Celtic Myth Playing Cards

Coire Branded Celtic Decks

This is the official Deck of Celtic myth playing cards branded under the ‘an Coire’ name, the cauldron of authentic Celtic culture and tradition. Including informational cards on the source material for the images, this deck presents two figures from early Irish mythology on each face card and the Celtic Cosmology glyph as the artwork on the cards’ backs. The Jokers are two of the mischievous land spirits of Celtic tradition: the Púca (Welsh Bwci whence the English “Boogeyman”) and the Boggart famous from Scottish tradition. The Cosmology glyph on the backing shows the cauldron of poetic inspiration and sovereignty hearthed on the Newgrange front-stone at the base of a sacred otherworldly tree.

In its four spiraled branches, each of which represents a different sacred tree and season – flowering rowan from the Spring, oak under mast for the Summer, ripened hazel for Autumn, and fruiting holly for Winter – are the three primary otherworldly birds significant to Celtic myth: ravens, eagles and swans. Around the cauldron and enfolded by its otherworldly flow are four animals, their otherworldly character indicated by their white coats and red ears and representing the different aspects of society: the wild, prophetic boar, the warrior-hound, the noble, kingly horse, and the bull of abundant wealth. Every element of the cards’ iconography is hand-drawn from medieval Irish literature and classical Celtic traditions, from the style of decoration on Earnmbás’ headpiece to the knot work around Lugh. The traditional suits have been transformed into the four magic items of the Tuatha Dé Danann: club, spade, diamond, and heart corresponding to the magical spear, sword, stone and cauldron that the Irish faeries brought from the magical cities of the North.