i-am-weis:

i-am-weis:

the hierophant

my piece from the raven arcana zine
digital copies available for a limited time here

i’ve seen some tags wondering why noah isn’t pictured, so here’s that answer.

when i was looking up the meaning of the hierophant card, i kept coming across themes of wisdom, shared group identity, group vs individual, structured belief systems/traditions/religion, conforming/adapting, past/present/future, etc. and the hierophant was described as this wise/respected individual (pope/priest) on his throne leading the two men kneeling before him.

i kept waffling between who i wanted this card to be about because it could reflect many aspects of all the kids. it’s a traditionally male card (with the high priestess being it’s counterpart) and i thought the obvious answer would be to make it about gansey. but that didn’t feel right, i didn’t see any of them as being wise enough to be the hierophant on their own.

so i focused instead on the threes: past, present, and future wisdom. ronan, adam, and gansey. none of them occupy the chair (the throne), none of them are the hierophant, none of them are wiser than the others.

ronan represents past wisdom, structured belief systems, spiritual/cultural identity vs individuality, being part of something greater

adam represents present wisdom, new belief systems, volunteering for a new cause, loss of individuality (like at aglionby) offset by being part of something, self improvement

gansey represents future wisdom, strong pull towards an individual who will explain life to him (as well as his role in it), wisdom beyond personal, looking for meaning

i wanted to focus pre-blue when it was the three of them vs the world (not including noah, because this was before they knew about noah being dead and he was their odd roommate who would disappear in his room for hours) i wanted to show their friendship and how a leader/teacher doesn’t have to be one person elevated above the others, you can teach and learn, lead and follow at the same time. 

there are a lot of call outs to the original card design, too. the keys (to the pig), the two fingers raised (though not in benediction in this), red robes (or coca cola shirt), two pillars beside the throne (books beside the empty chair), etc.