Lenormand

References

How the content was checked

  • The traditional text of all 36 cards and the layout instructions were transcribed directly from the BnF scans, then translated into Thai and English.
  • Modern keywords keep only meanings that agree across several sources [C], not the private system of any one deck.
  • Historical facts are checked against at least one A or B source; the playing-card insets were checked against two decks from different periods.

A Primary sources: original objects in museums and national libraries

  1. Jeu de cartes divinatoire, dit « Petit Lenormand » (Geûens-Sea, Bruges, c. 1895–1901), 36 cards + instruction sheet. Bibliothèque nationale de France, Département des Estampes (Gallica btv1b10529584r). gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b10529584r
    Used for: Card images, card names, playing-card insets, the traditional text printed on each card, and the original layout instructions.
  2. Das Spiel der Hofnung (The Game of Hope), J. K. Hechtel, c. 1799 — museum no. 1896,0501.495. The British Museum. www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1896-0501-495
    Used for: The 1799 ancestor deck and its 36 images.

B Reliable secondary sources: scholarship, historical institutions, footnoted encyclopaedias

  1. Ronald Decker, Thierry Depaulis, Michael Dummett. A Wicked Pack of Cards: The Origins of the Occult Tarot. Duckworth, 1996.
    Used for: History of cartomancy and the Lenormand name (as cited by the encyclopaedic sources below).
  2. Detlef Hoffmann, Erika Kroppenstedt. Wahrsagekarten. Deutsches Spielkarten-Museum, 1972.
    Used for: Identification of the Game of Hope as the model for the Petit Lenormand.
  3. Marc Allégret. Lenormand (Mlle) Anne-Marie Adélaïde (1772–1843), la devineresse la plus célèbre de l'époque. Fondation Napoléon / Revue du Souvenir Napoléonien no. 449. www.napoleon.org/histoire-des-2-empires/biographies/lenormand-mlle-ann…
    Used for: Biography of Mlle Lenormand: dates, career, arrests, methods.
  4. Johann Kaspar Hechtel. Wikipedia (with citations to Hoffmann 1972, Decker et al. 1996, O'Donoghue 1901). en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johann_Kaspar_Hechtel
    Used for: Hechtel's dates, publisher Bieling, deck structure and playing-card insets.
  5. Marie Anne Lenormand. Wikipedia (with citations to Decker et al. 1996). en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marie_Anne_Lenormand
    Used for: Lenormand's life and the use of her name on decks after 1843.
  6. Simon Wintle et al.. Madame Lenormand Cartomancy Cards. The World of Playing Cards. www.wopc.co.uk/explore/suit/lenormand/
    Used for: Playing-card historians' view: no evidence that Mlle Lenormand designed or used these cards.

C Practitioners: used for reading technique and keyword cross-checks, not for historical fact

  1. Mary K. Greer. Madame Le Normand — the most famous card reader of all time. 2008. marykgreer.com/2008/02/12/madame-le-normand-the-most-famous-card-reade…
    Used for: Contemporary accounts of Lenormand's readings; the 1845 Grand Jeu.
  2. Robert M. Place. The Game of Hope, the Anchor, and the Tarot. 2019. robertmplacetarot.com/2019/10/04/the-game-of-hope-the-anchor-and-the-t…
    Used for: Rules of the Game of Hope (6×6 board, dice, Anchor wins, Cross traps).
  3. Caitlín Matthews. The Complete Lenormand Oracle Handbook: Reading the Language and Symbols of the Cards. Destiny Books, 2014. ISBN 9781620553251. www.simonandschuster.co.uk/books/The-Complete-Lenormand-Oracle-Handboo…
    Used for: Reading method: pairs, lines, boxes, Grand Tableau and houses.
  4. Rana George. The Essential Lenormand: Your Guide to Precise & Practical Fortunetelling. Llewellyn, 2014. ISBN 9780738736624.
    Used for: Reading method and card-by-card practice.
  5. Madhavi Ghare. Lenormand card meanings — keywords for all 36 cards. Tarotically Speaking. taroticallyspeaking.com/lenormand-cards/lenormand-card-meanings-keywor…
    Used for: Cross-check of modern keywords for all 36 cards.
  6. Benebell Wen. The Lenormand: Nutshell Summary of the Petite Lenormand, from History to Practice. 2013. benebellwen.com/2013/06/10/the-lenormand-nutshell-summary-of-the-petit…
    Used for: Cross-check of modern keywords; reading as sentences; no reversals.
  7. Mlle. TaliTarot. Learn Lenormand — Lesson 4: Les Châteaux de Cartes (The Houses). Tarot Professionals Ltd / Tarot Association, 2012. www.tarotassociation.net/lenormand/Tarosophy%20Lenormand%20Lesson%204.…
    Used for: Houses in the Grand Tableau; the 3×3 box.
  8. Lenormand: The Grand Tableau. Prisma Visions. prismavisions.com/pages/lenormand-the-grand-tableau
    Used for: Grand Tableau of nines, knighting, diagonals, corners.

Image credits