TAROTKnight of Swords
Upright
Decisive and ambitious decision making.
Confident actions and clear communication.
Fast progression to goals through clear thinking and good information.
Assertive attitude and a good speaker.
Intuition
The idea of ‘Air in Air’ is shown graphically in this card via a sandstorm in the background. A sandstorm occurs not just because there is fast moving Air, but also through a total lack of Water (i.e. little emotion)!
Also notice that the Knight of Swords is a woman in this deck. This is to combat common stereotypes about this card. Sometimes just saying ‘the knight can be a man or woman’ is not enough!
Reversed
Impulsive and reckless. Can be aggressive and even violent.
Hasty actions and lack of communication.
Badly thought out plans and wasted effort or delays.
Misinformation and arguments.
Restlessness and inability to stay in one place.
A hectic life leading to burn-out.
Astrologia
Extreme mental and intellectual powers but can be sparse in emotion. Innovative problem solving. Can have a fear of commitment and stable structures coupled with being a social animal (but not an emotional one), meaning they move quickly even if it means breaking ties to do so.
Knight of Swords
The Knight of Swords is the embodiment of the element Air given Air has a double influence on this card (as per the Astrologia section above; Air in Air).
This makes the Knight of Swords all about intellect, clarity of thinking and excellent communication. The Knight is all about getting things done through thought leading action. An ambitious, intelligent and competitive mind can take you far towards your goals!
As with all knights, body language gives a massive indication of the way each gets things done. The Knight of Swords (along with the Knight of Wands) will advance forward quickly. We see the Knight of Swords charging ahead and literally leaping into the unknown whilst at the same time under total control and ready to fight.
This knight is totally focused on getting results by dominating the battle.
To prevent such a forceful card having the usual connation will maleness, this knight has been intentionally been depicted as a woman, although she’s quite the warrior. The first Queen of the Amazons.
Otrera
Queen Otrera is not prominent in mythology, but her daughters (Penthesilea, Hippolyta) are. Otrera is associated with the God Ares (The Knight of Wands in this deck).
Amazonian fighting women were originally seen as myth. That has changed significantly now that we have numerous graves of battle-wounded female Scythian (Eurasian Steppes and Siberia) and Sarmatian (nomadic Iranian) warriors. We now know that the Amazons were actually horse riding nomads that existed far to the east of the known Mediterranean world.
In terms of mythology, the Amazons were seen as a race of warlike women noted for their exceptional riding skills and courage under battle, and who lived near the Black Sea. They are associated with both Ares (they are seen as his daughters, and that is where they get ‘warlike nature’ from!). They are noted as taking part in the battles for Troy alongside the Trojans, and fighting against several Greek mythical heroes.
In ancient art they were depicted as similar to the Goddesses Athena or Artemis. In reality, there was often a large variation in appearance as the lands they came from were huge and crossed ethnic boundaries. Some were described as fair haired and very tall (even by today’s standards - and graves confirm this), but the card depicts the most popular location for the Amazons; south of the Black Sea and modern Turkey.
The Scythians as fast a moving nomad tribal culture that mirrors the Knight of Wands as an intellectual nomad who never stays in one place for too long. Proud and intelligent yet neither is averse to resorting to battle when the need arises!
Description and Symbology
We see a white horse ridden by a nomadic Scythian Queen, Otrera. Her horse has the classic Scythian composite bow. She holds an Egyptian khopesh sword, indicative of being both well-traveled and able to assimilate widely different ideas.
She wears no armor. She instead relies on speed, skill, and temperament.
Her expression and body language suggests she is very willing to move forward whatever the cost. She literally drives her horse over a precipice into the unknown!
We see a powerful dust storm in the background. This occurs when there is a strong wind (Air) without moisture (Water). This mirrors the nature of the Knight of Swords; driven by the Air of intellect, but with little emotional depth (Water).
The knight
The Knight of Swords holds up her sword, signifying intellect and will above everything. Her expression is one of total commitment to the cause even if it means a tough fight and violence. Everything about her denotes speed of action over everything else.
The horse
The horse matches her rider’s spirit as it charges over a precipice into the unknown. Like the rider, the horse is supremely confident in her skills and speed of action to make the jump.
The desert and dust storm
Unlike the desert the Knight of Cups rides in, this desert holds no moisture. The wind sweeps up the dry sand into a massive dust storm. There is no water/emotion here. There is only air/intellect and the force of will.
Tips for Readings
The following table shows the upright and reverse meanings for general questions. The last row ('Yes/No') is useful when you are picking a single card to decide a yes or no decision.
Upright
Reversed
This card represents a strong driving force within the relationship. This could be a force that suggests open communication and working together, or it may be one partner driving the relationship towards success and over hurdles through planning and confident decisions. So long as both partners are in agreement, there should be no problems.
This strong driving force may be short lived. There may be a loss of interest that appears as quickly as this driving force first appeared!
There will be a strong new force within your relationship. This may be a new person, drive, or plan, but there is also little emphasis on emotion.
If the driving force is you, look out for how others feel.
If the driving force is someone (or something) else, make sure you are emotionally on board and not just talked into it
If this driving force is a new person in your life, be wary of them coming into your life suddenly and leaving just as quickly - a short fling or a sweet-talker who promises everything but doesn’t deliver!
Now is the time for forming tactics and making decisions to move you forward in career.
Your communications skills will be amplified and your drive to succeed will be high.
Forging ahead will be rewarded but be careful not to trample over the emotions of others as you race ahead. You should also be careful not to burn-out by trying to do too much at once.
Expect problems with communications at work. This may occur because you are not being clear or not understanding the brief or specification.
This may be compounded by a lack of decisive decision-making or solutions on your part.
You may also have problems reading the room. Your interpersonal and emotional skills will not be the best.
Now is not the time to rush headlong into anything as the signs are you may be moving too fast!
You have a focus on success right now. Any new exercise or diet regime should work out. So well in fact that raising your targets a little higher may be a good idea as your mindset is up for the challenge!
New ideas or methods will be particularly exciting to you. It may be a good time to shake up any exercise routine.
Your sense of competitiveness will also be very high. If you are not already, team based sports may be an idea. If that doesn’t appeal, keeping records of your performance (so you can compete with yourself via previous records) will be a better idea, and there are many phone apps that can do this for you.
Your focus on success in current physical activities or in other areas of your life (such as career) may be causing you to drive forward with little regard for much else.
Don’t do too much too soon as that will result in injury or burn-out.
Although your communication skills are high, make sure you do not get so far ahead that nobody is keeping up for you to talk to! Keeping it social or within a team effort may prevent the burn-out by keeping your tendency to race ahead in check.
Your mind will be full of ideas and intellectual pursuits. Looking for enlightenment from the world around you may yield new pathways (although intuition will be lower).
Group congregations and social occasions may suit you better right now over solitude and contemplation.
Confusion, a lack of knowing what you want, or simply ‘making it all about you and your successes' may hinder your growth.
Concentrating on ideas and concepts at the expense of your emotional growth may also be a problem.
The need to slow down and relax may be the solution. Spirituality is rarely the contest you are making it!
Being proactive in making plans and following them through with confidence and a bold attitude will work out as your intellectual skills are high.
Be careful to match your ideas to what you really want. Your plans may not address your emotional concerns.
Remember that people and relationships can be personal goals, so don’t leave your significant ones behind in the rush! Your ideals and convictions are all well and good, but they may leave you short in the future when you look back and count your most meaningful gains.
You are too aggressive and headstrong in your financial dealings, leading to gambling rather than investing.
Be wary of the risks you are taking as your plans may be moving you too far too fast!
Yes through a positive attitude to success and determination.
No through hasty decisions or lack of staying power.
Reading the Card
Like all court cards, the Knight of Swords can represent people or things other than yourself:
- An intellectual pursuit or plan with a decisive or high stakes outcome.
- A communication that requires fast action on your part. It will push you into new territory and some level of jeopardy or a high stakes/high win situation.
- A fast paced environment or career with high risk and reward, or one that requires quick decision-making, or a person who works in such a field
- A person who is full of drive and urgency when it comes to making decisions or always has sensible answers to difficult questions, or has a rock solid sense of personal beliefs and plans. This person is a good communicator but can also be argumentative or overly fixated on detail.
- A new person with very similar interests to you, especially in ideas and design or is a good communicator. This person my challenge you intellectually with subjects and events you would not normally consider.
When reading the ‘upright card’ and ‘reversal’ sections below, note that although the text refers to you it could actually be any of the above. The question being asked (or your first thoughts when you see the card) will suggest who or what the card refers to.
The upright card
The upright Knight of Swords represents the speed and will of pure thought. The white horse and the clear body language of its rider makes this clear. This knight is not for stopping. She moves quickly and confidently.
In a reading it points to quick decisions and moving forward based on them. It signifies that being decisive and then following through on your goals and plans is the way forward. There is strength in this speed and clarity of action and this will be rewarded over a more defensive or ‘wait-and-see’ approach.
A major part of the Knight is her skill and ability to communicate. Scythian riders never attacked as a single rider but as a group. Things will go far better when you communicate intentions. This is often not to form plans but as part of your attack itself!
Your mind is often your best weapon and the Knight of Swords suggests using it to clear your path.
The downside of all this is that deep emotion takes a back seat with the Knight of Swords. Be careful in your plans to make sure you are not only thinking of yourself and your goals!
The reversal
The reversed Knight of Swords still represents speed, but this time it is for the wrong reasons. You have your eyes on the goal to such an extent that you waste no time in making plans or engaging your intellect to the problem. This results in hastiness and a lack of a clear tactical direction other than the brute-force charge forwards.
Stop to consider your plan before charging ahead. Otherwise you risk being totally blindsided by a changing situation, new goals or simply a non-trivial task that will take up all your time (yet could have been avoided by moving around it rather than a head on charge!).
There may also be problems with lack of communication or being overly aggressive when your goals are one-sided and benefit only you. This is compounded when there is even less consideration of the emotions of others. When reversed, the Knight can denote acting quickly because you are acting only for yourself (and in a selfish way), and only thinking for the moment.
The card suggests the task ahead should be done with better communication and in a disciplined and thoughtful manner.
Card Design Process
The initial version of this card depicted the mythological character Medusa. Her symbols (a shield and bow) make no sense until you realize that archers wore their shields on their backs.
Clearly, Medusa was a very good archer; if she saw you on the battlefield, you were already as good as dead so her gaze was fatal!
Queen Otrera carries forward many of the features of the initial depiction of Medusa especially that both had a bow, and both had very little armor (as they traded defensiveness for speed of attack). The Amazons/Scythians way of warfare also had more in common with the Knight of Swords. The idea of Medusa as a Tarot card was later developed into another idea and you can see it in this article in the Articles section.
Final Words
The Knight of Swords represents intellect and communication when used to create quick action. It denotes wits, skill and assertiveness when moving to reach a goal.
It can also signify a lack of emotion and care.
