Once Upon a Time Tarot - tarot and fairy tales in one deck
Some tarot cards stay strictly traditional. Others add a story. This deck does both. Every card from the Rider-Waite-Smith tarot is given a fairy tale moment here: Snow White, Puss in Boots, the Big Bad Wolf, the Beast, the Sleeping Beauty hedge of thorns.
The structure stays familiar. The images do not.
Carole-Anne Eschenazi wrote the guidebook and chose which fairy tale element best matched the meaning of each card. Gaudenzi illustrated them in a style that is warm and full of small details. The result is a tarot you can read the way you always have, but with a layer that reminds you of stories from your childhood.
What you see on the cards
The colours are rich. Plenty of red, gold, green and blue. The compositions are busy in a good way: something is always happening, a figure always stands central, and the symbolism of cup, sword, wand and pentacle remains visible.
Puss in Boots appears on the card of cunning and cleverness. Snow White shows up where innocence and danger meet. The Big Bad Wolf turns up where there is temptation and hunger. Each character was chosen because it fits what the card means in the classical tarot.
That makes the deck usable. You do not need to relearn the Rider-Waite-Smith. The fairy tale layer adds something, but forces nothing.
How you work with it
Eschenazi suggests in the guidebook that you begin your question with 'once upon a time'. It sounds simple, but it helps. It puts distance between you and your problem. Your situation becomes a story, and in stories there are always turning points.
The guidebook describes for each card which fairy tale moment was chosen and why. That gives you an extra angle alongside the traditional meaning. You can use both layers side by side, or let one dominate, depending on what you need at that moment.
This deck works well when you are stuck. The fairy tale figures force you to look differently. What would Snow White do? What would Puss in Boots think up? Those questions weigh less than 'what should I do', and sometimes that is exactly what helps.
Draw a card for a question that is on your mind. Read the fairy tale interpretation in the guidebook and then ask yourself: what role do you play in this story, and what would the hero or heroine do as the next step?
About Carole-Anne Eschenazi and Gaudenzi
Carole-Anne Eschenazi is a French author who links fairy tale stories to tarot archetypes. Her texts are accessible and inspiring, without becoming vague.
Gaudenzi is an Italian illustrator with a rich, colourful style. His work for this deck is warm and full of detail, and he succeeds in keeping the fairy tale figures recognisable while they clearly remain tarot cards.
Specifications
- Author: Carole-Anne Eschenazi
- Illustrator: Gaudenzi
- Publisher: Lo Scarabeo / Llewellyn
- ISBN: 9780738778662
- Type: Tarot, 78 cards (Major and Minor Arcana)
- Language: English
- Weight: 245 g
- Card dimensions: 70 x 120 mm
Questions we often get
Do I need to know traditional tarot to use this deck?
It helps. This deck follows the Rider-Waite-Smith structure, so if you know it, you recognise the symbolism directly and the fairy tale layer adds something extra. Without basic tarot knowledge, the fairy tale atmosphere remains pleasant, but you miss part of the depth.
How large are the cards compared to a standard tarot deck?
The cards measure 70 x 120 mm. That is a common tarot format, comparable to many other Lo Scarabeo decks. Most people find this format comfortable to hold.
