Discover the secrets of the 36 mystical cards
Select 3 cards that call to you
The cards reveal your destiny…
Gypsy tarot, or Zigeunerkarten, is a cartomancy deck of central European origin usually composed of 36 cards with everyday-life scenes: the judge, the letter, the journey, the hospital, the garden, the union, the obstacle. The best-known version is the Kipperkarten, attributed to the Bavarian cartomancer Susanne Kipper of Munich (19th century), widespread in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Hungary and the Balkans.
The "Kipper" deck arose in 19th-century German popular cartomancy circles. The "gypsy" name is today considered dated and partly stigmatizing: it reflects the European imaginary of the time linking itinerant cartomancy with Roma communities. The cards are not of Roma origin: they are productions of German and Austrian publishers like Piatnik or ASS.
36 numbered cards, each with a descriptive title and a scene: 1 male significator, 2 female significator, 3 wedding, 4 meeting, 5 good gentleman, 6 good lady, 7 letter, 8 false thoughts, 9 change, 10 journey, and so on to 36 hope. The language is very concrete, similar to Lenormand: each card is an episode, not an abstract archetype.
Enter your question, choose the number of cards (one, three, five, nine) and shuffle. The tool shows the drawn cards with traditional graphics and an interpretation combining titles. For deeper sessions a 9x4 grid spread is available, similar to the Lenormand Grand Tableau.
Thirty-six, numbered and illustrated with central European everyday scenes.
Both have 36 cards from the same period but use different symbols and numbering. Reading techniques partly overlap.
It is the historical name in Italian and German (Zigeunerkarten). Today many prefer "Kipper" or "fate tarot" to avoid stereotypes.