John Bauer Tarot - Swedish fairy tale art across 78 cards
John Bauer did not paint heroes. He painted children walking alone through forests, trolls watching you in silence, princesses waiting in a world that never feels entirely safe. That is an unusual foundation for a tarot deck, and it shows.
Lo Scarabeo adapted his illustrations from Swedish fairy tale books to fit the Rider-Waite structure. The cards are recognisable to anyone who works with classical tarot, but they feel fundamentally different: quieter, sometimes impenetrable, with an atmosphere that is hard to name.
What you see on the cards
The colours are muted earth tones: green, brown, grey, with occasional touches of blue or gold. Bauer worked in watercolour and the texture comes through clearly. There is little hard contrast, and transitions between figure and background dissolve into haze.
The figures are not dramatic. They stand still, sit, listen. Trolls are not frightening so much as strangely familiar. Nature is everywhere: tree roots, rocks, dense pine forests. More happens beneath the surface than what you see directly.
The symbolism follows Rider-Waite but interprets freely. The Fool is a child in the forest. The Moon shows a troll by moonlight. Wands are branches, Swords have a rough, handcrafted quality. The structure is there, but the visual language is entirely Bauer.
How this deck works in practice
This is not a deck that takes you by the hand. It suggests, and leaves the story for you to fill in. The guidebook gives basic information for each card, but stays brief. Enough to give direction, not enough to lock you into fixed meanings.
That suits the imagery. Those who want every card explained step by step will find less to hold on to here. Those who prefer to sit with an image until something stirs have plenty of room.
Draw a card when you want an image rather than an answer. Let the picture settle for a few minutes before opening the guidebook.
About John Bauer
John Bauer was born in 1882 in Jönköping, Sweden. He studied at the Royal University College of Fine Arts in Stockholm and spent years illustrating 'Bland tomtar och troll', an annual Swedish fairy tale book.
His work became iconic in Sweden. Outside Scandinavia he remained less known, but his influence on the visual imagination of Nordic folklore is considerable. In 1918 he drowned alongside his wife and young son in a shipwreck. He was 36.
Specifications
- Number of cards: 78
- Card size: 66 x 120 mm
- Card stock: smooth with light gloss
- Guidebook: multilingual (English, French, German, Spanish, Italian)
- Publisher: Lo Scarabeo
- Artist: John Bauer (1882-1918)
- Tarot structure: Rider-Waite
Questions we often get
Is there a Dutch translation in the guidebook?
No. The guidebook covers English, French, German, Spanish and Italian, but not Dutch.
How dark is the atmosphere of this deck?
Not grim, but melancholic. The images are still and introspective, without drama or bright colours. If you prefer light and uplifting decks, this one is probably not the right fit.
