Etteilla

Etteilla is the pseudonym of Jean-Baptiste Alliette (1738–1791), a French occultist who played a key role in the early development of tarot as a system of divination. He coined the name Etteilla by reversing his surname and published a series of works and a tarot deck intended for occult reading rather than gaming.

Alliette promoted a structured method for interpreting tarot cards, linking them to astrology, numerology, alchemy, and the Kabbalah. He argued for the antiquity and oriental origins of the tarot and popularized the view that the cards could reveal hidden knowledge. In the 1780s and early 1790s he produced writings and teaching materials outlining his approach to reading the cards and assigning meanings to the major and minor arcana.

One of his notable contributions was the Etteilla tarot deck, also known as the Tarot Esotecique, designed specifically for divination. This deck featured symbolic imagery and correspondences intended to support esoteric interpretation, and it helped establish conventions later used by occult tarot traditions. The Etteilla deck is considered among the earliest tarot sets created for fortune-telling and ritual use, rather than for playing games.

Legacy and influence: Etteilla’s work helped shift tarot from a game played in card rooms to a tool of occult practice and self-study. His ideas influenced subsequent French occultists and contributed to the broader 19th- and 20th-century revival of esoteric tarot, even as different schools and decks diverged in their interpretations and methods. He remains a historically significant figure in the history of tarot.