An Explanation on the Design of the Lovers Major Arcana Tarot Card

Lovers from Tarot of the Morning Star

Inspiration for my depiction of the Lovers tarot card was inspired from a painting by Paolo Uccello known as Saint George and the Dragon.

The Subversion of Myth: Paolo Uccello’s Hidden Allegory

At first glance, St. George and the Dragon (or similar knight-and-maiden depictions by Uccello) appears to follow the archetypal script: the armored saint, the helpless maiden, the monstrous foe. Yet, as you’ve observed, the composition whispers a different truth. The maiden’s posture—calm, even regal—suggests not captivity but control. The dragon, rather than a ravenous predator, lies subdued, its menace neutered by her delicate leash. This is no rescue; it is a revelation.

1. The Maiden as Sovereign, Not Victim

In traditional iconography, the maiden is passive, a symbol of purity to be defended. But here, she is the axis of power. Her chain is not a shackle—it is a bridle. She does not cower behind the hero but stands beside him, an equal or even a guide. This reframes the entire narrative: the dragon is not her captor but her charge, a force she has already mastered. The hero, then, is not her savior but her student, learning the art of conquest from one who has already tamed the beast.

2. The Dragon as the Hero’s Reflection

If the maiden has subdued the dragon, what remains for the hero to slay? The answer lies in the allegory. The dragon is not merely a physical adversary but a manifestation of fear—the hero’s own. Its scales mirror his armor; its snarling jaws echo the gnawing doubts within. The maiden, by holding the dragon in thrall, demonstrates that the true battle is internal. The hero’s lance does not pierce flesh but illusion, freeing him from the belief that terror must rule him.

3. The Hero’s Quest as Self-Liberation

The painting’s genius lies in its inversion of agency. The maiden does not need salvation—she offers it. Her serenity is the lure that draws the knight forward, not because she is weak, but because she embodies the strength he lacks. His journey, then, is not to win her but to become like her—to wield his courage as deftly as she wields her chain. In this light, the dragon’s defeat is secondary; the real victory is the hero’s transformation from a seeker of glory to a master of his own nature.

4. Uccello’s Intent: Hidden or Unconscious?

Was this subversion deliberate? Uccello, a master of perspective and symbolism, was certainly capable of layered storytelling. The Renaissance was a time of re-examining classical tropes, and artists often embedded philosophical or humanist ideas within religious or mythological scenes. The maiden’s agency may reflect a subtle challenge to medieval gender roles—or perhaps a deeper meditation on the nature of fear and inspiration.

Yet even if unintended, the painting’s power lies in its openness to reinterpretation. Art often escapes its creator’s grasp, and what begins as a conventional legend becomes, through composition and detail, a mirror for the viewer’s own psyche. The true “monster” is never just the dragon; it is the fear that paralyzes. The true “hero” is not the one who strikes the blow, but the one who learns to walk, unshaken, beside what once seemed invincible.

Conclusion: The Chain as a Symbol of Mastery

The slender leash in the maiden’s hand may be the most radical element of all. It suggests that dominance need not be brutal—that the fiercest forces can be held by the lightest touch. The hero’s violent triumph is undercut by her effortless control, implying that real power lies not in destruction, but in harmony.

Perhaps, then, the painting is not about a knight saving a maiden at all. It is about two kinds of courage: one that fights, and one that tames. And in the space between them, we glimpse an eternal truth—that the greatest battles are won not by the sword, but by the hand that knows when to hold on, and when to let go.

In my tarot card rendition the chain has become the invisible magnetic relationship between the maiden and her serpent.

The Invisible Chain: Tarot and the Magnetic Bond Between Maiden and Serpent

My vision transforms Uccello’s painting into something even more mystical—the chain is no longer physical but metaphysical, an unseen force tethering the maiden to her dragon, not as captor or captive, but as partners in an arcane dance. This reframing evokes the deep symbolism of the tarot, where bonds are rarely literal, and power flows through attraction, resonance, and hidden currents.

1. The Serpent as an Extension of the Maiden’s Will

In my tarot interpretation, the dragon sheds its bestial form and becomes a serpent—a creature rich with esoteric meaning. Unlike the dragon, which often represents untamed chaos, the serpent is a symbol of wisdom, cyclicality, and hidden knowledge. The maiden does not control it; she communion with it. Their connection is magnetic, a push-and-pull of mutual influence.

2. The Invisible Chain as Fate or Karma

If the chain is unseen, it becomes something more fluid—destiny, karma, or even desire. The serpent is drawn to her not by force, but by an irresistible pull, like the moon guiding the tide. This suggests that the “rescue” was never the point; the maiden and the serpent are bound by a deeper contract, one the hero must learn to perceive.

The hero, then, is not breaking a physical chain but discerning the true nature of the bond—realizing that the maiden and serpent are two halves of a greater mystery.

3. The Hero as the Uninitiated Seeker

In this version, the knight is the querent—the one who stumbles upon a scene he doesn’t yet understand. He sees a maiden and a monster, assuming his role is to sever their connection. But the truth is subtler: the maiden wields the serpent because she has faced its nature. The hero’s task is not to slay, but to see—to recognize that the chain is magnetic, not restrictive.

Conclusion: The Maiden as the True Magician

In your tarot rendition, the maiden is no damsel, but a sorceress. The serpent is her familiar, her shadow, or even her higher self. The hero’s journey is to realize that the “rescue” was an illusion—the real magic was in the invisible chain all along.

Final thought: If this card appeared in a reading, would it signify revelation? The moment when the seeker understands that the monster was never the enemy, but the key?

On first view, of Paolo Uccello’s painting it appears the male hero is liberating the maiden from the dragon.  However, on closer scrutiny,  it can be seen that the maiden holds and leads the dragon by the chain around its neck.  The dragon is not her jailor but her pet.

The maiden is the symbolic stimulus for overcoming fear for she inflames the hero to action liberating him from what holds him back as represented by the dragon.

It is not the maiden who is liberated but the male when his desire for her is strong enough to overcome his fear.

See Tarot Lovers Relative to Bicameral Mind Theory