BLUEBEARD ORACLE

A mysterious and menacing suitor … Promise of a life of luxury… A forbidden room… Bloody murder in a chamber of horrors! “Bluebeard,“ along with its variations, unfolds like the perfect murder mystery, so much so that it has been multiply adapted in literature, theater, and film over the years. Bluebeard and its related tales take us through their horrific discoveries in that classic fairytale way where we must suspend our disbelief and follow along; however, the events that unfold in these tales feel considerably more rooted in reality than many stories in the genre, their events grotesque yet much more plausible. Discover what you think these stories are really about in the Bluebeard Oracle.

 

 

RED RIDING HOOD ORACLE

This mini oracle is based on multiple versions of the folktale most commonly called “Little Red Riding Hood.” It takes into consideration different tellings of the tale, from early traditional oral versions to literary reconstructions of the tale over time. Plot points from different versions are intermixed in these cards and in the accompanying blended story by folktale scholar Melissa Mullins. Consider the plight of the heroine as you shuffle and read. In some accounts, she is naive and helpless, a victim in need of rescue or condemned to an irreversible fate; in others, she is quick-thinking and independent, the agent of her own escape. Angela Carter’s 1979 retelling, “In the Company of Wolves,” depicts her as a self-possessed, progressive woman who knows she is “nobody’s meat.” Unraveling the symbolism of this tale remains a complicated venture, as its iconography continues to be recycled in literature, film, and advertising, constantly shifting meaning. This deck was initially featured as part of the Creeping Museum's Company of Wolves project. 

 

EAST O' THE SUN ORACLE

This mini oracle is based on the folktale “East O’ the Sun, West O’ the Moon.” It began as part of an interactive poem project in The Venderia vending machine in which the folktale/poem was spontaneously and unpredictably retold as text cards were sold from the machine slots and others moved up to take their places. Each text card had one of twelve oracle images enclosed. The entire poem text in its original form appears in the mini booklet included with this deck. This deck includes all of the images from the original project plus one additional card, professionally printed with playing card coating.

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