The symbolism of the tarot cards is ancient and could easily fill an entire book itself. Their true origin is unknown but they are found as early as the fourteenth century in Europe. Used today for fortunetelling, they likely began as a regular deck of cards for games. In tattoo art, the themes from the cards are borrowed and at times the cards themselves are even reproduced. With images such as the magician, the EMPEROR or EMPRESS, the lovers, death, or the FOOL (to mention but a few from the major arcana portion of the deck), the imagery and symbolism are rich and yet specific. Their iconography is a mixture of personages and items, colors and numbers, with Medieval, Christian, and occult overtones.