The Hierophant
The Hierophant is major arcanum V of the tarot. It represents spiritual tradition, teaching, shared values, the religious or moral master, rituals and the institutions that transmit knowledge. Associated with Taurus, it embodies the bridge between divine and human.
Origin and symbolism
In the Italian decks, this card was Il Papa ("The Pope") and showed the Roman pontiff. For political reasons, French tarots renamed it Le Pape and then — to avoid ecclesiastical conflicts — Le Hiérophante ("Hierophant", from the Greek "the one who shows the sacred"). In the Rider-Waite-Smith, he appears seated on a throne between two columns, with triple crown, holding a triple sceptre. Two disciples kneel at his feet receiving teaching.
The Hierophant is the masculine and exoteric counterpart to the High Priestess: if she guards the secret and silent wisdom, he transmits the public and teachable wisdom. He is the guardian of traditions, rituals, spiritual norms and values transmitted from generation to generation. That is why he often appears when the situation calls for aligning with something larger than oneself.
Meaning in a spread
Appearance in a reading: seek a master, follow established norms, there are traditional values worth respecting, time of formal learning, ritual, marriage (institution), transmission of wisdom, spiritual family. It is the card of one who recognises the importance of belonging to a tradition and learning from those who know more.
In shadow: dogmatism, religious rigidity, submission to obsolete norms, institutional hypocrisy, fear of thinking for oneself, fanaticism. The Hierophant's trap is to confuse tradition with truth, or belonging with losing oneself. His lesson is to discern what of the inherited legacy deserves preservation and what should transform.
Also known as
- Il Papa
- Le Pape
- The Pope
- The High Priest