Peaks in cards, what were they called before? Card suit of spades in the old days

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

Everyone's favorite card games are firmly rooted in modern society. A deck of cards and a couple of good friends will help pass any leisure time. It is no secret that people have come up with many exciting games using a deck of cards. Where did playing cards come from and what were they called before? The card suit of spades is of interest to both amateurs and professionals.

Rooted in China

Like many other antique items, cards have a fascinating history, often covered in myths and legends. Since they were invented a very long time ago, no one undertakes to say where they exactly came from. However, there are some rather interesting facts that suggest that cards first appeared in the Silk Empire. The ancient Chinese dictionary says that playing cards are an ancient heritage of China, and that it was there that they became so widespread.

According to this theory, the four suitssymbolized the seasons. Before the advent of paper copies, the ancient Chinese used "cards" made of ivory, wood, and the Japanese even from mussel shells. In the thirteenth century, an exciting "overseas game" became known in Egypt and India. Europe learned about it after another two centuries. An interesting fact is that the appearance of maps on its territory coincides with the arrival of gypsies there.

What were they called before? Spades Card Suit: History and Meaning

European variants of maps have their own no less interesting explanation. The suits familiar to the modern player also have an individual history. What was the card suit of spades called in the old days? She often symbolized a spear or a flower. In Russia, everything was much less poetic - "shovel". Such names, most likely, are explained by the shape of the figure, symbolizing the suit, which is really somewhat similar to the above items. But another name was popular in Russia in the old days. Peaks were sometimes called vines (vine leaves).

Although the cards themselves originated in China, France has brought their own changes to them. It was the French who added suits to the playing deck. Since then, this variant has gained worldwide distribution. As history testifies, initially the suits symbolized the essential attributes of a knight - a sword (clubs), a spear (spades), a shield (worms) and a coat of arms (tambourines). Now it is not difficult to understand why the card suit of spades used to be called that way. In India, these four images had a very different meaning. Each suit was a symbol of a certainestates - nobility, merchants, clergy and, of course, roy alty.

Maps and royal court

Speaking of kings. Card games were more than popular with them. Not so long ago it became known that even in the royal palaces cheating flourished. The kings themselves also resorted to this "innocent trick", which was rather difficult to fit in the minds of the common people. Both now and before, it could have been quite large sums of money.

Gamblers often lost to smithereens and also found themselves in debt. Given this state of affairs, the first gambling bans began to appear, which significantly reduced the number of avid cheaters.

21st century deck

Every self-respecting player should know the history of his hobby, including cards. What were they like? What were they called before? The card suit of spades itself has an interesting history, not to mention others.

Many are also interested in the question of who became the author of the famous images? To date, the cards have a fairly modern look, although they are made according to the sketches of Charlemagne, who came up with these drawings in the last century. Although cards are now available to almost everyone, there are expensive decks from world brands that are mainly designed for poker or bridge. After going through several millennia of history, they changed and came into the twenty-first century exactly as they are known today. Now for many, the origin of the cards does not matter at all: where did they getthe beginning and what they were called before. The card suit of spades (as well as hearts, clubs and diamonds) has come a long way and deserves close attention.