Leliana: Queen of Swords

Introduction

Leliana is an adviser in Dragon Age Inquisition, an NPC in Dragon Age II DLC, and a companion in Dragon Age Origins. Because she has appeared in each game over the course of the series, as well as her own prequel DLC, Leliana's song, we have had the opportunity to see her character develop in response to many events and over many years. This wealth of experience with her character provides the player with a chance to dive deep into her story and character, giving her greater authenticity. The card that appears in Dragon Age Inquisition refers to her character at that point in her character arch, however, an understanding of her arch overall gives greater insight into her state during Dragon Age Inquisition. Below, I will mostly be talking about Leliana during Dragon Age Inquisition but also referring to her experiences in previous games. 

Traditional Queen of Swords Interpretation: 

The Queen of Swords represents a woman of complexity, strong intellect, clear thinking, and judgement. She is independent in her thinking and can be considered cold-hearted. Unlike most of the female figures in tarot, she is not driven by emotion, but knowledge. She is not distracted by her feelings for others, but acts based on the knowledge that she has gained about them. She is highly perceptive, upfront, and honest. She cannot be fooled or tricked but can accept knowledge from others, as her discernment and judgement are superb. She is highly detailed oriented and not only collects information but can use information to create accurate pictures of others and situations, and to make accurate judgments about them.

I think this summarizes Leliana pretty obviously so I'm not going to spend a lot of time detailing why. Before I attempt to interpret Leliana's card let's examine the imagery first. Tarot reading is all about interpreting symbols and imagery to understand what a card is trying to show us.

Description of Leliana's Dragon Age Card: Leliana is seen in profile with her lips pursed slightly and left finger up towards her lips as if she is saying, "shhhhh." She appears to be naked except for a hood over her red hair. Her arms are crossed over her chest and on her right hand, a raven is perched. The raven is also in profile, looking in the same direction as Leliana. They appear to be connected by two rings, one on Leliana's ring finger and one on the raven's leg, and a chain. A circle frames her head, shoulders, and the raven and outside of the circle is another circle made of red swords. At the bottom of the card is a black knight, outlined in white, with its visor closed. The knight has an inquisition shield and has his sword drawn. Although the sword is drawn, the knight does not appear to be charging.

Some of the imagery in Leliana's card relates to the symbology of tarot and some does not (which I'll detail below). Her card has some things in common with the Rider-Waite Smith Queen of Swords card, but departs from it in significant ways.

Positioning
Both Leliana and the Queen of Swords are pictured in profile, suggesting they are not being upfront or honest. The sword of the Queen of Swords is pointed to the sky, as is Leliana's left finger, referencing the air, the element associated with swords. Air typically represents thoughts, logic, knowledge, clarity, and mental energy. The swords in Leliana's card, however, are numerous and encircle her image, pointing outwards. This reminds me of Leliana's many agents, the ones that assist her in gathering secrets out in the world while she decides how to use them. It also reminds me of how dangerous her secrets and agents are. Many times in the game we are made to understand that Leliana is responsible for people's deaths, not simply gathering their secrets.

The Queen of Swords' left hand is outward as if she is offering something, unlike Leliana who is using her right hand to support her raven and is instead pointing backward as if she is keeping her ideas and knowledge to herself. In tarot this small difference can make a huge impact on the interpretation of a card. Leliana, a spymaster, would not be sharing her secrets and knowledge but keeping them for herself and her organization. In contrast, the Queen of Swords' positioning suggests she is reaching outward, while still protecting herself with her sword in hand.

Clothing
Leliana and the Queen of Swords are dressed very differently. The Queen of Swords is dressed in a flowy white gown and a cape with a cloud motif on it, to reference her element, air. The cape is blue and white, referencing air, but with a red lining, suggesting fire (passion, desire). On her head she wears a crown, denoting her public authority. The crown is of butterflies, representing her freedom of thought, or independent thinking.

Leliana is not dressed at all except for the red hood she wears. She is naked, exposed but for her arms crossing over her chest. The hood is there to hide her identity, highlighting the secret nature of her endeavor. Her crossed arms suggest that only she is protecting herself, without help from an outside force, but also shows how easily she is made vulnerable, if only she would uncross her arms and expose her heart. While Leliana is armed with secrets and knowledge and has made herself cold hearted to effectively perform her role, she is also potentially still that warm hearted woman we met in Dragon Age Origins. This contrast, between her cold, ruthless nature and her warm, compassionate one is the basis for her being hardened or softened in Dragon Age Inquisition (and Dragon Age Origins).

Environs
Leliana and the Queen of Swords are placed in very different settings. The Queen of Swords is seated on a throne, denoting her passive gathering of information, judgement, and discernment. Behind her is a blue sky with clouds in the horizon, suggestive of her element, air. The blue sky and bright white clouds at the top of the card represents her clarity of thought, whereas the darker clouds towards the bottom represent her familiarity with sorrow.

The imagery in the Dragon Age tarot cards is generally darker, with more black, red, and overall darker colors than the traditional Rider Waite Smith deck. The tone in the Dragon Age games is supposed to be rather dark, so this makes sense. The games include significant amounts of death, blights, red lyrium, and plenty of blood so it would be out of place for the tarot cards to look too much like the Rider-Waite deck with bright primary colors.

Leliana is set on a black background with red swords around her. The circle around her is a feminine symbol, which is partly why I was drawn to the interpretation of her as the queen of swords (along with the spot on interpretation). Below her is a black knight. The knight is a separate face card, however, the Knight of Swords meaning and image do not match Leliana's character or card well. The black of the background and of the knight may suggest the secrecy, actions occurring in the dark of night, that her and her agents work under.

My Interpretation of Leliana's Card: If I were to interpret Leliana's card as if it were a tarot card it would be similar to the Queen of Swords but vary in specific ways. Leliana's card represents secrecy and dangerous deception, as represented by the outward swords, her gesture, and hooded figure. The queen in Leliana's card is vulnerable and therefore hides herself, though she has significant strength in her command, as represented by her nakedness, the outward pointing swords, and the knight beneath her. She does not proclaim her authority, but holds it tightly to it in private among her carefully selected agents/companions, as suggested by how close she holds her raven (whose posture is aligned with hers) and how they are chained together.

This card would not work for Leliana's character in Dragon Age Origins, or even after Dragon Age Inquisition, depending on her fate. It presents Leliana, her character and internal conflicts that exist within this one part of her story. Perhaps one day I will get around to assigning cards to other points in her character arch...

Do you have a different interpretation? Please comment below. I would really love to hear what others have to say about Leliana, her card, or anything else related to tarot and Dragon Age!