Everyone's favorite card games are firmly rooted in modern society. A deck of cards and a couple of good friends will help pass away any leisure. It's no secret that people have come up with many exciting games using a deck of cards. Where did the playing cards come from and what were they called before? Card suit of spades is of interest for both amateurs and professionals.
Rooted in china
Like many other ancient objects, cards have a fascinating history, often covered in myths and legends. Since they were invented a long time ago, no one dares to say where they came from exactly. However, there are quite interesting facts that suggest that the 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 suits symbolized the seasons. Before the appearance of paper copies, the ancient Chinese used “cards” from ivory, wood, and the Japanese even from mussel shells. In the thirteenth century, a fascinating “overseas game” became known in Egypt and India. Europe learned about it after another two centuries. An interesting fact is that the appearance of cards on its territory coincides with the arrival of gypsies there.
What were they called before? Card suit spades: history and significance
European map options have their own equally interesting explanation. The suits customary for a modern player also have an individual story. What in the old days was called card suit spades? She often symbolized a spear or a flower. In Russia, everything was much less poetic - a "shovel". Such names are most likely explained by the shape of the figure symbolizing the suit, which is really somewhat similar to the above objects. But another name was popular in Russia in the old days. Peaks were sometimes called guilt (grape leaves).
Although the cards themselves originated in China, France brought changes to them. It was the French who added suits to the playing deck. Since then, this option has gained worldwide distribution. As history testifies, initially suits represented the inalienable 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 was called that way before. In India, these four images had a completely different meaning. Each suit was a symbol of a particular estate - the nobility, merchants, clergy and, of course, royal power.
Maps and the 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 resorted to this "innocent trick", which was quite difficult to fit into the head of the common people. As now, as before, we could talk about quite large sums of money.
Gamblers were often played to pieces and also found themselves in debt. Given this state of things, the first prohibitions on gambling began to appear, which significantly reduced the number of inveterate cheaters.
21st Century Deck
Every self-respecting player must know the story of his hobby, including cards. What were they like? What were they called before? The card suit of the spades in 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? Today, 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 of world brands that are designed primarily for poker or bridge. After passing several millennia of history, they mutated 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 come from and what were they called before. The card suit of the spades (like worms, clubs and tambourines) has gone a fascinating way and deserves close attention.