Witchy Cauldron’s Lepus Tarot, illustrated by Artem Chernobai, arrived in my mailbox under mysterious circumstances. I’m not entirely sure how I received it, but I’m glad I did!
The namesake of the deck, rabbit, meaning hare or rabbit, also refers to the constellation Lepus, who is forever hunted by Orion. I love how the design on the back of the card even looks like a zodiac sign.
In Chinese astrology, Lepus corresponds to the Queen Mother of the West or the White Tiger.
Chernobai’s illustrations for the deck have a creepy, cartoony cuteness to them, and it’s impressive how consistent the style and theme are across all 78 cards. As an amateur illustrator, I can attest to how difficult it is to keep a consistent style.
Here, each card continues to tell a story and features a set of characters. These are some very cunning ninja rabbits (hares? Is there a difference? I wouldn’t know without googling…) with martial arts prowess and super powers.
Out of the box, the minors are sorted by numbered groups, so all the aces are together, wands, chalices, swords, then all the pentagrams, then all the twos, now all the threes, fours, fives, etc.
The compositions are very close to RWS, which is an absolute delight here, as I love seeing how the ninja bunnies (they’re not real ninja bunnies; it’s just my imagination) insert into the RWS scenes and set design.
I can’t explain why I was reminded of Darkwing (the cartoon I watched as a kid) but with Hare, but I got the quality of a dark comedy animated superhero action and adventure.
The accompanying guide describes hares as creatures of the earth, and that hares are highly sensitive and particularly adept at navigating the underworld, able to move nimbly “in the dark.”Revisiting the Chernobyl illustrations with this in mind, it dawned on me that these were narrative depictions of hares in the underworld.These are all scenes from hell.
The guide that comes with the box is enough to get beginners to tarot. I especially appreciate all the professional “Advice/Action” sections.
Minor covers four cards on one page with concise forward and reverse keywords. Oh, kind of random – the cool thing is that this deck was first published in 2022, which is the Year of the Rabbit according to the Chinese calendar and zodiac system.
Do you see it now? The illustrations are scenes from various regions of Hell, and the rabbit is your spiritual support, your animal spirit guide to this deep realm of the earth.
You can order a copy of the Lepus Tarot directly from Witchy Cauldron here,It is a Very Affordable price point, especially for a standalone deck! Wow!
Also be sure to check out more art by Artem Chernobai here @chernobaiart. Chernobai either already leads, or will lead, illustration teams for video games and role-playing games. What a talented illustrator!