Knight of Cups Sola-Busca
From Tarotpedia
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[edit] Description
A bearded winged man on horseback. He holds an helmet in his hands. The card brings the inscription NATANABO.
[edit] Textual references
[edit] Early English "Life of Alexander"
http://name.umdl.umich.edu/PLAlex
From http://en.wikipedia.org/ : "According to the pseudo-historical Alexander Romance, soon after Alexander the Great's confirmation of godhood was confirmed by the Oracle of Zeus Ammon, a rumor was begun that Nectanebo II did not travel to Nubia but instead to the court of Philip II of Macedon in the guise of an Eqyptian magician. He coupled with Phillip's wife Olympias and from his issue came Alexander."
The most learned Egyptians who know the size of the earth, the waves of the sea, and the order of the heavens (betokening the way of the stars and the turning of the skies), have bequeathed these things to the whole world through the highness and the wisdom of magic knowledge. And they tell of a king of that land, by name Anectanabus, great in understanding, and full of love in astrology and mathematics. Now, upon a day it happened that a messenger came, and said unto him that Artaxerxes, king of the Persians, was drawing nigh towards him with a very great force of foes. Yet he did not call out his army, nor get ready his advance. Instead of this, he hurried into his bed-chambers in his palace, and, taking down a brazen shell, which was full of rain-water, and holding in his hand a brazen rod, sought by magic spells to summon the devils. By which wizardry he felt, in the shell itself, the fleets sailing over him amid fearful affray.
....
Forthwith he changed his dress, and shaved his head and beard, and took gold as much as he might bear, and which might be needful to him to busy himself with wizardry. And thus he fled from Egypt, near by Pelusium. And at length, coming into Ethiopia, he put on linen apparel, [and] in the guise of an Egyptian seer went into Macedonia. And there he sate himself, and before all the Greeks, and in their sight was soothsaying. But the Egyptians, when they saw how Anectanabus was not at Court, went to Serapis, who was their greatest god, and besought him that he might give them answer as to Anectanabus their king. And Serapis replied: 'Anectanabus, your king, is gone from Egypt because of Artaxerxes, the king of the Persians, who will subdue you unto his lordship. .....'
.....
And the queen (Olympia) answered: 'I beg thee, master, unveil me all the truth.' Thereupon Anectanabus:'One of the mightiest gods shall share thy bed and uphold thee through all thy thrivings and downfalls, even if they be overstrong.' Olympia replied: 'I beseech thee, say what shape this god shall put on?' Anectanabus replied: 'Neither young, nor old; his beard besprinkled with white hairs. Wherefore, if this please thee, be ready for him, for at night shalt thou see him, and in thy sleep shall he lie by thee.' The queen said: 'If I behold this, neither as a seer, nor as godly, but, as the god himself, will I worship' [thee]. And at once Anectanabus said, 'Fare thee well, O queen.' After this Anectanabus, leaving the palace, and walking straight forth to the city's camp in a desert spot, tore up herbs, and ground them, and took their juice, and wrought spells and other like things of the fiend, that in that same night Olympia might behold the god Hamon lying beside her, and saying to her thereafter, 'Woman, thou hast conceived him who shall beshield thee.'
....
And when she began to be big, she called unto her Anectanabus, saying: 'Master, tell me, what doom will Philip wreak on me, when he shall come back?' And Anectanabus said to her, 'Be not afraid: god Hamon will champion thee.'
.....
That same night the god Hamon appeared to Philip, in a dream, lying with his wife Olympia, and, the night ended, he saw him touch her womb, and seal it with a golden ring. And on the ring there was a stone, and graven on this a lion's head, and the chariot of the sun, and a very sharp sword.
....
And a few days after this Philip the king was sitting in his palace, and there appeared unto him a little and most gentle bird, which flew into his bosom and laid an egg. And the egg, falling to the ground, was broken. And at once there crept forth from it a very little snake. And it turned around, wishful to go into the egg, but, before it might put in its head, it was quenched. And Philip, seeing this, was heavily distressed, and called to him Arideus, and showed him the monstrous thing he had seen. And Arideus said to him, 'King Philip, a son shall be born to thee, who shall reign after thy death, and shall fare forth over the whole world and sway all peoples, and ere he come back to the land of his birth, shall die by a most swift death.'
[edit] Fazio degli Uberti Dittamondo
BOOK IV - Chapter I
In forma quadra era il loco ch'io dico, The place I speak of was of square shape,
disabitato tutto e senza porte, Unhinabited and without doors,
messo in dispregio per vecchio e antico. Despised because it was old and ancient.
E, poi che dentro fui con le mie scorte, When I went in with my followers,
vidi una loggia fatta per memoria, 5 I saw a lodge made for MEMORY,
a volte tutta, intorno a una corte. With a vaulted ceiling, running around a courtyard.
In ogni quadro suo avea una storia In each of its squares there was a story
con gran figure di marmo intagliato With large figures carved in marble
sí belle, che 'l veder mi fu gran gloria. So beautiful that I am proud of having seen them.
Quivi era nel principio storiato 10 Here the first history was that of
Cres, figliuolo di Nembrot, del cui nome Cres, the son of NEMBROT, from whose name
apresso Creti fu cosí chiamato; Crete(?) received its own;
................
poi seguiva Alessandro e di costui 55 Then followed ALEXANDER and it seems
prima parea che statua d'oro That APOLLO received a golden statue
Apollin ricevesse che d'altrui. From him before than from anybody else.
................
Aspero e fiero quanto fu al mondo Hard and proud as he was in real life
nel suo aspetto quivi si mostrava Here I could see PHILIPPUS,
Filippo armato e d'animo profondo. Armed and with a deep soul.
Quivi era come Olimpia sposava Here it was shown how he married OLYMPIA
con molta festa e, apresso, seguia 65 With a great feast and later it followed
come Atenes e Tessaglia acquistava. How he conquered Athens and Thessaly.
................
Quivi era com Natanabo fuggio 85 Here it was shown how NATANABO
di Egitto a Filippo e cosí come Ran away from Egypt to reach Philippus
Alessandro era tal, che nel disio And how Alexander, when desiring something,
piú non cercava latte né idiome. Did not care about milk nor words.
Allor pensai e dissi: "Oh quanto è falso Then I thought and said: "Oh how false
chi incolpa altrui a torto e dá mal nome 90 He who wrongly gives the guilt to someone else,
e quanto è giusto se 'l compra poi salso!". And how right that he later pays it dear!".
[edit] Plutarch's Lives
Plutarch describes how Agesilaus helped Nectanabis II obtaining the throne of Egypt that belonged to his cousin Tachos:
When he (Agesilaus) joined with Tachos, he found his expectation of being general-in-chief disappointed. Tachos reserved that place for himself, making Agesilaus only captain of the mercenaries, and Chabrias, the Athenian, commander of the fleet. This was the first occasion of his discontent, but there followed others; he was compelled daily to submit to the insolence and vanity of this Egyptian, and was at length forced to attend him into Phoenicia, in a condition much below his character and dignity, which he bore and put up with for a time, till he had opportunity of showing his feelings. It was afforded him by Nectanabis, the cousin of Tachos, who commanded a large force under him, and shortly after deserted him, and was proclaimed king by the Egyptians. This man invited Agesilaus to join his party.
[edit] Image references
Curiously, the knight of Cups in the Thoth Deck by Aleister Crowley and Lady Frieda Harris also represents a winged man.
[edit] External links
- wikipedia wikipedia article about Nectanebo II
