And now we come to the Hierophant. I had some difficulty with this one, both technically (the lighting was rather tricky and required a LOT of iterations and some lateral thinking!) and in terms of interpretation. I wanted to get away from the overtly denominational image of the traditional hierophant card (also known as the Pope), so I changed it quite a bit. A hierophant is in fact a keeper of hidden knowledge so I tried to convey some mystery in the composition. It’s also about authority, which can be double edged, so I wanted the main figure to look ever so slightly sinister.
The two pillars framing the main figure are symbols of balance, the right hand raised in benediction and pointing to heaven is about spiritual guidance. I’ve toned down the more overtly Papal imagery in keeping with the mood of the scene, so the triple crowned mitre and crossed keys that are authority symbols are now a crest on the gown. The three-barred “trinity” staff as still in its place though, as a representation of “wholeness”.
The two kneeling figures are acolytes symbolic of spiritual tradition, faithfulness, and obedience to higher authority. They’re usually shown as a couple of tonsured monks, but I departed from that in keeping with the general mood. I also considered making the hierophant female (no reason a hierophant needs to be a man!), but it ended up too much like the “High Priestess” so I settled for one of the acolytes being female.
The scene is quite dark, so best viewed at full size « Less
