Knight of Swords is a card used in Latin suited playing cards which include tarot decks

Tarot

The tarot |trionfi]] and later as tarocchi, tarock, and others) is a pack of cards , used from the mid-15th century in various parts of Europe to play a group of card games such as Italian tarocchini and French tarot...

. It is part of what tarot card readers call the "Minor Arcana

Minor Arcana

|thumb|[[King of Swords]] card from a Minor Arcana deckThe Minor Arcana of occult or divinatory tarot refers to the portion of a Tarot deck that consists of 56 cards. The Minor Arcana are roughly similar to the cards found in a common deck of playing cards...

".

Tarot cards are used throughout much of Europe

Europe

Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

 to play tarot card games.

In English

English language

English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...

-speaking countries, where the games are largely unknown, Tarot cards came to be utilized primarily for divinatory purposes.

Symbolism

According to Waite

Arthur Edward Waite

Arthur Edward Waite was a scholarly mystic who wrote extensively on occult and esoteric matters, and was the co-creator of the Rider-Waite Tarot deck. As his biographer, R.A...

, he is described as riding in full course, as if scattering his enemies. This fits well, as Waite associates it, among other things, with war

War

War is a state of organized, armed, and often prolonged conflict carried on between states, nations, or other parties typified by extreme aggression, social disruption, and usually high mortality. War should be understood as an actual, intentional and widespread armed conflict between political...

 and wrath.

Interpretation

The Knight of Swords is often taken to represent a confident and articulate young man, who may act impetuously. The problem is that this Knight, though visionary, is unrealistic. He fights bravely, but foolishly. In some illustrations, he is shown to have forgotten his armor or his helmet. A 'rush to war' is a possibility with this warrior. When played "reversed", the Knight of Swords could represent a clever liar, secrets, or a sly and deceitful confidence trickster. A reversed Knight of Swords is also a warning that an indended path would be a terrible mistake, or more precisely, that reconsidering your actions would be a wise decision.