I thought I was done with Alain's "Tarot Arithmologique", but now I have read Andrea Vitali's essay, "San Taroco" (in Italian only) and can see a possible link. It describes a Christian martyr dubbed "Saint Taraco" or "Tharaco", whose alleged skull showed up in Modena some time during or after the Crusades. Andrea writes:
Ciò che rimase dei corpi dei tre santi, in forma di reliquie, prese diverse destinazioni. Nel medioevo il cranio di Taraco giunse a Modena, così come riportato nel volume Il Duomo ossia cenni storici e descrittivi della Cattedrale di Modena, pubblicato nel 1845: “Le sacre Reliquie de’ nostri santi Martiri ebbero culto speciale in Anazarbo di Cilicia, e poscia in altre parti d’oriente ove furono in parte trasferite. Una delle più insigni fra esse si è quella, che si conserva e venera nella nostra Chiesa Cattedrale, cioè dire il cranio della testa di S. Taraco. Non si ha memoria accertata del come e quando ci venisse d’oriente sì prezioso e venerabile pegno; forse fu trasportato in Italia al tempo delle Crociate: il certo si è, che veneravasi in Modena fino dal secolo XIV, poiché il bel Reliquiario, che lo sostiene, fu fatto fare dal Vescovo di Modena Aldobrandino d’Este, che resse la nostra Chiesa dall’anno 1352 al 1373. Il santo Cranio è scoperto soltanto nella sommità, per darlo a baciare ai divoti fedeli in quella parte ove sofferse il più atroce tormento; poiché, dopo scorticatagli la testa, ci misero sopra bragie ardenti; ed in riguardo a quell’atroce martoro il Santo si venera qual Tutelare sopra il dolore di capo. Quel Reliquiario è d’argento dorato, e consiste di un piede esagono, che sostiene un tondino sul quale posa il sacro Cranio. Intorno al detto tondino ricorre un cerchio a foggia di corona, coperto di smalto azzurro, con la seguente scritta in così dette lettere gotiche divisa in otto spartimenti:
HOC - OS - || EST - CAPI || TIS - SANTI (sic) || THARACHI - || MILITIS - E || T - MARTYRI || S
HOC OPVS FECIT FERI (sic) ALDROVANDIN ESTENSIS EPISCOP’ MUTINEÑ
Questo cranio è la testa di Santo Taraco, milite e martire.
Quest'opera (il reliquario) si deve ad Aldobrandino d'Este vescovo modenese (Nostra traduzione)
(What remained of the bodies of the three saints, in the form of relics, took different destinations. In the Middle Ages the skull of Taraco arrived in Modena, as reported in the book The Cathedral, which is an historical and descriptive outline of the Cathedral of Modena, published in 1845: "The sacred relics of our holy martyrs had special worship in Anazarbo of Cilicia, and afterwards in other parts of the East where they were partly transferred. One of the most prominent among them was the one preserved and venerated in our Cathedral Church, that is to say the skull of the head of St. Taraco. We have not ascertained the memory as to and when there came from the East so precious and venerable a pledge; perhaps it was transported to Italy at the time of the Crusades: the outcome is, that it was venerated in Modena by the fourteenth century, since the beautiful Reliquary that supports it, was made for the Bishop of Modena Aldobrandino d'Este, who kept our Church from the year 1352 to 1373. The saint's skull only uncovered on top, for the devout faithful to give a kiss on that part where he suffered the most excruciating torment; because after flaying his head, they put over it hot [i[bragie[/i] [spits?]; and in regard to that atrocious martyrdom the Saint is venerated for protecting against headache. The Reliquary is silver-gilt, and consists of a hexagon base, supporting a small circular piece on which rests the sacred skull. Around said circular piece is another circle in the shape of a crown, covered with blue enamel, with the following inscription in so-called Gothic letters, divided into eight sections:
HOC - OS - || EST - CAPI || TIS - SANTI (sic) || THARACHI - || MILITIS - E || T - MARTYRI || S
HOC OPVS FECIT FERI (sic) ALDROVANDIN ESTENSIS EPISCOP’ MUTINEÑ
This skull is the head of Saint Taraco, soldier and martyr.
This work (the shrine) is due to Aldobrandino d'Este of Modena bishop (Our translation)
We know that since Italian and Latin have no "th" sound, the "th" easily reduces, in vernacular literature, to "t". Also "a" and "o" appear as variant declensions in other words of this time (Alain at
viewtopic.php?f=12&t=499&start=30#p18093. There is in French even the spelling "au", pronounced "o". "Tharachos" in Greek, like "taraxia" in Latin, means "tumult, perturbation", i.e. crazy (
http://www.associazioneletarot.it/page.aspx?id=317), and as such lends itself to such words as "theroco", for the "seirocho", i.e. sirocco, wind, the wind that makes crazy (
http://www.associazioneletarot.it/page. ... 99&lng=ENG).
This particular saint, in the account of his martyrdom, was noted for his calmness in the face of abuse and torture, which infuriated his persecutors. So it might well be that "Taraco" was only a later ironic nickname (for what the interrogators called him), to suggest "tarachos" in the Greek-speaking city in which he is martyred.
What is of special interest is his remarks to his interrogators. It is no doubt standard hagiography; nonetheless that it appears in connection with "Tharaci" (genitive case for "tharaco" or "tharacus"), in the d'Este town of Modena, given special attention by a d'Este family member, gives us reason to suspect an association also in the d'Este tarot. The account (from a 17th century compendium) says, in the published Italian translation:
Massimo disse ai carnefici: rompetegli la bocca co’ sassi, e nel percuoterlo ditegli: lascia codesta tua vanità e pazzia. E Taraco diceva al presidente: se io fossi vano e pazzo, e non pieno della prudenza di Gesù Cristo, avrei già prima d’adesso fatto quello, che fai tu, che sei insensato affatto, e sacrifichi agli dei insensatissimi...
(Maximus said to the executioners: break his mouth with stones, and in beating him say: leave with this your vanity and insanity. And Taraco said to the president: If I were vain and mad, and not full of the prudence of Jesus Christ, I would have already done that before now, that which you do who are senseless[i.e. foolish] indeed, and sacrifice to most senseless gods".
To which Maximus replies:
: “Nella prossima sessione penserò ad altri tormenti, e gli troverò tali, che bene ti guariranno della tua pazzia…”
("In the next session I will think of other torments, and I will find those that will heal you well of your madness ...")
It is this "the prudence of Christ", which is madness to the world, in contrast to the foolishness of the world, which they take as prudence (sacrificing to the gods), is taken from 1 Cor. 1:19-20 (Vulgate and Douay-Rheims):
Scriptum est enim: Perdam sapientiam sapientium, et prudentiam prudentium reprobabo. Nam quia in Dei sapientia non cognovit mundus per sapientiam Deum: placuit Deo per stultitiam praedicationis salvos facere credentes.
(For it is written: I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the prudence of the prudent I will reject. Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this world? Hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?)
I am led to wonder whether a similar juxtaposition may be at work in the tarot sequence. The World card, which shows an angel holding a terrestrial world, has been associated by some with the virtue of prudence. For myself, I notice on the Charles VI the attributes of the empress card, the scepter and globe, held by a lady with a halo. She is the empress of the World, God's Wisdom, who in the Old Testament is a feminine personification, but in the New Testament is associated with Christ. Thus 1 Cor. 1:24:
Ipsis autem vocatis Judaeis, atque Graecis Christum Dei virtutem, et Dei sapientia.
(But unto them that are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.)
Although the Greek
Sophia corresponds to the Latin
sapientia, in the story of this saint it is called Christ's prudence. So the Fool is a fitting accompaniment to the preceding B order card, the World, which in turn is a fitting accompaniment to the preceding card, representing Christ's Justice. Putting both cards together, with the Fool at the end, closing the circle and thus serving also as the beginning, reminds us of the equation enunciated first by St. Paul and then by St. Taraco. He is thus a kind of patron saint also of the game of madness, in two senses.
Another interesting point is that part of the torture, at least of one of his companions named Agapito, was being hanged upside down in front of a furnace, tied to a tree. Andrea shows us a picture of a sculpture of this saint in that state done in 1607 and now in the Museum of Milan Cathedral. If so, this is a suggestion that the "hanged man" was not necessarily seen negatively, at least in the depictions where he does not have money bags. Andrea's analysis is that the upside down position reflects his status as traitor to the Roman religion. That sense would also fit the Sforza grandfather Muzio, whose "hanged man" picture was put on all the bridges of Rome by the false pope John XXIII.
