Arcana Origin? The Fool & Death

The fool in tarot is the story of new beginnings and opportunity; The Fool is truly a pitiable card, if you know the origin of the card. Shall we go back? To the dawn of time.

In the olden days there was a goddess who was never satisfied, she was brimming with curiosity. She would happily polymorph to play with the creations of her brother. Spending days in the sea playing with curious little fish, challenging sharks and monsters to duels. Or soaring in the skies with the seraphs, the most nondescript goddess you may ever hear of.

That was Origin, her favorite form was an elven woman, she would walk barefooted over the land; Her hair a shade of sun-kissed pink, reflecting the nameless flowers she would frolic through. Her eyes a clear blue and her skin a peach color, with lush features she never paid mind to. In her favored form, she would tend to plants, and play with the creatures around her. The world was happy and harmonious, truly pure without a trace of badness.

Although Origin and her brother Life were content with things the way they were, their cousin War was always causing trouble. So he whispered desires into the ears of the elves and dwarves, causing discord and desire. The elves began to want control over the spirits to grow more powerful, as they were wise. The dwarves craved power and strength, they wanted to destroy the elven forests to create workplaces to make their weapons.

Origin came up with a solution, she parted the forest and the rocklands with a river and a lake, to allow both sides to flourish, blessing the elders the power to make their own homelands. Once they settled, Origin could only change her form to an angel with similar features, only with fluffy white wings instead of pointed ears, as she could not visit either village until their powers settled. Neither dwarves or elves would allow Origin to come play, because she would tell the others what she saw inside.

However, War whispered to the angels, telling them of the Valkyrie race who had their own land, weapons and bloodlust. So they shunned Origin, who wanted to so badly be friends with them. So Origin ripped out feathers from her back, as her tears fell onto them she built an island in the sky that would float among the fluffy clouds they danced through. When the angels and seraphs began to build their island Origin was unable to fly up to visit so she took to the seas.

Under water the mer were angry that Origin had been ignoring them, so when she came to play she was pranked. They took the gemstones that she wore her brother had made for her and replaced them with pearls. The gemstones were her prized possessions, they allowed her to visit other lands at her whim, when they were taken they became useless to any but her. The mer were so angry that the dazzling diamonds became plain stones they cast them into the depths, so Origin had to scour the bottom of the waterways if she wished to find them. Still she did not punish them, she merely left the water, and sat upon a rock at the waters edge crying.

Origin was lonely, playful and boundlessly curious. When she cheered up a little due to the fairies coming to play, she went to dance with them among the flowers. While they played, War was tormenting the dragons who came to complain, when they saw Origin playing with the fairies they were so angry they planned to scorch the lands. When Origin gave them treasures to protect, they stopped burning the flowers. Still they had done damage, so the fairies wouldn’t come to play with her anymore.

Slowly Origin gave her power, her treasures and her blessings away so freely. She was unable to visit her brother, her homeland or her friends. They began to call her the foolish goddess, she gave until she could give no more. Then one day she gave her name, to welcome her children home. That day, everyone forgot who Origin was, they only remembered ‘The Fool’ so they granted her a card to remind everyone her tales when one soul who welcomed Death called her Origin, she was the only being able to tell the story.

Origin was The Fool, she gave opportunity to all, worthy or not. When she was boundlessly lonely, she gave the last thing she had; her name and took a new one. If she could not have their love, she would have their fear, hatred and anger in her new name Death. Which when divined by the same prophet who endlessly remembers that the fool and death hold the same beginnings; She cackles seeing how major a change the card signifies.

The one girl who can change everything, she gave each race everything in her heart; now they fear her with all of theirs giving her all of their power in their passing. Still there are days she whispers her desires among the flowers, which are now blackened opposed to the rosette of the past.

Then again, Death will be floating over the blackened thorned vines barefoot with straight white hair that is only a shade paler than her bloodless skin, with crimson irises that freeze the blood of those who see them. The smiles of her past are no where to be seen, those who see a smile are chilled until their heart stops beating.

The last thing Death offered was a name; she accepted hers: Inane, the woman of the void. She gave her cousin the name of terror after the atrocities he caused: Deimos. Then blessed her brother who had been endlessly kind, warm and merciful the name Clemens.