Who art thou Redcrosse Knight....?

Today I drew The Knight of Cups from the Bohemian Gothic.... a very dark looking card colourwise, darker than most, you really need to get into the light with a magnifying glass to see the detail in any way.

Knight of Cups - Bohemian Gothic Tarot

 The first detail I noticed on the card was the horned devil character carved into the stone of the castle wall. At first I thought it was a Green Man effigy, but when I took out my magnifying glass (a very useful Christmas gift...), I saw the horns and also it looks like his tongue is in two halves, or forked. So this dude could be escaping from the devil in order to bring something precious, back to its rightful place. He could indeed be a good guy like the traditional knight of cups.

He looks like he is not quite hurrying away, but there is some haste, he holds his arm up as if to show victory....showing off his trophy (which could represent the Holy Grail, as it is a kind of Chalice but has a devil on top by the looks of it), maybe he is holding it up to someone out of the card.. a crowd even?  Could it be devils blood, the elixir of eternal youth? Or eternal Vampirism...... Was the cross to protect him from the likes of Dracula in that dark castle?

The portcullis is raised so they haven't resisted his escape, unless they had no time. Looks like he entered the castle courtyard by nightfall, but surely the hooves of his horse would have been heard. He looks sinister and a bit sneaky, but he has no weapon I can see except this chalice. I think this goblet or its content has great power.

I originally connected the red crosses with those of the crusades and the Templars but their red cross was always on a white background.... that this is on a dark background makes me wonder if he is on the side of the shadows.

There is a Redcrosse Knight  in the Faerie Queen poem... written by Spenser in 16th Century... He was also called the knight of holiness. Like St George (who also had a red cross) he fought a dragon like monster and killed it. He had a lady who was in love with him called Una which means truth, but I am thinking maybe he fought for love of the Faerie Queen... Elizabeth. He was a Christian, Una means truth, and I think she was the symbol of the true faith in the poem. At one point an adversary of the Redcrosse knight uses faerie magic to change a sprite into a false Una and so try to lead the knight astray. When the real Una found he was gone she was bereft. I wonder if this is mean't to be Spenser's knight?  It seems to cross a bit with legends of Lancelot and Guinevere and Arthur in some places too. I must read it again someday but as it is written in old English it takes some time to translate!

The horse has a Fleur de Ly's on its collar, usually associated with the French but also popular in much heraldry and royal coats of arms throughout Europe. Both horse and rider are covered in armour, and heraldic drapes, only the eyes show, but those being the windows of the soul, maybe that is all we need to see... in a Knight of Cups......

I think though he knows no one will come after him, he may have sold his soul to the devil in order to get that grail, and that's why his eyes are so empty looking.... Even his horse looks disapproving. The grail as we know caused men to burn in fever. The light leaves his immediate path lit but all else in shadow, like a light between worlds of darkness. But what is the light, has he been enlightened?

I see little romance about this knight, and not too much emotion either, but maybe he is doing it all for love as did Lancelot.... so dangerous because he represents the threat of stealing your heart, and love and possibly taking you to a dark place. Looks like he will stop at nothing to get what he wants anyway.

Hmmmmm I guess he is the kind of guy I get attracted to come to think of it....

Well that was a lot of stuff to come at me in a short time as regards this card. I think I will just watch out for men wearing red crosses, and bearing silver goblets. Especially if they are heralded by the ghost of a dragon or followed by a creature with a forked tongue!

Still..... two knights in shining armour, in a couple of days..... can't be too bad I suppose!