Twilight Realm: A Tarot of Faery
A Review
© Cheryl Lynne Bradley 2010
Artist and Writer: Beth Wilder
Published by Schiffer Books
ISBN 978-0-764303393-4 $34.99US

Twilght Realm: A Tarot of Faery. The Fool

Absolutely delightful. Beth Wilder has created an excellent book and deck set in Twilight Realm: A Tarot of Faery. Twilight Realm is a 78 card Tarot deck that was 10 years in the making. It captures, in colourful, vibrant pastel images, both the essence of the Tarot and the mysterious enchanted world of the spirits of nature. The images are all beautifully rendered on a jet black background which creates a stunning effect.



Twilght Realm: A Tarot of Faery. The Hermit

The images of the Minor Arcana are highlighted with a slim interior border in different colours according to their suit. Ms. Wilder has renamed the suit of Coins or Pentacles to Rings; an original and appropriate choice for a deck steeped in faery lore. She also attributes the element of Fire to the suit of Swords and Wands with Air. She thinks this might be an affront to some Tarot people, but these correspondences have also been used by Anne Marie Ferguson in Legend of Arthurian Tarot (I wore this deck out twice). Atham Z interpreted the suits similarly so she is in good company. She also uses the attributes of Prince and Princesses instead of Knights for the Court Cards – 2 Princes (Wands and Swords) and 2 Princesses (Cups and Rings). There are many decks that use Prince as a substitute for the Knight and Princesses for the Pages so this is a slightly unusual twist but it works.



Twilght Realm: A Tarot of Faery. Judgment

Ms. Wilder renders The Judgment card as a Phoenix, a correspondence that Robin Wood used in her Robin Wood Tarot (a deck I have worn out three times). Death is a Banshee; The Chariot is a boggle driving two fairy dogs; Temperance is a deva; The Tower is thunder-beings striking a tree; The Wheel of Fortune is a beautiful faery ring; Strength is a unicorn; The Hermit, The Hierophant and The Hanged One are all women. Some cards were inspired by her dreams, others by visions, and some by the stories and lore of the world of nature spirits. I find the deck powerful and stimulating.



Twilght Realm: A Tarot of Faery. Death

The accompanying 176 page book is a treasure. It is full of strange, sad, inspiring and even frightening stories of the fae: Jenny Greenteeth is the 5 of Swords and the Snow Queen is the 6 of the same suit. Not every card has such a distinct story with it but Ms. Wilder has done a very thorough and thoughtful job in the spirits she has chosen and her interpretations are highly commendable. She interprets for upright and reversed using appropriate keywords which is always a nice inclusion for beginners. Most importantly, she shares insightful but accessible interpretations for both upright and reversed with an explanation and description of her artistic depiction for each card. Her writing is personal, gentle, wise and very, very human.

This would be a great and functional deck for any level of reader. It would be a wonderful addition to anyone’s collection. Schiffer Books has done a nice job with the packaging and the pricing. The accompanying book is full of information on the world of the fae. I will look forward to seeing more from Beth Wilder and hopefully it won’t take another 10 years.