For this series, I am exploring the choices of animals made by various deck creators to correspond to traditional Tarot cards. My initial goal is to get through the Major Arcana using cards from eight different decks, now including Tarot of the Woodland Wardens by Jessica Roux from Amber/Lotus.
The Animal Totem Tarot (Robertson, Smith, Llewellyn)
The Animal Wisdom Tarot (Brunke, Liola, CICO)
The Animal-Wise Tarot (Andrews, Dragonhawk)
The Animals Divine Tarot (Hunt, Llewellyn)
The Animism Tarot (Cheung)
Tarot of the Animal Lords (Giannini, Lo Scarabeo)
Tarot of the Woodland Wardens (Jessica Roux, Amber/Lotus) – Added 12/2025
To read my previous posts in this series, enter “Animal Tarot Time” in the search field on the main page of the blog or scroll down and click on Animal Tarot Time under CATEGORIES.
Let’s look at how DEATH (Key 13) is portrayed in eight different animal decks.
Animal Tarot Cards by Doreen Virtue and Radleigh
Valentine (Hay House)
The confidence to move on. Birth and rebirth.
Rising up from the ashes. The Resurrection of Christ.”
The Animal Totem Tarot (Robertson, Smith, Llewellyn)
Naturally I assumed that at least one of these eight
decks would choose a vulture (or similar bird) to represent Death. The California
Condor brings the energy of endings but also reminds us that death is a cycle
rather than a one-way trip. It is the cyclical nature of birth/death that we
must remember when the Death card appears. An interesting note from the deck
creators: “The California Condor not only represents the energy of death, but
has come back from the brink of its own Death.” Once an endangered species,
this bird is “making a healthy and welcome comeback.”
The Animal Wisdom Tarot (Brunke, Liola, CICO)
“Silence of the Lambs,” anyone? Yes, this is the Death’s-head
Hawkmoth we’re talking about for Tarot Key 13 in this deck. In some cultures,
moths do symbolize or foreshadow death. They are also seen as “departed souls
returned to earth” or “symbols of immortality” (Brunke). As with Death cards in
other decks, this one can just as easily represent “the conclusion of a job,
relationship, or phase of life” rather than representing actual physical death.
We are being encouraged to exchange our fear of change to eager anticipation of
transformation.
The Animal-Wise Tarot (Andrews, Dragonhawk)
As a “universal sign of healing, life, death, and rebirth”
(Andrews), the Snake certainly qualifies for a starring role on the Death card.
We all know that snakes shed their skin regularly – replacing the old with the
new – in a sense “resurrecting” themselves. Snakes shed their skin because they
have outgrown it (and they never stop growing). Just as snakes can move and
strike very quickly, changes and transitions in our lives can occur quickly,
and we may not feel ready for them. When Death appears, Andrews encourages us
to ask, “Are we needing to make changes but aren’t for some reason? Are we
trying to force change too quickly? Are we hanging on to and not releasing what
is no longer beneficial for us? Are we ignoring opportunities to heal our life?”
The Animals Divine Tarot (Hunt, Llewellyn)
Lisa Hunt tells us that Sedna “was the supreme deity of
the undersea world, who was both feared and revered by the Inuit peoples of the
Arctic region.” In that role, she determined which of her sea creatures would
be “relinquished for mortal consumption,” so she actually controlled the
survival of the people who consumed those creatures. Sedna’s story is a
terrifying one, in that she became ruler of the undersea world only after her
father tossed her into the icy waves to placate an angered spirit. When she
tried to climb back into his boat, he chopped her fingers off…. And well, that’s
enough of that! But as horrific as the story is, it ends with Sedna on the
undersea throne, presiding over whales, seals, and other sea creatures. She was,
of course, bitter – but made the best of her situation.
The Animism Tarot (Cheung)
self-awareness, adaption, wisdom, truth, loss, passage
I’m not surprised to see The Raven on the Death card in an animal-themed deck. Ravens symbolize illness, ill fortune, and/or death in many cultures. Yet their symbolism is much more complex than that (kind of like the Death card?) I won’t try to explore the many myths and stories about ravens here. I like seeing one on the Death card.
Tarot of the Animal Lords (Giannini, Lo Scarabeo)
Although Crows and Ravens are not identical birds, I
think we can agree that both Cheung and Giannini have a similar symbolism in
mind when their choices. Both crows and ravens are highly intelligent,
black-feathered birds from the genus Corvus. Both are highly adaptable
omnivores and scavengers. The symbolism associated with both birds is very
similar across many cultures.
Tarot of the Woodland Wardens (Roux, Amber/Lotus)
Last (but certainly not least) of all, our newest contributor to this series – Tarot of the Woodland Wardens – features a completely different creature on the Death card from any of the other decks I shared. The guidebook describes the card as follows: “A skeletal jackal stalks the grasslands to collect his dead.” Like others in this series, this deck treats Death as symbolizing endings and new beginnings. “Nothing lasts forever, and Death reminds us that transformation and change can be a good thing.” (Roux) Although the deck’s creators don’t explain their reason for choosing the jackal, most of us are aware that jackals are most famously linked to the Egyptian god Anubis, who guarded cemeteries and guided souls, associating them with the afterlife, embalming, and protection.
To summarize:
California Condor – 1
Moth – 1
Snake – 1
Sedna – 1
Raven – 1
Crow – 1
Jackal – 1
The closest we come to a consensus is the use of black
carrion-eating birds on three of the Death cards. I’m fine with those. I also
kind of love the jackal and snake, though!
