The Knight of Swords, one of the Minor Arcana of a traditional tarot card deck, is a powerful Court Card associated with swiftness in action, triumph, wrath, and conceit. Its equivalent in playing-card tarotology is the Jack of Spades, and, like all other Court Cards, the Knight of Swords can represent either a person or a state of mind.
In the Rider-Waite tarot deck, the most popular tarot set in the English-speaking world, the Knight of Swords is portrayed as a handsome, lean young man, riding a white horse across a desert. The positioning of the trees and clouds, along with the posture of the character and horse, indicate swift motion. The Knight of Swords has an angry, hungry look on his face, and he holds is sword high and triumphant. The patterns in the horse's mane and the knight's clothing are all reminiscent of the element of fire: an implication further emphasized by the desert background.
As the Knight of Swords plunges ahead in a rage of wrath and fury, he completely symbolizes triumph through direct, aggressive action. Although the Knight of Swords is a powerful tarot card, it is also quite dangerous, as it implies angry, knee-jerk actions from a person who is quick to judge and react. While the traits of this card can be beneficial in gaining short-term goals, the powers it carries are easily abused. The subject of the tarot reading should act swiftly and with confidence, but he or she should also be cautious of the sin of pride.
Like all Court Cards in divinatory tarot, the Knight of Swords can symbolize a person, rather than a state of being. When the card indicates a person-- something that will be clarified by its position in the tarot spread and the context of the tarot reading-- it almost always symbolizes a man or a masculine woman. He is quick-tempered, angry, and possibly dangerous, but his pride acts to his advantage. He is likely a Leo, Aries, other fire sign, and he is articulate and highly intelligent.
When reversed, the Knight of Swords takes on an alternative meaning, becoming nearly the opposite of its upright symbolism. It represents an individual or state of mind marked by feelings of inadequacy or excessive hesitance, which can be as dangerous as their excessively confident counterparts. Now is not the time to second-guess your decisions-- it is better to feign confidence and make a quick decision than to continue "sitting on" a difficult choice.
