Trying to find Mythical Creatures to represent each of the Major Arcana Tarot cards

[Metrona]

I was thinking about writing up characters for if each of the 22 major arcana tarot cards were represented by a mythical creature (with the exception of the hermit) what would they be?
And while I'm drawing from as many legends as I can think of there are some which are either especially difficult either cause of a lack of choices of too many of them
The rule I had for making this list was 1, they need to be a creature and not a specific entity (death and the devil being exceptions, and maybe the world as well), they had to have something at least somewhat related to the ideas and meanings of each card (though not nessecarily completely related) and I want to avoid having too many creatures from the same area and having too much overlap with their abilities (a lot more linient with this).

Here is what I have so far, I will write in more detail below:
0 The Fool - Poltergeist (German)
1 The Magician - Rakshasa (Hindu)
2 The High Priestess - Apsara (Hindu)
3 The Empress -
4 The Emperor -
5 The Hierophant -
6 The Lovers -
7 The Chariot - Minotaur or Centaur (Greek)
8 Strength -
9 The Hermit - Human (The exception in the form of an old chinese monk)
10 Wheel of Fortune -
11 Justice -
12 Hanged Man -
13 Death - Skeleton (Multi-Cultural) (More precisely, the grim reaper or death himself)
14 Temperance -
15 The Devil - Demon (Christian) (the devil himself, though I might not make this an exception and just make them a powerful regular demon)
16 The Tower - Dullahan (Irish)
17 The Star -
18 The Moon - Kitsune (Japanese)
19 The Sun -
20 Judgement - Angel (Christian)
21 The World -

So to note somethings here
The Chariot is one I'm deciding between minotaur or centaur as they both fit the bill well enough for me, I'm leaning more to the minotaur mostly cause centaurs are used more often and I quite like minotaurs (also, yes I know the minotaur is actually a specific creature but most people have them as a race so I'm willing to be flexible with stuff like that)
The lovers, I was thinking of a vampire because of an image I have of them but I dont think that there are probably better fits for it. That said I do want a vampire to reach the list in one form or another.
Wheel of Fortune is a bit annoying since I'm just not entirely sure what luck bending creature to go for.
The reason why I decided to make the hermit human is due to the idea of what a hermit is and that sort of came to the idea of a old religious monk who has a powerful ki and astounding awareness from years of solitude
The reason why I said I might make an exception with the world is that, the world is supposed to be the most powerful of all the tarot cards so naturally having something which has a defined identity might actually be good but I'm not too sure, this is unlike the case with the devil and death where the two tarot cards are refering to something specific

If you have any questions about my choices and other things just ask and also I can link to a place with the meanings of tarot cards if you are too unsure about these things
Thank you for any help you may give

 

[Orc Knight]

Unfortunately, help from me may not come quite yet. As I keep getting distracted by The Wheel of Fortune and wanting to say Pat Sajak. It's not much help and you probably already have thought of it too. With maybe a little annoyance. Though Luck might be a leprechaun or such.

 

[Mythopoet]

Oh, I have a HUGE list of mythological creatures I've compiled. Let me see if I can find anything interesting for you.

 

[Metrona]

Oh, I have a HUGE list of mythological creatures I've compiled. Let me see if I can find anything interesting for you.

Neat, there might be a few I'm forgetting so a list of things would be nice
Also, should I post a link to a site with the tarot card meanings?

 

[Voydemain]

I find it interesting that you used kitsunes as the moon card and not werewolves. Too overdone? I also find it interesting your choice of the Dulllahan for the tower. Why not a golem? Then again I am not overly familiar with the meanings of every card. So that's up to you.

As for the wheel of fortune, I would think the fay would be the most obvious choice. Or really any mythical creature that specializes in being a trickster. After all, fortune can either be good or bad, just like a tricker can bring you good luck or bad luck.

As for the hermit being human, I would think that of all the cards that best represent humans would be the fool but that's just me. As for a hermit, a turtle comes to mind more than anything. And yes there are mythical creatures that are turtles, just look up the four dive beasts of Asain folklore.

As for the Lovers, the one thing that sticks out to me is succubi and incubi. They are literal sex dream demons.

Strength makes me think of Atlas, or titans and giants for that matter.

But yeah, that's my input, at least for now.

 

[Metrona]

Hmm uh, where to begin with that last one

The moon and werewolves dont go well due to meaning, same goes for tower and golem

The fool doesnt work too well with human either, again tarot card meaning and amongst the turtle mythical creatures I cant think of anything which is a type of mythical creature and not a specific figure

Atlas and the titans runs into 2 problems, one is that im trying not to go for specific figures with things other than the devil and death and maybe the world but also since he doesnt fit strengths meaning to begin with. Giants are fine but they arent exactly all that exciting and only fits loosely to begin with

And finally with the lovers where succubi and incubi are much closer to reverse lovers rather than lovers itself

Thanks for the help though

 

[psychotick]

Hi,

My thought would be go for the centaur for the chariot and then the minotaur for strength. For the lovers perhaps a swan maiden - ie woman who shapeshifts to a swan. For the emperor and empress my thought was something tiger and lion based - maybe a griffin and a sphinx.

Cheers, Greg.

 

[Metrona]

So
Someone I asked advice for asked me to make show my interpertations of each tarot card and what I'm looking for in each so, yeah I'll add it here too

Tarot cards and meanings, my interpretations

The Fool – the fool represents optimism and adventures, one not bound by their current life and takes risk to begin their journey.
The character I want for this was one free from even life itself, free from anything and everything and thus why I went with a ghost. The poltergeist was the more specific one I went for as they have more freedom than most ghosts normally do. The ability I gave him that poltergeist don’t normally have is illusions and shapeshifting
The Magician – it represents the taking of action, and thee power to do so. It also it a sign of skilfulness, talent and proficiency.
I wanted something which held a lot of physical and mental prowess and rakshasas fit the bill, especially since I wanted the creature under this category be able to manifest objects and it makes sense for a rakshasa to have such a power despite not having it normally
The High Priestess – it represents wisdom and understanding and things yet to be discovered.
I wanted this one to be a female holy being, pious and understanding, wise and all seeing, one wise enough to make even a rakshasa follow her. The apsaras might not be a great fit for this description, maybe fitting better in say, the lovers or such but female holy being are hard to come by and they happened to be from the same religion as rakshasas so I decided to go for it. However of anyone has a better idea for this I would greatly appreciate it. I will give the character clairvoyance regardless of what they are
The Empress – it represents all that is motherly and nurturing. It is also the problem solver and representation of productivity
For her I generally want a creature which show off the kind and nurturing properties of a mother, essentially a creature which is normally female and much closer to “lawful good” so to speak. I would like to give them healing and nature-based abilities even if the creature I choose doesn’t usually have such abilities.
The Emperor – it represents structure, order and authority, the counterpart of the empress being the representation of all things fatherly instead. It also represents assertiveness and rationality.
This is one of the ones I had thought of putting a vampire here due to their representation in popular culture, however I otherwise want it to be something with the properties which can make it seem kingly. I would give them a power of absolute authority whether or not they normally have it.
The Hierophant – it represents tradition and education, and is largely influenced by the spiritual. It also represents the religious and conformity.
Naturally I want this to be one of the oldest monsters, one which takes most closely from its original interpretation, it doesnt have to be one which is religious or even holy, however I would like it to be spiritual in some form. Im not entirely sure what I would give it even outside of it’s regular abilities
The Lovers – while it may seem to represent love it more closely represent union, choices and relationships in general.
While most of them I wanted one, this one I want there to be 2, though the same species. Generally I want a creature closely related to relationships, the choice part will mostly come down to writing. I would give them the ability to teleport and duplicate along with the ability to combine and seperate at will even if they dont normally have such abilities.
The Chariot – It represents confidence, direction, victory, the ability to push onwards through many rough trails
I mostly want them to be of a race known to be strong and quick and powerful, one which may seem like an unstoppable force. That’s really about it, strong, fast and the vision of victory and the ability to push on. Thus why I chose either the centaur or minotaur for this. The ability given to these which they don’t normally have is just being a literal unstoppable force.
Strength – Strength isnt raw physical strength alone, it is also energy, vitality, self-control, will-power and bravery. Strength is what everything strength stands for.
Generally I’m looking for something with a lot of confidence and is a image of a hero of sorts, one who is strong but does not use their strength for their own selfish desires and more to help those in need and never give up. The ability I would give them even if they dont have it is a healing factor.
The Hermit – the hermit represents solitude, detachment, self-reflection, soul-searching, guidance and introspection
Hermits are usually represented with either old Chinese monks or turtles and here I want to make one human representative and this fitted well, also I couldnt find a turtle mythological creature that wasnt a specific entity anyway so yeah. The ability I would give them is a barrier they can conjure up at will (also ki powers cause, of course they would, like heightened senses and the ability to blast people away without even touching them)

 

[Metrona]

The Wheel of Fortune – The wheel itself usually represents good luck however at times it can also represent cycles and a new direction.
Naturally I want something with large influences in luck and fate, be it good or bad, something which can bring great fortunes and maybe also terrible tragedies. Still thinking on what to give them
Justice – it’s the card of karma, balance, fairness and, of course, justice in all that it means
I just want a holy being known for being just and fair. That’s about it. Still thinking on what to give them
The Hanged Man – it represents metamorphosis, a change in one’s self and the transition to it. It represents the sacrifice for change and letting go of things for the better. It represents a change or a decision, that, once made, you will be unable to go back from.
I want this one to be at least some what wise, with a smile like the Cheshire cat and yet still mellow enough to talk things through. A creature that is kind and understanding, one that is willing to make a change, one with such abilities to be able to sacrifice for the greater good. I am tempted to just make this a phoenix. I would give them Alice in wonderland’s Cheshire cat-like abilities.
Death – While the hanged man shows change that is mostly positive, death shows ones closer to the negative. It is the representation of loss, drastic changes, ends and new beginnings and, of course, death itself
This was probably the easiest one. While I generally have a rule of not making it a specific figure, death himself was already the figure representing this card to begin with. It’s fitting too as the grim reaper brings drastic changes with him wherever he goes. He is probably going to be on of the few I don’t give any specific special abilities to and just leave him as is.
Temperance – Whereas Justice seeks to create balance in others, temperance is balance in one’s self. It is the card of harmony, capability, control and moderation.
Weirdly enough I don’t care whether or not the creature that fills this slot is holy or not, only that it is a creature which knows to be able to hold back and accept things, one which doesn’t dwell too much into pleasures but not forgo them entirely. One with self confidence and the capability to be able to deal with the task at hand. Really not sure what to give them.
The Devil – Just as the name suggests, this card represents all that is negative, a warning of all that is bad, anger, delusions, addiction and all
Like death, this one refers to a specific figure, who, just like death, already has all the necessary abilities and stuff to be the representative of this card. That said, I will probably not write him as sinister as he usually is represented but rather have him be on of warning and a reflection of his own failings
The Tower – it represents destruction, unexpected events, loss and ruin and abrupt and unforeseen change. Unlike death and the hanged man before it, these changes her are of greater consequence, and are even more uncontrollable than death. Just like a tower crumbling it is the card of disasters.
So I needed something else related to deaths, and big changes, the dullahan happened to be the perfect fit for it so now we’re here. Im going to give the dullahan the ability to cause natural disasters in a whim, probably not the best idea to give a member of the unseelie court the power to destroy things in a large scale but lets do it anyway.
The Star – it is the representation of hope, renewal and opportunity. It is the light beyond the tunnel, the serenity from all destruction, the card of the peaceful and all things good.
Another one for the holy beings or at least something known to be good fortunes to all those who find it. I want it to represent hope, be good and help all those in dire need, a messiah of sorts. I would generally like them to have healing powers as is and add something else but yeah...
The Moon – It is the representation of secrets, illusions, confusion and a warning that something may not be as it seems.
A kitsune fitted this role perfectly with their entire trickiness and slyness and natural aptitude for illusions and being cheeky as hell and loving secrets and, you get the point but yeah. I would just give them moon powers, cause why not.
The Sun – the sun represents good change, success, productivity, abundance and joy.
This card is the very representation of success and with this I want it to be a creature known to work hard in it’s endeavours, one which sees frequent success through the hard work it does. Honestly thinking I might just make this a dwarf, that said I do want it to be a happier creature than that, a far more joyful one, which I honestly really want. Sun powahs, what else were you expecting?
Judgement – It’s the card of good decisions, one of logic and sound reason, a change created not by luck buy by good judgement
Honestly I might just make the angel justice or something instead, this one doesnt have to be holy, only be one which are known for good judgement and planning, creatures that are known to be smart to begin with. Not sure what I’ll give them but hyper-intelligence sounds like a good start.
The World – And finally, at journey’s end. This card is the representation of the end of the journey, the rewards, the hardships and changes, its the card that represents the end to the old and beginning for the new, it is the most powerful card and is the accumulation of everything else. It is the final change of the journey, the rewards and all that you have learnt that lead up to this, it is the card of maturity and true success.
As this card is the strongest of all the other cards, as it is the card that represents journey’s end, I want this, what ever it may be, to be a creature of great significance, regardless of if it is a specific figure or not but have it be a creature known to be wise, great and representation of the end of a story. A good number of people recommended the world serpent or ouroborus and all things considered I might just go for it, ouroborus is the representation of the beginning and end of time, a cycle that continues one and on and it generally fits well. I would still like suggestions for this but right now I’m likely to go with ouroborus himself. Whatever I go for I will make their power immense

 

[Brandon Bevill]

I know this topic might be a little "dead" but the subject matter interests me personally, and also I just wanted to mention that the series "shin megami tensei" has covered this topic in depth in it's own way, both through it's main series, as well as through the "persona" franchise.

Arcana

I do find myself curious what batch of mythical creatures best fit each arcana though, but between what I remember of the series, and my own personal take on it, these ones stand out to me:

Fool: legion like demons, more mindless pawns in general; humans.
Magician: demons of the "hedge mage" variety. Very powerful, but not particularly notable or with any specific background or realm of expertise.
High priestess: it's hard to say one without just defaulting to what id say for empress, tbqh.
Empress: strong female aparitions. Whore of babylon stands out to me.
Emperor: strong generals or asura-type mythological creatures.
Hierophant: demons of knowledge, secrets maths and sciences perhaps. Maybe lovecraftian monsters.
Lovers
Chariot
Justice: angels, and the angel hierarchy
Hermit: notable philosophers, both mytical and human. From Nostradamus, to merlin to entities similar in function to both among their respective mythos.
Fortune: the norn. Or the fates. It's just what makes sense to me personally. Rule of three.
Strength
Hanged man: i like the idea of "the fallen" representing the hanged man; those spited by fate and left to their own devices.
Death: might be cliche, but definitely those that deal with death or those that deal with cycles of change, and ferrying individuals from one transitional existence into another. Soul reapers?
Temperance: oddly enough, leaning towards angels again on this one.
Devil:
Tower: minotaur types stand out to me here, ones that are made to be adversarial and stand guard like Cerberus. Mostly beasts.
Star
Moon
Sun
Judgement: something akin to the four horsemen in my mind. Idk, theres alot of fun things you can do with all of these, hence why im leaving alot blank for now.
The world: bahamut. The fish, not the final fantasy dragon. But maybe also the final fantasy dragon. And the bull. And the fish. And the angel standing on top of the bull and the fish, carrying 7 realms on top of itself. Idk. My mind imagines something massive with this one though.



I'm honestly not even sure how "appropriate" my recommendation is here, but I do find the idea genuinely stimulating. Its interesting to think about what types of creatures best exemplify these arcana... I do have to lean towards humans being the shining example of the fool arcana though. That, and future seers as the example for the wheel of fortune.

One last thing to note, there is a page on that site i linked earlier, that has the various "persona" as summonable representations of each arcana. Its definitely worth a look, whether you give the idea much weight or not. If nothing else, it might help to keep from feeling like you "copied" their idea, or to keep them from being too similar.

Edit: P.s. I apologize in advance if there are a bunch of errors on here, I wrote this out on my phone on a bit of a whim.

 

[Mitropic]

Did you ever finish that list, I’m also trying to work on a tarot deck with a mythical creatures theme and curious to see what you came up with