, don't you
want to know what dreadful things lie in wait for you?
To this end Madame Groeda Weyrd (a nom de gare; her true one is known to few this side
of the grave) has consented to have the fantod deck printed here. Madame Weyrd, who is of
mixed Finnish and Egyptian extraction has devoted her life to divination, and is the author
of, among a shelf of other works, Floating Tambourines, a collection of esoteric verse, and
The Future Speaks Through Entrails.
Her Career as one of the most celebrated trace mediums came to a close when she lost two
and a third fingers as a result of a contretemps during a ectoplasmic manifestation. She had
long since been persona non grata to many of the rich and famous because of her fearless
predictions of disaster. She know makes her home on Staten Island (the one that's part of
Tierra del Fuego) and is writing what is hoped may be the definitive treatise on the Mystic
Bean.Of the Fantod Pack itself, Madame Weyrd will only say that its origin may not be
divulged, but it is of incredible antiquity.
Interpretation of the card must always depend on the character and circumstances of the
person consulting the deck. What might portend a wipe out for a teenage hot-dogger at
Yokohama, might warn an octogenarian spinster in Minot, North Dakota, of a fall in the
bathtub, though, of course, the results might come much to the same thing. The day of the
week or Month of the year given for each card should prove particularly calamitous. The
meanings given are selective rather then exhaustive, and hints rather then assertions. Lastly,
you must rely on your own temerity and "imagination of disaster" (Henry James) to gain
full meaning of the cards.
The Sea
January
wasting
loss of ears
an accident in an elavator
lurching sickness
cracks
false affection
vapors
a secret enemy
misdirection
demons
estrangement
chagrin
The Limb
Febuary
miscarriage of justice
gapes
a forged snapshot
morbid sensations
a useless sacrifice
alopecia
a generalized calamity
broken promises
ignominy
an accident in a theatre
fugues
poverty
The Stones
March
a forged letter
paralysis
false arrest
falling sickness
evil communications
estrangement
a sudden affliction
anemia
strife
a distasteful duty
misconstruction
The Ancestor
April
hereditary weakness
thursh
loss of money
a false statement
morbid dependency
staggering sickness
champerty
megrims
paranoia
an overdose
imprisonment
instable furniture
The Waltzing Mouse
May
vertigo
loss of jewelry
a betise
morbid cravings
disorders of the large intestine
corruption
equivocal symptoms
a hazardous project
brawls
suicide
involuntary seclusion
shriveling
The Echorche
June
sexual incompetence
a forged check
obscurity
irregularities
puckers
inconstancy
an accident on a pier
morbid sensibilities
deception
a social disease
confinement
cysts
The Plant
July
tics
sexual indecsion
impetigo
loss of intellect
misplaced confidence
writhing sickness
loose ends
palsy
assailed credit
dissolution
scandal
worms
The Effigy
August
a sexual problem
assailed honor
unpleasant secrets
amnesia
broken hopes
a misalliance
rashness
yaws
clouded mentality
abrasions
finacial losses
an accident in a stadium
The Child
September
denigration
sexual inadequacy
sties
hallucinations
breakage
loss of youth
rust
crawling sickness
an obstacle
forced restraint
aberrations
catarrh
The Blue Dog
October
loss of one of the senses
weltschmerz
unnatural voices
disorders of the knee
diseases of the tongue
disturbances
miscarriage of a child
an accident in a garage
dementia
fraud
a quarrel
wispiness
The Feather
November
blackmail
a forged passport
hysterical pregnancy
loss of eyelashes
disorders of the small intestine
a disagreeable letter
delerium
hinderance to prospects
twitching
separation
imbroglios
a mistake
The Bottle
December
melancholia
itching
unfortunate publicity
a disregarded warning
irregularity
an accident on a bicycle
loss of feeling
flukes
vexation
intrigue
abandonment
frustrated hopes
The Burning Head
Sunday
bafflement
loss of saliva
a forged deed
an impasse
extradition
a boating accident
chilblains
delayed desires
wandering sickness
evil companions
an impediment
despondency
The Tunnel
Monday
sexual disturbance
a swindle
loss of wits
diseases of the blood
angst
false trust
an irrational project
an unpleasant discovery
bad luck
an execution
boredom
panic
The Ladder
Tuesday
slander
reversals
creeping sickness
a forged will
insomnia
loss of hair
detention
theft
cafard
jealousy
an accident in a restaurant
inanition
The Bundle
Wednesday
a tedious illness
inadequate drainage
a broken engagement
a train accident
malaise
false friends
hangnails
misconduct
aphasia
regrets
disappointment
fluctuation
The Insects
Thursday
folie a deaux
green sickness
senseless talk
loss of vitality
an accident in a field
false hopes
spasms
a refusal
insincere love
blisters
disagreeable news
threats
The Urn
Friday
a sexual dilemma
a forged invitation
harmful rays
alginuresis
a broken heart
mumbling sickness
broken communications
injustice
interference
miscalculation
low fever
scales
The Yellow Bird
Saturday
true love thrown away
pigue
foot trouble
mania
barratry
an accident on a ladder
insicretion
bone disease
thwarted ambitions
poison
an unforeseen catatrophe
complications
THE BLACK DOLL
"What you fear is coming near!"
Final Note: the archive I created this from included this picture, which I found
amusing, considering the its use of ‘the black doll’ as a toy. – Arcanaeum

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Edward Gorey - The-fantod-tarot-deck

  • 1. The Fantod Tarot Deck - By Edward Gorey - [Edited together and put into PDF format by Arcanaeum: 2003] Before we get to the actual deck, you will want to read the following enlightening information regarding the deck.This is by a Brandi Weed, from her website which I found on the internet while researching. It will shed some light on the deck: This deck is a bit of an oddity, as it's not really so much an actual cartomancy deck as a spoof of same. Edward Gorey is probably known to most people for the animations on the title sequence of Mystery!, but he's quite an accomplished illustrator and artist in his own right, with a morbid yet strangely appealing sense of humor (one of his more famous pieces is a little alphabet called "The Gashlycrumb Tinies," about 26 children and the untimely ends they come to). The Fantod Pack comes with a booklet by one "Madame Groeda Wyrde" (anagrams are another Gorey favorite), giving instructions for how to read with the deck. The booklet itself is quite funny, with instructions such as the following:
  • 2. "Interpretation must always depend on the character and circumstances of the person consulting the pack. What might portend a wipe-out for a teenage hotdogger from Yokohama, might warn an octogenarian spinster in Minot, North Dakota, of a fall in the bathtub, though, of course, the results might come to much the same thing." The artwork on the cards and the cover of the booklet are the classic Gorey style of finely detailed pen-and-ink work. The card backs and the booklet feature a strange little creature known as a 'Figbash'. The 20 cards themselves feature symbols that I would consider peculiar to Gorey's artwork and style, such as The Urn, The Child (a skeleton!), The Waltzing Mouse, and an untitled card of an armless black doll. The meanings for each, as given in the booklet, are that sinister yet funny mix characteristic of Gorey, predicting such things as a forged letter, green sickness, loss of saliva(!), and other such unwholesome matters. Each card also represents a day or month which, as the booklet notes, "should prove particularly calamitous." The exception is the Black Doll which has only the particularly grim warning of "What most you fear / Is coming near". The stock the cards are on is thick and glossy, with unrounded corners, and would shuffle nicely if you wanted to do so. They are moderately large but not unwieldy, measuring about 2-1/2 by 4-3/4 inches. While you couldn't really do a reading with these cards (I hope!), Edward Gorey fans will probably want to grab it as soon as possible, and even serious cartomancers might be amused by the spoofery. Note: according to the booklet in my deck, this was issued as a limited edition of 776(!), so it may not be in print anymore. The place to contact to find it, though, is the Gotham Book Mart in New York, who are the primary source of Goreyana. (Alas, they're not online!)
  • 3. The History The Awful Vista of the Year. Now that you have learned of all the dreadful things that have overtaken your friends and relations during the past year as scribbled on the inside of their Chirstmas card, don't you want to know what dreadful things lie in wait for you? To this end Madame Groeda Weyrd (a nom de gare; her true one is known to few this side of the grave) has consented to have the fantod deck printed here. Madame Weyrd, who is of mixed Finnish and Egyptian extraction has devoted her life to divination, and is the author of, among a shelf of other works, Floating Tambourines, a collection of esoteric verse, and The Future Speaks Through Entrails. Her Career as one of the most celebrated trace mediums came to a close when she lost two and a third fingers as a result of a contretemps during a ectoplasmic manifestation. She had long since been persona non grata to many of the rich and famous because of her fearless predictions of disaster. She know makes her home on Staten Island (the one that's part of Tierra del Fuego) and is writing what is hoped may be the definitive treatise on the Mystic Bean.Of the Fantod Pack itself, Madame Weyrd will only say that its origin may not be divulged, but it is of incredible antiquity. Interpretation of the card must always depend on the character and circumstances of the person consulting the deck. What might portend a wipe out for a teenage hot-dogger at Yokohama, might warn an octogenarian spinster in Minot, North Dakota, of a fall in the bathtub, though, of course, the results might come much to the same thing. The day of the week or Month of the year given for each card should prove particularly calamitous. The meanings given are selective rather then exhaustive, and hints rather then assertions. Lastly, you must rely on your own temerity and "imagination of disaster" (Henry James) to gain full meaning of the cards.
  • 4. The Sea January wasting loss of ears an accident in an elavator lurching sickness cracks false affection vapors a secret enemy misdirection demons estrangement chagrin
  • 5. The Limb Febuary miscarriage of justice gapes a forged snapshot morbid sensations a useless sacrifice alopecia a generalized calamity broken promises ignominy an accident in a theatre fugues poverty
  • 6. The Stones March a forged letter paralysis false arrest falling sickness evil communications estrangement a sudden affliction anemia strife a distasteful duty misconstruction
  • 7. The Ancestor April hereditary weakness thursh loss of money a false statement morbid dependency staggering sickness champerty megrims paranoia an overdose imprisonment instable furniture
  • 8. The Waltzing Mouse May vertigo loss of jewelry a betise morbid cravings disorders of the large intestine corruption equivocal symptoms a hazardous project brawls suicide involuntary seclusion shriveling
  • 9. The Echorche June sexual incompetence a forged check obscurity irregularities puckers inconstancy an accident on a pier morbid sensibilities deception a social disease confinement cysts
  • 10. The Plant July tics sexual indecsion impetigo loss of intellect misplaced confidence writhing sickness loose ends palsy assailed credit dissolution scandal worms
  • 11. The Effigy August a sexual problem assailed honor unpleasant secrets amnesia broken hopes a misalliance rashness yaws clouded mentality abrasions finacial losses an accident in a stadium
  • 12. The Child September denigration sexual inadequacy sties hallucinations breakage loss of youth rust crawling sickness an obstacle forced restraint aberrations catarrh
  • 13. The Blue Dog October loss of one of the senses weltschmerz unnatural voices disorders of the knee diseases of the tongue disturbances miscarriage of a child an accident in a garage dementia fraud a quarrel wispiness
  • 14. The Feather November blackmail a forged passport hysterical pregnancy loss of eyelashes disorders of the small intestine a disagreeable letter delerium hinderance to prospects twitching separation imbroglios a mistake
  • 15. The Bottle December melancholia itching unfortunate publicity a disregarded warning irregularity an accident on a bicycle loss of feeling flukes vexation intrigue abandonment frustrated hopes
  • 16. The Burning Head Sunday bafflement loss of saliva a forged deed an impasse extradition a boating accident chilblains delayed desires wandering sickness evil companions an impediment despondency
  • 17. The Tunnel Monday sexual disturbance a swindle loss of wits diseases of the blood angst false trust an irrational project an unpleasant discovery bad luck an execution boredom panic
  • 18. The Ladder Tuesday slander reversals creeping sickness a forged will insomnia loss of hair detention theft cafard jealousy an accident in a restaurant inanition
  • 19. The Bundle Wednesday a tedious illness inadequate drainage a broken engagement a train accident malaise false friends hangnails misconduct aphasia regrets disappointment fluctuation
  • 20. The Insects Thursday folie a deaux green sickness senseless talk loss of vitality an accident in a field false hopes spasms a refusal insincere love blisters disagreeable news threats
  • 21. The Urn Friday a sexual dilemma a forged invitation harmful rays alginuresis a broken heart mumbling sickness broken communications injustice interference miscalculation low fever scales
  • 22. The Yellow Bird Saturday true love thrown away pigue foot trouble mania barratry an accident on a ladder insicretion bone disease thwarted ambitions poison an unforeseen catatrophe complications
  • 23. THE BLACK DOLL "What you fear is coming near!" Final Note: the archive I created this from included this picture, which I found amusing, considering the its use of ‘the black doll’ as a toy. – Arcanaeum