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TL;DR: Waite writes in The Pictorial Key to the Tarot (1911) that the Five of Swords carries meanings of degeneration, destruction, dishonor, loss of reputation, and loss, while the reversed meaning is nearly the same plus burial and funerals. In current Tarot reading, this card is often understood as winning at all costs with relationships as the price, and when reversed, as tension cooling down and a readiness to reconcile. Nhật Nguyệt's suggestion: before rushing into a dispute, you should define your stopping point and your ethical limits.
What is the 5 of Swords Tarot card?
In the 78-card Tarot deck, the Minor Arcana reflects the everyday ups and downs of life. The suit of Swords in particular stands for intellect, thought, communication, and also the shadowed corners of the rational mind. If the suit of Cups belongs to emotion, then Swords is the kingdom of words and beliefs, where every sharp blade can become either a weapon of defence or a source of wounding.
The 5 of Swords is one of the cards in the Minor Arcana that often stirs feelings of unease, tension and loss. The Rider-Waite-Smith deck was printed in 1909, with artwork by Pamela Colman Smith, while the divinatory meanings were set out by Arthur Edward Waite in The Pictorial Key to the Tarot (1911).
How does Waite describe the 5 of Swords?
Waite writes in The Pictorial Key to the Tarot (1911) that the image shows a disdainful man watching two others withdraw, downcast. Their two swords lie on the ground. This man carries two other swords on his left shoulder, while a third sword is held in his right hand, its point turned down to the earth. Waite writes: "He is the master in possession of the field."
What divinatory meaning does Waite give for the 5 of Swords?
Waite writes that the divinatory meaning of this card includes: Degradation, destruction, revocation, infamy, dishonour, loss, along with variants and equivalents of those meanings. Waite writes that the Reversed meaning is: "The same; burial and obsequies."
It is worth noting: this is the divinatory meaning Waite set out in the 1911 book, and it often differs from the meaning commonly used today.
In today's way of reading Tarot, what does the 5 of Swords mean?
In today's way of reading Tarot, the 5 of Swords upright is usually understood as winning at any cost, but the price paid is the relationship. Reversed, this card is usually understood as tension cooling, a readiness to let go of resentment in order to reconcile. The common keywords are conflict, winning and losing, loss.
This is also the meaning used by the Nhật Nguyệt draw feature, not Waite's meaning.
Why does the modern meaning differ from Waite's 1911 meaning?
Waite wrote his divinatory meaning in the 1911 book with a heavy vocabulary (degradation, destruction, infamy, loss) and a reversed meaning that is nearly identical to the upright one, with burial added. Today's readings usually shift the focus to the question of the price of victory and the possibility of reconciliation, so the surface has softened considerably compared with the original. When looking things up, it is worth clearly distinguishing these two layers rather than attributing the modern meaning to Waite.
What does the iconography of the 5 of Swords card mean?
The central figure: What does the lone victor mean?
According to Waite's description, the main figure in the card is not a king or a knight, but a man with a disdainful expression, standing and watching two others withdraw in dismay. He carries two swords on his left shoulder and holds the third sword in his right hand, its point turned down to the earth. Waite calls him the master of the battlefield, but the other two have already turned their backs and walked away, no longer wanting to contend.
Three swords and two fallen swords
According to Waite's description, the two swords of those withdrawing lie on the ground, while the one who stays holds three swords. This 3-2 division suggests that the battle has been decided as far as weapons go, but all that remains for the winner is an empty field. In today's readings, this situation is usually understood as a hollow victory, where the relationship has already been lost.
In Nhật Nguyệt's understanding, what does the 5 of Swords say?
In Nhật Nguyệt's understanding, the 5 of Swords is the card of conflicts in which winning usually comes with loss. The question worth asking when this card appears is not "how do I win", but "is this fight worth entering". If you have already entered it, then recognising the price already paid matters more than denying it.
On self-poisoning
In Nhật Nguyệt's understanding, one psychological side of the 5 of Swords is self-poisoning through negative thoughts after a conflict. The winner may feel no joy because they keep regretting what was lost, while the loser may be held in bitterness. Both states drain energy without changing the outcome that has already happened.
Nhật Nguyệt's suggestions for the 5 of Swords today
Nhật Nguyệt's suggestion on work: if you are in the middle of a competition, decide in advance where your stopping point is and where your ethical limits lie. Nhật Nguyệt's suggestion on love: when both sides try to win an argument, the win usually does not make up for the damage to the relationship. Nhật Nguyệt's suggestion on finance: decisions involving disputes, lawsuits or dividing shares should weigh both what is gained and what is lost. Nhật Nguyệt's suggestion on mental health: if you are often on the defensive, stepping back from the argument for a while may be more helpful than trying to prove yourself.
The suggestions above are for reference only, not a prediction of the future or a certain conclusion about anyone's destiny, finances or health.
Quick reference table: Five of Swords upright and reversed
| Aspect | Content |
|---|---|
| Deck suit | Minor Arcana - Suit of Swords |
| Number | 5 |
| Main keywords | conflict, winning and losing, loss |
| Waite 1911 divinatory meaning (upright) | Degradation, destruction, revocation, infamy, dishonour, loss, along with variants and equivalents |
| Waite 1911 divinatory meaning (reversed) | The same; burial and obsequies |
| Meaning upright in today's readings | Winning at any cost, but the price paid is the relationship. |
| Meaning reversed in today's readings | Tension cooling, a readiness to let go of resentment in order to reconcile. |
Overview article on the topic: Tarot Basics: The 78 Cards and the Meanings of the Major/Minor Arcana
